History

To its first settler, the nourishing and sustaining nature of GlenCove was apparent and life-altering. 

At the end of the Civil War in 1865, James Madison Zachary, like many young men of his era, was looking for ways to make a living. He farmed land in Toccoa, Ga, mined for gold in Sapphire, and even studied – and became – a dentist. 

​In 1872, Dr. Zachary had saved enough to purchase a large tract of land in the Norton Community and, in 1880, began to build what is now GlenCove.

​Dr. Zachary cultivated the acreage into a working farm. He fenced off more than 400 acres for grass and grains and 20 for wheat and rye, in addition to planting an apple orchard. He also raised hogs, cattle, and horses and devoted more than 105 acres to fish ponds. He built a home for his wife and eight daughters using materials from the sawmill and kiln he constructed on the property.

​In his own words to his brothers, “I used to not love farming, but now I like it best of all. I am not doing much in the line of dentistry now, as I think I can live on grass, fruit, and saw dust… You may talk of your new country, and I have traveled over nine states, but I believe this to be the best lazy man’s country in the world…as we have everything we need.”