![]() The second floor has four bedrooms, each featuring its own marbled bathrooms, mantled fireplaces, plus a morning kitchen and an office. By 1926, Colonel Sam, his brother Luke (family attorney) and sister Florentine resided at the mansion. Setting the matching pieces aside, he began construction of the Pink Marble Mansion. In 1920-21, Colonel Sam began watching the rare Etowah Pink Marble that came from the quarry just behind the house. Legends were told of a rare, bright pink marble, referred to as “Etowah” marble. ![]() Designed by the International Architectural Firm of Walker and Weeks, Cleveland, Ohio, building began in 1921. It was Stephen Tate’s son, the eldest of his 19 children, known as “Colonel Sam Tate,” who consolidated the marble interests and gained control by 1917. His son, Stephen Tate, began the mining of marble, which eventually placed Tate, Georgia on the map. In 1834, Samuel Tate purchased the land the Tate House stands on and moved his family from Lumpkin County, Georgia. Passing the north of the mansion is the “Old Federal Road” where the Cherokee Indians lived until ordered off by the “Treaty of New Echota.” In 1834, this led to the forced removal known as “The Trail of Tears.” As a result, the Tate House is now the fifth site on The Chieftain Trail, dedicated by the governor of Georgia, August 1, 1988. ![]() Built as a personal home by Colonel Sam Tate, land/baron, philanthropist and business tycoon. Situated on an enormous vein of marble is the historic Tate House. Today, the jail is on the National Register of Historic Places and is open for tours. The Marble Valley Historical Society took possession of the building in 1982 and spent approximately $150,000 renovating. Because Pickens County sheriffs and deputies helped ATF agents find and destroy illegal moonshine stills in the area, a portion of the second floor is dedicated to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms agents. Also on the second floor is a working gallows that was installed when the jail was built in 1906. Two cellblocks upstairs were designated for males or females. And in the kitchen, the sheriff’s wife prepared meals for the family and the prisoners. Another original bedroom later became the sheriff’s office and booking room. The “family room” contains a tribute to the Cherokee, Mississippian, and Woodland Native Americans. What was originally the children’s bedroom now houses displays of early Pickens County, the marble industry, and maps. The sheriff’s family lived on the first floor with cellblocks for men and women on the second floor. The marble came from the Southern Mill in Marble Hill, GA. Local artisans completed the marble and brick exterior at a cost of $28,631. Louis furnished and installed the steel jail equipment. When constructed, the jail with its metal ceilings topped with poued concrete was considered escape-proof. The Old Pickens County Jail (1906-1982) is Pickens County’s third jail.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |