Andrew Gennett, the Weeks Act of 1911, and the development of the national forests in Appalachian Georgia

Andrew Gennett left a detailed memoir, written in 1939, that told a fascinating story full of rich anecdotes and reminiscences from his remarkable life. His narrative, placed in the context of the Progressive-era South at the turn of the twentieth century, offers a rare glimpse into the social, political, environmental, and economic workings of a commercial elite in southern Appalachia. Gennetts position as a successful timber operator during a time in which Georgia and the nation clamored for forest conservation, places him square in the middle of the captivating history of a turbulent period in Appalachian history. His sale, in 1912, of more than 32,000 acres of timberland in north Georgia to the United States Forest Service the first tract in the nation approved under the Weeks Act of 1911 paved the way for over forty years of subsequent purchases. Georgias Appalachia would never be the same.