Founded in 1928, the National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Organization is a 501(c)(3) youth organization that promotes and supports agriculture education.“Without agriculture, we would have nothing,” says Sarah Nerswick, who is an agriculture education teacher at Cambridge High School. Nerswick launched the Cambridge Agriscience and Veterinary Education (CAVE) program in 2015 in tandem with Cambridge’s inaugural FFA chapter. In its short history, the program has won numerous national competitions. “We know the lessons our students learn from agricultural studies will stay with them forever,” says Nerswick.

Travelers in the mid-1800s passed through a little community now known as Birmingham Crossroads and remarked that they were often greeted by the aroma of meat cooking in nearby log homes. They described the scent as “burning hams.” According to an article written by a roving reporter in 1960, that is how many old-timers believe the Birmingham area of Milton got its name.In the article, Wade McCurry denied that the area was named for Birmingham, Alabama, or Birmingham, England. The small farming settlement got its name and post office soon after the Civil War. The community was a popular stopping place for farmers from the mountain regions on their way to sell their produce in Atlanta. McCurry described pitched tents that looked like a campsite.

By Laura Bentley

Nestled among hardwoods and native dogwoods rests one of the oldest buildings in Fulton County, which is located at 15690 Hopewell Road. The Thomas Byrd Sr. house is owned by the City of Milton and was repurposed to serve the community’s increasing older adult population. The building, now affectionately referred to as the Byrd House, is representative of Milton’s legacy of preservation.

The red tin-roofed house, along with the wooded site that includes an abandoned roadbed that once carried travelers through the Cherokee Nation, is rich with history and a treasure that continues to serve its current residents. The contrast of modern day Tai Chi classes held beneath a ceiling adorned with a Moravian star painted by missionaries during the mid-1800s is something to see. The historic home has been reinvented and preserved all at the same time and now serves as a charming community gathering place for area seniors.