Helen

1913

A town named for a lumber official's daughter

Helen was laid out in 1912 and 1913 by John E. Mitchell of St. Louis. When a name was needed, a lumber official suggested the name of his daughter, and there was little opposition. The town was incorporated on August 18, 1913.

The road

The town sits on a trail more than 1,000 years old

Helen was built along the former route of the Unicoi Turnpike, a 1,000-year-old Native American trail connecting Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia. Even before people used it, large mammals migrated along the route for the winter. In the early 19th century it became a toll road for wagons carrying freight, with inns called stands along the way.

1969

A logging town in decline remade itself as a Bavarian village

Helen had been a logging town in decline. It remade itself as a replica of a Bavarian alpine town, in the Appalachians instead of the Alps. Zoning first adopted in 1969 requires the southern German style on every building, even on the few national franchises. The idea was suggested by John Kollock, an Atlanta artist.

Today

Oktoberfest here runs from September to November

Tourism is the main business, mostly weekend visitors from the Atlanta area and motorcyclists. Helen can be crowded in late October, when autumn leaves typically peak. The town hosts its own Oktoberfest in September, October and November, and a hot-air balloon race on the first weekend in June.

531people lived in the town at the 2020 census

1830s

In the 1830s the old road was the first leg of the Trail of Tears

In 1813 the Cherokee struck a treaty that allowed a toll road along the trail. The yearly payments it promised were reportedly never paid. In the 1830s the turnpike was the first leg of the Trail of Tears for more than 3,000 Cherokee people who were deported during the Cherokee Removal.