About Us:

Talmo has a full time City Clerk and an active city council consisting of Mayor and four council members; they moved into its current 4,000 square foot facility in April 2004. The new City Hall was a home built in 1910 and was purchased and owned by a Doctor Kennedy for the price of $350.00 on April 13th, 1910. When the city first moved into the house it needed a few updates to make it amendable, such as wheel chair accessibility and a handi-cap accessible restroom. In December of 2006, the city paid off the remainder of the note with remaining SPLOST revenues right under $200,000.00 dollars. The new City Hall also houses the City Library. At last count the Talmo Library had approximately 1,800 books; the current librarian is continually working to upgrade the book inventory. See the library page to check when they are open. Wayne and Jill Miller, owners of Talmo Ranch, have bought several of the old buildings in the downtown area and have restored them with a Historic appeal.

The former city hall was located in a general store dating back to the early years of Talmo’s beginning. The building has been placed on the National Register of Historic Placesas have other building restored by the Millers. The majority of the property in Talmo is still agricultural but with the rapid influx of new citizens from metro Atlanta, the rural atmosphere may be lost in years to come.

History:

Indian trails crossed Jackson County and in 1803, permission was received from the Cherokees to build the Federal Road through the county along the ridge from Oconee Heights through what is now Talmo to Belmont. Talmo was settled around 1840. Many others soon followed, some settling near the present site ofMountain Creek Church near Hickory Siding. Talmo was a small community, 10 miles north of Jefferson and 13 miles south of Gainesville on what was to be theGainesville Midland Railroad line, and was little more than a wilderness in 1865, with only a few houses. In 1866, the Rev. W.H. Bridges moved to the area and had the people build a log school house, which was used as a church named Mountain Creek. The area was decimated by deaths in the War Between the States, with numerous women being left widows. Talmo began to grow in the early 1900’s when Gainesville Midland put a side track in the area. The community’s people, at their expense and labor, built a depot. More stores were added. The railroad made Talmo a regular stop. Citizens could take the train to Gainesville for 10 cents. Talmo was incorporated on August 9, 1920. The origin of Talmo’s name is derived from the Creek Indian word Talomeco, which means “Home of the Chief Tallassee.”