The Smith House Management Company

The history of the Smith House traces back to 1884, when a gentleman by the name of Captain Frank Hall purchased an acre of land east of the Dahlonega town square to build a Grand House. In 1922, Henry and Bessie Smith purchased the Hall property and opened a boarding house for hungry guests and travelers. They converted the seven rooms to accommodate guests for overnight stays, and Bessie began cooking delicious meals served on the long communal tables that we are still famous for today. Her buttermilk fried chicken, country ham, and garden fresh vegetables became the signature foods of the Smith House. Fame of her cooking quickly spread, and people traveled to Dahlonega to experience the Smiths hospitality. At that time, the price of a room and meal was $1.50 a day. Soon after the Welch family purchased the building in 1970, Freddy Welch immediately started expanding the operations his parents, Fred and Thelma, had established, creating larger dining spaces and bigger kitche...