Burton, Georgia

The first discovery of gold in Rabun County was just north of Burton, at the confluence of Moccasin Creek and the Tallulah River.

The town was named after Jeremiah Burton, who owned the post office and general store there.

[2] Burton was located along the road from Clayton, Georgia to the Nacoochee Valley and became more than just a gold rush town – it served the corundum mines of Tate City.

Eventually, the logging industry built a railway to the town so that lumber from the mountains could be transported to the mill in Helen, Georgia.

The dam for Lake Burton was closed on December 22, 1919, and before long the town was submerged.