Cherokee Historical Society Receives Achievement Award

The Cherokee County Historical Society has been recognized for its partnership with the Cherokee County School District. 

The organization earlier this week received the Roger K. Warlick Local History Achievement Award from the Georgia Historical Society for Investing in Community Legacy: A Partnership Between Cherokee County Schools and the Cherokee County Historical Society. 

The project encourages the district and the society to collaborate in an effort to teach the county's history through various standards. The society collaborate with the Cherokee school district and developed a staff development course for educators. It also provides tours of the Cherokee County History Museum to school children. 

The Local History for Local Teachers course was held at Cherokee High School in June 2012 and was facilitated by Historical Society volunteer, Dr. Sharron Hunt, a retired Cherokee County School District educator.

Thirteen teachers participated and received instructional materials including books, historic maps and photos, and other resources to assist in their teaching of Cherokee County history.   

During the class academic sessions were taught by visiting historians, each with expertise in a specific area of local history.  

The sessions were followed by field experiences related to the morning classroom sessions, which included a paddle trip down the Etowah River to view historic sites from the water and a 65-mile county-line bus tour passing notable historic sites within the county.

The second phase of this project was to host tours at the museum.

Dr. Hunt, who retired as principal at Carmel Elementary School, wanted to create a unique learning experience for students and drafted a 55-page instructional guide to facilitate the tours of the museum and Cherokee County Historic Courthouse. 

Groups interested in museum tours can call the society at (770) 345-3288.