History

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The Dunahoo Family has a tradition deeply rooted in land surveying that spans three generations. The tradition started in the early 1900s when L. A. (Lucious) House made land surveying his primary occupation and served as County Surveyor in Barrow County, Georgia. Horace Lucious (H.L.) Dunahoo, named for his uncle Lucious House, had a great fascination with the staff compass and began learning the trade as a young school boy. In 1938, H. L. began his career in land surveying. He was elected to the position of County Surveyor and opened his office in the Barrow County Courthouse. Governor Ellis Arnold appointed H. L. Dunahoo to survey the county line dividing Gwinnett and Dekalb Counties. For several months he surveyed the thirty two mile line, defined as the Old Hightower Indian Trail, and prepared maps to define the line for future generations. Until his death, H. L. Dunahoo was a well respected surveyor in both Georgia and South Carolina.

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In 1963, at the early age of 48 years, H. L. Dunahoo died in an automobile accident. At the time his son, William Terrell (W. T.)Dunahoo, who had already worked for years in the surveying business, was attending college at Georgia Tech majoring in Civil Engineering. He returned home to continue the family business of surveying and was appointed by J. B. Lay, Chairman of the Barrow County Board of Commissioners, to fill the unexpired term of his father as County Surveyor. He continued his studies at Georgia Tech and obtained his degree in 1966. He became a Registered Land Surveyor in Georgia in 1968 and went on to become licensed in South Carolina. W. T. constructed his office in Winder in 1969 and has remained in that same location, making several additions through the years.

W. T. has a younger brother, Donald H. Dunahoo, who began working in the surveying business in high school. After attending Truett McConnell and Southern Tech, Don joined the family business in 1970. Don has a son, Daniel F. Dunahoo, who also works for the company.

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W. T. Dunahoo’s younger daughter, Nicole Dunahoo Wall, grew up in the family business. After graduating from The University of Georgia with a design degree in 1997, Nicole studied surveying courses. She earned her Land Surveyor in Training License in 2004 and earned her license as a Registered Land Surveyor in Georgia in 2009.

W. T. Dunahoo has three grandsons and Don has two grandchildren so the Dunahoo Family tradition of land surveying and engineering is likely to continue into a fourth generation.