As the 2017 solar eclipse travelled across the United States, it also pulled people to the path of totality from different ends of the country to see this phenomena.
Hartwell, Georgia was one of the small towns along the path that would be one of the last places to see the total eclipse across the country and as a result, people came from as close as Athens, Georgia, and as far as Florida.
“I drove six and half… no seven and half hours hours to get here,” said Susan David, a resident of Alligator Point, Florida. “I made it in short trips, but the traffic wasn’t worth it for me to try it all at one time.”
David wasn’t the only one who traveled for totality. People from all over Georgia came to Hartwell to witness the phenomenon. Some thought Lake Hartwell wouldn’t be as busy as other areas.
“We figured it just wouldn’t be as full as somewhere maybe in the mountains,” said Jason Brown, who traveled from his hometown of Elberton, Georgia.
It appeared to be dusk in Hartwell, GA at 2:38pm when the highly anticipated solar eclipse occurred.
However, the small town of Hartwell was feeling the burn of the sun earlier than mid-afternoon. Traffic in the small town was at an all-time high. We sent out our reporter Allison Atkins to the streets for investigation. She discovered that the time it takes to get through the mere six-block historic downtown usually clocks in around 3 minutes.But not on solar eclipse Monday. We clocked our 6-block travel around 12 minutes.
Although traffic usually leads to an uptake in business, the parking around the shops of the downtown square were all empty, as the cars passing were making their way to the respective viewing spots.
Not only did the small town experience a 100% solar eclipse on this iconic Monday but it saw a brief influx and outflow of traffic within a few hours. What could Hartwell do to alleviate such traffic? Well, we’ll just have to wait for the next eclipse.
A crowd of people look up at the solar eclipse on the side of the road outside of the Big Oaks Recreation Center at the eclipse viewing at Lake Hartwell, in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. There was around 1500 people in the Big Oaks area for the viewing.(Photo/Nicole M. Adamson)
Brant Brown (back), 7, a student at Elbert County Elementary, looks up at the solar eclipse with his friends, Evan Rorick (middle), 10, a student at Elbert County Elementary, and Rylan Brown (front), 9, a student at Elbert County Elementary at the eclipse viewing at Lake Hartwell, in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. The boys all agreed that the eclipse was “the coolest” and traveled around an hour and half to Lake Hartwell to see the eclipse. (Photo/Nicole M. Adamson)
A police officer directs the traffic leaving the Big Oaks Recreation Center after the solar eclipse at Lake Hartwell, in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. (Photo/Nicole M. Adamson)
Olivia Walton, right, 41, from Athens, Georgia, and her son, Avery Walton, left, 8, take a selfie as the solar eclipse begins during the eclipse viewing at Lake Hartwell in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. The Waltons decided to visit their family in Hartwell to see the total eclipse. (Photo/Reann Huber, www.reannhuber.com)
Susan David, a retired school teacher, from Alligator Point, Florida, cheers as the solar eclipse approaches totality at Lake Hartwell, in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. David took the seven hour trip by herself after various friends cancelled plans. David also decided to break up her trip into portions and stayed near Lake Sinclair and drove to Hartwell in the morning due to traffic. (Photo/Nicole M. Adamson)
Mike Pousman (left), 70, retired, from Atlanta, Georgia, looks up at the sun with his wife, Cynthia Pousman (right), 70, retired science teacher, from Atlanta, Georgia at Lake Hartwell, in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. The Pousmans said that “the drive was well worth it” for the eclipse experience. (Photo/Nicole M. Adamson)
A man looks up to the sky as the solar eclipse begins during the eclipse viewing at Lake Hartwell in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. Many people traveled to see the eclipse in totality.
(Photo/Reann Huber, www.reannhuber.com)
Lynn Young, left, 57, a visual designer from Athens, Georgia, and Sherryl Butler, right, 54, graphic design manager from Athens, Georgia, take photos of the solar eclipse during the eclipse viewing at Lake Hartwell in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. (Photo/Reann Huber, www.reannhuber.com)
The view of the sun during the peak of totality during the solar eclipse over Lake Hartwell, in Hartwell, Georgia, on Monday, August 21, 2017. Many people cited that the eclipse’s totality was the reason they traveled:
“It’s just a once in a lifetime experience,
I won’t be around for the next one,” said Cythia Pousman, a retired science teacher from Atlanta who braved the traffic in order to view it. (Photo/Nicole M. Adamson)