This June marked the 155th anniversary of the June Singing held in Alpharetta, the longest running public event in the city’s history. It dates back to 1868 a decade after Alpharetta became the seat for Milton County. Alpharetta had fewer than 300 residents.
Sacred Harp singing is a special and unique kind of acapella harmony using only four notes. It originated in England, was popular in Ireland and Scotland, then migrated to New England before moving to the rural South where it became firmly established. The “June Singing” in Alpharetta was not only an all-day event for singing hymns, it was also a social happening with families enjoying picnic lunches and meeting with friends and neighbors. At its heyday in the early 1900s, several thousand people would travel to Alpharetta in their buggies and wagons to gather every second Sunday in June.
Local historian Connie Mashburn wrote an article about the June Singing in his book “Alpharetta, Milton County – The Early Years,” in which he quoted George D. Rucker, publisher of the Alpharetta Free Press. In an article written in 1923, Rucker said “The Alpharetta 1923 June Singing has just passed. There were several thousand people present, and it was a well behaved crowd, considering the size of it. The men were sober and in a good humor, and the women were well dressed and happy, bringing their many baskets of good eats. We hope they will continue to come here from year to year, as long as people’s hearts are touched by old-time songs.”
Sometimes called “fa-so-la” singing or “shape-note singing,” the music got its name from “The Sacred Harp” hymnal tune book by B.F. White published in 1844. It uses a system of four printed shapes, instead of standard music notation, to help those who don’t know how to read music. The book and subsequent revisions helped promote…
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