History
Historical Facts about Cambridge
Cambridge High School currently sits on the property that was originally within the Bethany Community, which took its name from the Bethany Baptist Church, established December 27, 1850. Early settlement predates 1850. Settlers moved into the Cherokee lands in the early 1800’s, intermarrying with the native population. The big surge of population in the early 1800’s is related to the period of the removal of the Cherokee Indians, the discovery of gold, and the land lotteries of 1832 and 1833. All the land lots were surveyed into 40 acres for gold lots for the purpose of the lotteries. The original Cherokee County was created by the Georgia legislature in 1831 and included all Cherokee lands of northwest Georgia. In 1832, Cherokee was subdivided into ten-county units. The land where Cambridge High School is located was in Cherokee County until the creation of Milton County in 1857.
The site for Cambridge High School, LL 832, was included in the gold belt land lots. Many of the lots along what is now Bethany Bend were owned by Henry Emerson. He took advantage of Cooper Sandy Creek as a strong source of water and established a grist mill near where the creek crosses Hopewell Road. The early streams were not impeded by the development we see today and had a stronger flow to provide water power. Cooper Sandy has its beginnings in LL 832. There is no evidence of any large gold discoveries in this immediate area. The Cogburn family purchased the land from early lottery speculators and is known to be the original landowners of the land where Cambridge was built.
On November 15, 2011, The Fulton County Board of Education approved the name for its new high school in North Fulton. Founded by the Cogburn family, the property that Cambridge High School is built upon is as unique as the make-up of its inaugural student body. The Cambridge upperclassmen will consist of students from the City of Alpharetta as well as students from the City of Milton. The wetlands running through the school’s campus required the creation of the “BRIDGE” which is as symbolic as it is physical. Just as the bridge unites our sprawling campus, it also represents the bridging of not only our students but also our cities. Students attending Cambridge High School voted in November on the “Bears” as their school’s mascot and navy blue, Carolina blue, and white as their school’s official colors. The school will open its doors to students in August 2012.
The previous information was gathered from members and artifacts from the Alpharetta Historical Society.
