The lumber town
Helen began as a timber town in the Chattahoochee valley. The New Georgia Encyclopedia says it grew around a sawmill built by the Byrd-Matthews timber company around 1910 and was named for the daughter of one of its partners; the city’s own history is briefer, saying only that lumber barons came and went. When the timber was gone, the city says, Helen was a dying lumber town.
1969: the sketches
The City of Helen dates the turn to January 1969. Three local businessmen asked John Kollock, an artist from Clarkesville who had served in Germany, to sketch what the town could look like. He drew Bavarian valley towns, and by the fall of 1969 many of the old buildings had new alpine facades.
Not every source agrees on the year. The New Georgia Encyclopedia places the businessmen’s lunch in 1968, credits Pete Hodkinson with leading the merchants, and says the design was realized by 1972. We follow the city’s dates and note the difference.
Oktoberfest and the balloons
The new look brought new festivals. The Helen Chamber bills its 2026 festival as the 56th annual Oktoberfest, which puts the first in the early 1970s. This year’s schedule is in the Helen Oktoberfest guide. The Helen to the Atlantic Balloon Race reached its 53rd year in 2026. The archive photographs on this page are from the 1970s.
Helen now
The city calls itself Georgia’s Alpine Village. It is still small: 531 residents in the 2020 Census, on about 2.1 square miles of land.
See the story in town
The Helen Arts & Heritage Center at 25 Chattahoochee Strasse has a free museum on the town’s history, alongside a gallery and a pottery studio. It is open daily. Walk out of the museum onto Main Street and you can read Kollock’s idea in the rooflines.
Quick answers
When was Helen turned into an alpine village?
The City of Helen dates it to January 1969, when three local businessmen asked Clarkesville artist John Kollock for sketches. By fall 1969 many of the old buildings had their Bavarian facades.
Source: City of Helen
How many people live in Helen?
531, in the 2020 Census. The city covers about 2.1 square miles, and White County as a whole had 28,003 residents.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
Hours, prices and dates change. The official visitor center has the final word: Helen Welcome Center (Alpine Helen/White County CVB)