“The nice thing about living in a small town is that when you don’t know what you’re doing, someone else does.” Immanuel Kant The first time Joe and I drove into this quaint town and laid eyes on the town square, we said how lovely this town was and how we needed to come back and take some time here. Well the next time and we came through after a weekend in the mountains, we did stop . This small town was founded in 1821 and later chartered in 1823. Clarkesville is located at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and is only 2.49 square miles with a population of only 1770 people. This town was named after John Clark who was an American Planter and also a politician in the 1800’s. He served in the Georgia House of Representatives and was elected for two terms as the thirty-first Governor from 1819 to 1823. He lived in Milledgeville and died of yellow fever in 1832. Clarkesville was the first major resort town in north east Georgia at a time when people were getting away from the coast and the outbreak of Malaria. It used to be full of tourist and had lots of hotels and restaurants then and the square was full of women shopping and men hanging out talking politics and business. The hotels are all gone now but the town still is a peaceful and friendly place to visit. It is lovely to walk around this town. We have only come through on a Sunday and I’d love to see what this town is like during the week and when I could check out the shops but they are all closed on Sundays. One day we will get there on another day and get to see the inside of the shops. We found the restaurant the Copper Pot which looked like a nice restaurant and right in town. We went in and sat down and all you could smell was the aroma of pizza’s. We ordered a pizza, of course and they told us it was BOGO today and on every Sunday. If you do not know what BOGO means – it means buy one and get one free. So we ordered a second pizza as well. We watched the cooks flipping the pizza crust in the kitchen and put the pizza into a brick oven. When the pizza’s came out, oh my, they were delicious and we were able to bring home over a full pizza. They make all their food from scratch and the garden produce is seasonally fresh and at good prices. They also sell craft beer and wines. What kind of restaurant is it? They answer that it is the type that makes great food. They sell great salads, burgers, and much more. They have a great menu. If you are in the area stop. You will not a sorry. See them at: thecopperpotrestaurant.com. We walked around near the restaurant and we came across this crazy car. It was so unique and odd. I had to stop and take pictures of it. What a hoot. On the side of the car is computer mother boards, on the top of the car was a kids bike with a crazy doll with a mohawk and a rubber ducky. I’d love to see who owned this car and hear his or her story. So funny. Then we walked up to see the Mauldin House/Millinery Shop/Big Holly Cabin that was on the corner of East Waters and Jefferson Street. The Mauldin house is a Victorian Cottage and next to it is the Millinery shop – both date back to the 19th century. A. M. Mauldin and his wife were the first owners and their family occupied the property till 1990. Originally the property was an entire city block and had barns, a pasture, and even a large vegetable garden. The house was originally known as the “Little Pink Cottage.” On the property is the old log cabin known as Big Holly Cabin. It is so beautiful with amazing gardens on all sides. What a blessing that this home and property has been preserved. We really enjoyed walking around the home and gardens. After that we walked to the square and enjoyed window shopping. I sure wish these shops were open. This town is a jewel. We sat on a swing outside a shop and watched the traffic go by. What a nice day and we really enjoyed it. There are loads of beautiful historic homes to see and enjoy. We will be back.