7. The Elementary School

One of the first buildings to be constructed after the 1913 fire of Haddock Inn was “The Board Shack.” It served as living quarters for the Forrests and some of the women students. Mrs. Forrest recognized the need to teach young children in the Toccoa community and started a school in 1915. She taught elementary classes in the “Board Shack” and college classes in the tents on campus. Alice Larson Barnes later became the principal of the elementary school. In 1983 the wooden building was replaced by a brick structure by the Stephens County Board of Education. Today this building houses the Christian Education Department and the Thomas H. White Photography Lab. This marker is donated in memory of Mae Acree Wheeler by family and community friends.