Toccoa Falls, a 186-foot waterfall on Toccoa Creek in northeastern Georgia, stands on the campus of Toccoa Falls College and carries both scenic and historical significance. Its name comes from the Cherokee word Tagwâ′hĭ, tied to meanings of “Catawba place” or “beautiful,” and reflects the site’s Indigenous roots. After surrounding land was traded to White settlers in 1783, the falls entered written accounts and local legend, including Cherokee traditions about spirit beings. The site is also marked by tragedy: on November 6, 1977, the failure of the Kelly Barnes Lake dam sent floodwaters through the campus, killing 39 people. The unrebuilt dam left the falls as a place of beauty and remembrance.