The Dahlonega Gold Museum Historic Site which is located in the middle of the public square, was originally built in 1836 as the Lumpkin County Courthouse.

Standing on the courthouse balcony and pointing at the distant Findley Ridge, Dr. Stephenson was recalled in his speech as saying: "Why go to California?

As news of the discovery spread, thousands of would be get rich quick men flooded into the mountains looking for the yellow metal in the creeks and rivers.

After objections were made to the Federal Indian Agent in the territory, United States troops were sent in to forcibly remove the gold miners from the nation.

By 1831, Governor Gilmer (and later Wilson Lumpkin) of Georgia realized that it was impossible to remove the thousands of miners who had intruded into the Cherokee Nation.

[12] The name was changed from Talonega by the Georgia General Assembly on December 25, 1837, to "Dahlonega",[12] from the Cherokee-language word Dalonige, meaning "yellow" or "gold".

[11][13] Due to the abundance of gold which was discovered in North Georgia, the United States Treasury Department decided to build a branch mint in Dahlonega.

William P. Price, who had been elected to Congress from Dahlonega, petitioned the government to re-purpose the vacant mint building into a college.

In 1873, the newly founded North Georgia Agricultural College, opened its doors from the ashes of the original Dahlonega Branch Mint.

[14] The historic Dahlonega Square is a popular destination, with gift shops, restaurants, art galleries and studios, and wine-tasting rooms.

Located at 384 Mountain Drive, WPA Historical Marker 19 B-7 explains: This court house, built in 1836, replaced the small structure used since the establishment of Lumpkin County in 1832.

Stephenson, assayer at the Mint, attempted to dissuade Georgia miners from leaving to join the California Gold Rush.

Georgia State Route 400, a freeway which runs concurrently with US-19 to Atlanta, has its northern terminus 5 mi (8 km) south of the center of Dahlonega.

The campus' administration building, Price Memorial Hall, is topped with a spire covered with gold leaf from the town.

[28] Corey Smith has a song titled "Dahlonega", in reference to the town and its landmarks, on his album While the Gettin' Is Good, released on June 23, 2015.

Country music recording artist Ashley McBryde directly references the town in her debut single "A Little Dive Bar in Dahlonega", which was released in October 2017.