A Charleston, S.C.-based publisher of local history books has approached Flowery Branch about the possibility of a book on the small South Hall town, which dates to the 1800s.

A former Arcadia Publishing editor from the Atlanta area recommended the town for its "Images of America" series and contacted city officials, said Liz Gurley, acquisitions editor for the company.

"We are looking, first and foremost, for locals who are qualified, interested and connected and who would have vintage images and historical background," Gurley said.
Each book contains 180-240 images. Potential author or authors would submit a proposal that would go before Arcadia's publishing committee, which would decide whether to proceed with the book.

Generally, Arcadia "looks to build relationships with local historians and writers to portray local histories through image-dense publications," Gurley said.

The company targets towns with a population of 5,000 or greater "where pictorial histories have not yet been compiled or recently published," she said.

The matter went before the Flowery Branch Historic Preservation Commission last month.

"There seems to be some interest in it," said Mary Jones, the group's chairwoman, "but we're on the first rung of the ladder. We've got to see first if we can gather what is needed to do this."

Jones also is set to be sworn in at the Flowery Branch City Council's next meeting, set for Thursday, after becoming the lone qualifier last month for the council's Post 2 seat. She replaces Chris Fetterman, who resigned in early January for a job transfer to Florida.

"We can't say we're going to do it until we find out if we've got enough of the old families that go back far enough and if they're willing to share with us, where we can put it together," said Jones, a
longtime resident herself. "It needs to be an accurate book."

Flowery Branch was founded in 1874 and has a city-established historic district covering the downtown. A railroad town and long-ago cotton hub, it also has a historic depot that was restored and now serves as a community center.

Arcadia has published other books about the area, including a "Black America" series book on Hall County and "Images of America" on Gainesville between 1900 and 2000.