Habersham History
Preserving the Past: A crowd celebrates the unveiling of the Big Red Apple monument in Cornelia almost 100 years ago. Photo credit: contributed
The Digitize Habersham website, created by Habersham Education & Research, is a historian’s digital dream.
“We’re all about preserving the rich history of Habersham County. All of our programs are available online so that they are accessible to everyone, 24/7, anywhere in the world,” says founder and President Peter Madruga, of the initiative that documents the milestones in this corner of Northeast Georgia.
Since Digitize Habersham launched in 2022, the group has digitized more than 90,000 pages of Habersham County newspapers dating back to 1857. The newspaper pages can be searched by dates and keywords.
“In the past, you had to go to the library and read every single page of bound volumes, but this way, you can plug in three or four words and up pops a high-resolution thumbnail you can print,” says Madruga.
One woman wanted to honor her late sister with a headstone, but she had only a yellowed, undated birth announcement to go by. “The funeral home couldn’t find the records, but we were able to find the article with a few keystrokes, to establish the date. It brought tears to her eyes,” he says.
The organization has produced a two-hour documentary called Cornelia: A Train Town, and other documentaries are in progress. All are available on the organization’s YouTube channel, along with several short videos that aim to appeal to young historians. An 11-episode podcast series called Hey Habersham features interviews with prominent local citizens; it is in its second season.
A Virtual Veterans Wall of Honor celebrates 6,500 veterans in Habersham County. “You can click on a name and up comes their picture and their backstory – where they were stationed, what medals they won,” Madruga says. “I could look at it all day.” 
