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John Martin may not be a widely recognized name outside of Pickens County, Georgia. But to locals, he's as Americana as Waffle House, baseball, and barbeque. To most Pickens Countians, John is instantly recognizable in his customary garb: a tan cowboy hat, blue liberty brand overalls, button up shirt, and eyeglasses. And if you're eating at a local mom and pop establishment, and you don't see John, take a listen. His distinct southern dialect, baritone voice, and guffaw

In 1930, in Northeastern Pickens County, Col. Sam Tate opened a 10,000-acre resort for wealthy Atlantans called Tate Mountain Estates. The Estates featured a dude ranch, kids camp, private 38-acre lake, trapshooting, archery, fox hunts, and a massive 20 plus bedroom lodge named Connahaynee. The other premier amenity was the 18-hole, par 71 course built by Stiles and Van Kleek. John R. Van Kleek was a well-known golf course architect. His firm was headquartered out of Bosto

CLICK HERE TO BUY TRAGEDY AND TRIUMPH: A COMPENDIUM OF NORTH GEORGIA HISTORY After four years of research and countless hours and excursions, I'm proud to release my first book about North Georgia history. The book spans four centuries of events with original content. Over thirty separate pieces of research are organized into six sections: The First Inhabitants - Pretribal Indians through the Cherokee Enter the Europeans - British and American Colonists from the Revolutiona

The home guards remain one of the most confusing aspects of the history of the Civil War in Georgia. Family tales and reminiscences...

On November 9th, 2022, I was a part of a thirty-five-person group of hikers that traveled to the Tate Mountain Estates area of...

In 1968, The Burnt Mountain Corporation was approached by a real estate developer named H. Dean Spratlin with a proposal. He wanted to...

Col. Sam Tate announced the creation of a 10,000-acre estate that would serve as a summer resort for wealthy Atlantans in 1929. At the cost of one-million dollars (seventeen million in today's money) he would construct a 51-acre manmade lake, 18-hole golf course, Dude Ranch, and a premier place to rest and hold events, the Connahaynee Lodge. Situated some 3,300 feet above sea level, atop Mount Burrell (Burnt Mountain today), the giant lodge was built of American Chestnut L

The Great Depression of 1929 caused massive hardships across the United States of America. In response to the dire economic situation, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt created a series of public works programs designed to employ thousands of Americans in different areas of infrastructure, agriculture, and forestry-related jobs. For nine years, the Civilian Conservation Corps changed the American landscape by building fire towers, fire brakes, roads, and planting trees.

Pickens County has a history replete with convicts who escaped local authorities. This particular story took place near Sharptop Church (near the present-day corner of Grandview and Pendley Road) and moved to the Connahaynee Lodge grounds within Tate Mountain Estates before the convict escaped our county. On September 2, 1937 a group of convicts were near Sharptop Church, when one of the convicts, a man convicted of murder, escaped from the group and ran up an embankment. A

Elizabeth Blink Drummond (nee Thomas) was born in 1906 while her family was stationed in Manilla. Her parents thought it cute that she had a habit of always blinking her eyes, so they gave her the nickname Blink. It stuck with her for the rest of her life. Blink came from a long line of military officers. Her father, calvary officer, Colonel Charles Oscar Thomas, Jr. was born in 1871. His father before him, was born in 1838 in New York State and fought for the Union in

The Late Great Professor Perrow By Chris Feldt “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.“ - Henry David Thoreau Eber Carle Perrow, grandfather of Pickens County residents Janet Vardaman and Margo Austin, was born on December 7th, 1880 in Tye River, Virginia. When he was eight-years-old, he moved with his p

Every noun holds a potential avenue for investigation with each noun connecting to other nouns in a web or a word cloud. Reconstructing...

Recently a photocopy of a hand drawn map of the way from Jasper and Tate to Mt. Burrell (now known as Burnt Mountain) has found its way...

In 1930, Colonel Sam Tate had just built his Tate Mountain Estates – which included his stunning Connahaynee Lodge, Lake Sequoyah and a beautiful 18-hole golf course. That October, Colonel Tate gathered with state legislators, Georgia’s Governor Hardman and the Mayor of Atlanta, to unveil the monument dedicated to the founder of the Colony of Georgia, General James Oglethorpe, and to celebrate the changing of the name of Grassy Knob to Mount Oglethorpe. I Unveiling of monumen

The Georgia Forestry Commission keeps a list of all of the champion trees of different species within our state. A champion tree is the...

Map from an early Tate Mountain Estates Publication (early 30's) Aerial photograph of the area with notable locations (1949) In 1930 Colonel Sam Tate had a vision. He would buy 10,000 acres and build a summer colony in a valley nestled near the Appalachian Mountains. The Appalachian Trail's southern terminus would suit just a few miles away on top of the mountain he successfully petitioned the state of Georgia to rename. He built a 51-acr

Did you know that Frank Spratlin, father of Bent Tree's developer H. Dean Spratlin, helped build a radio tower for Georgia Tech on Burnt...

Here's a poem about the burning of the Connahaynee Lodge. Mountains, sky, field and rocks Timbers and nails, woolen socks Paths and...

The land that presently comprises Bent Tree was formerly owned by the marble baron Sam Tate. It was part of the Tate Mountain Estates....