Retreat Center
About our Facilities
Bill Booth had just come home from World War II when his mother instructed him to move to Jackson County, Georgia to assist a distant cousin in running a 700-acre peach farm. His cousin, Annie Hawkins, had taken over the Hawkins Orchard after the death of her brother. While she probably didn’t need help, Bill packed up and left home and made a life for himself in Jackson Co. He met Jean Hood in Commerce, the near-by town, married and moved her to Apple Valley where he built a house nestled between a pecan grove and a pasture. There they raised four sons, grew lots of peaches, established the electrical cooperative and were stalwart members of Apple Valley Baptist Church just down the road.
The house sat silent for two years after Jean died. Her sons couldn’t part with it, but the house was never meant to be silent. Enter Apple Valley Counseling & Wellness Services. Doug Duke and Susan Booth shared a vision for a retreat house. Brought together by a mutual friend, they began to envision a place where people could find peace and rest and in the process work toward emotional healing. This home full of love seemed just the place to carry out their dream.
The house has three bedrooms and two baths. One bathroom is wheelchair accessible and there is handicap access to the home. Two bedrooms have queen beds and one bedroom has two double beds. There is also a bedroom and bath upstairs with barrack-type sleeping arrangements for youth/young adult retreats. The house is country-comfortable with fresh air and sunshine.