Fitts & Patterson Store, c.1928, Pickens County, GA

Photographer facing north

Driving on Hwy 53 between the communities of Marble Hill and Tate, in Pickens County, GA, this building commands your attention as it white color leaps out at you. This section of Hwy in northern Georgia, on the southern side of the Blue Ridge Mountains, is a stretch that passes two or three marble quarries that, when viewed on satellite images, appear as white as this building.

Pickens County is known as "The Marble Capital of Georgia", with mined materials used for a variety of purposes. The Pickens County Marble Festival website states:

               "For decades Georgia Marble has been mined and used to create historic architecture around the world, including the Archives Building in Atlanta, the New York Stock Exchange, the Supreme Court, the Lincoln Memorial, and our local Tate Elementary School. The marble is also used for tombstones for the United States Military at Arlington National Cemetery. Most of the marble is white, but there is also a very rare pink marble. It is one of the few places in the world where pink marble is found".

Photographer facing NE

Thjs structure is located right across the highway from part of the Imerys Marble operation. I don't know what the exact nature of the store has been through the years, but there is a "Drink Royal Crown Cola, Best By Taste Test" sign painted, barely discernible, on the western side of the building.

Many stores of that era that were build near a manufacturing operation were company stores, set up for the workers to buy goods, thus giving their money right back to their employers. Some companies went so far as paying their employees, not in U.S. dollars, but company money that could only be spent at the company store. Whether that practice was used here is not known to me.

One would have to assume it was at least operated as a grocery store at some point. In one blog post I found, the writer recalls that his family bought appliances there.

Photographer facing NE

The store is constructed of concrete blocks, with the classic stair-step pattern on the facade. I don't know what this architectural style is called, but it is present on many older commercial buildings in the south.

One thing that is certain, the exterior of these old concrete buildings hold up against the elements. At nearly ninety years old, this building doesn't look like it's going anywhere anytime soon.

Appalachian Home, Pickens County, GA

Hwy 53 East, photographer facing south

Tucked away on a wooded tract located in the Marble Hill section of far eastern Pickens County, this old home is passed unseen by drivers headed east. It lies on a sweeping curve that bends to the southeast as the road leads towards Dawson County. In the summer, even drivers heading west probably miss it due to the dense foliage between the home and the road. The pictures in this post were taken in March of 2015.

Photographer facing south

The tax records show that this property was owned by Wyolene Wigington from 1955 - 1992, however the age of the home is not listed, and the locals I have asked about this property don't know much about it. I don't know if Ms. Wigington ever lived in the home, or leased it.

Stacked marble foundation, photographer facing NE

One man who grew up in the area remembered a Widow (pronounced "widder") Brooks living there. There was a good, cold spring at the property from which he and his brother would sneak a drink as they walked down the highway on hot summer days. They had to be fast about it though, because she was quick to holler at them to get out of there.

A few miles west of this site lie the marble quarries that have been important to the local economy. A closer look at the foundation of this home reveals the use of cast-off pieces of marble instead of the typical field stone of this area.

Photographer facing SE

The tin roof over the back porch was barely hanging on at the time of these photos, but the chimney is standing strong. The forest is slowly shutting this gem of an old mountain home off from the peering eyes and noise of today's traffic.

Tate L&N Depot, 1916, Pickens County, GA

L&N Depot

The Tate, or L&N (Louisville and Nashville) Depot was built in 1916, mainly to serve the Georgia Marble Company which was founded by Samuel Tate in 1884. The rail line also carried passengers southbound to Marietta, GA, or northbound through the twists and turns of the Blue Ridge Mountains to Etowah, TN.

The passenger service stopped in the 1940s, but the depot was still used as offices and storage for the L&N Railroad, and later by CSX Transportation. As you can see, the building is no longer in use and appears to be

L&N Depot from Hwy 53

suffering from a lack of maintenance. However, there are plans in the works, and a large federal grant has been given to move the depot across the street and have it restored.

There is some speculation that the reason for this is two-fold; one is to preserve the historical structure, another is to widen Hwy 53 at this point to accommodate the heavily loaded trucks transporting marble from the still-operating Georgia Marble Company.

The depot is included in an area that was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.

February 1, 2016, Update:

Passing through Tate in January I was able to see the newly renovated and relocated depot. Picked up and moved across Hwy 53 from the old site last year, the depot will now serve a new purpose, though what that will be still seems to be unknown. My only complaint is that the clay tiles were removed from the roof and saved, but were not used as part of the renovation. Overall, I'm glad it was preserved instead of razed, or used for fire department practice. Good job, Pickens County.

Photographer facing NE from S. Railroad Street