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GOLD RUSH

Nathaniel Nuckolls

From Adrian Hopkins
Today I made a visit to Auraria Georgia, 1998.This is the site of the much publicized Gold Rush where Nathaniel set up a Hotel. I made a video of the hotel that is around 170 years old. Mrs. Woody owns the property where the hotel sits. She is in her 70's now. I talked with her a little while. She has a few good stories to tell about the Nuckolls family. She has temporarily closed her little store in Auraria but intends to open it during Gold Rush celebrations in October. I will be going back to attend these ceremonies and buying a 'Knukollsville' cap. Mrs. Wood said that she tried to get the Lumpkin County Historical Society to refurbish the old hotel as a museum site but without luck. She also tried the Federal government when they gave money to bring Dahlonega up to standards, but she had no interest. It is ashamed that the old hotel is just falling down. It originally was a 2-story building with eight rooms. It has a lot of greenery growing up around it now and is hard to see. There is a saloon next to the hotel that she says is not as old as the hotel. Bertha's book calls the hotel a Tavern. I also found a little book store in Dahlonega that has several books on Lumpkin county and the Gold Rush stories. Nathaniel is listed in the index in these books. The Lumpkin County History book is $48 and there are some Gold Rush Lottery books ($48) and a Gold Rush book ($14.95) that has several pages featuring Nathaniel. These books are on sale locally at the Dahlonega Hometown Bookstore.