Waco, GA news and local guide

Near Waco, in 1888, three wine-making communities were founded on about 2,000 acres after land developer Ralph L. Spencer invited some 200 Hungarian families to settle the area. They named the largest Budapest, for Hungary's capital; another Tokaj, for the famous wine region; and a third Nyitra, for an ancient fort in northern Hungary. They built homes, shops, a school, a Catholic church and a cemetery, and the vineyards flourished. Georgia's prohibition law of 1908 ruined the wine industry, and the families were forced back to the mines of Pennsylvania. The church rectory still stood when the marker was placed, and in the small cemetery the settlers were buried with their heads toward the east and their homeland. Sources Wikipedia: Waco, Georgia The Historical Marker Database: Hungarian Colony (Georgia Department of Natural Resources)