Off to Blue Ridge Georgia!

A few days after Laurie’s sister Bonnie and her husband Bill arrived at our home for a visit, the four of us headed south for a quick exploration of parts of North Georgia and Southwestern North Carolina.

As usual, we took the back roads for their scenery value…plus of course…one never knows what we might encounter.  We headed south on TN Hwy 68, GA Hwy 60 and GA Hwy 2 until we arrived in Blue Ridge Georgia, our first planned stop on our mini-trip.

Of course I had to look for historic sites or buildings to photograph.  This is the Fannin County Courthouse.  This Neoclassical-Revival style structure was built in 1937 to replace the previous courthouse that had burned down a year earlier.   Built with Depression era monies from the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works (PWA), the project employed local unemployed workers.   It’s designer, William Augustus Edwards also designed 12 other courthouses in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina. 

Back in 2004, this courthouse was replaced by a new structure that was built next door.  The building has been leased to the Blue Ridge Mountains Art Association.  The Association’s mission is to provide opportunities for artists and to aid the economic growth of the community.  To view this group’s calendar of exhibits and other events, you can just go to https://www.blueridgearts.net/uploads/6/1/5/0/6150183/2022_planning_schedule__website_.pdf.

When we parked in downtown Blue Ridge to take a look around, I spotted this great looking railway depot and I was immediately a happy camper.  Built by the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad in 1906, it served passengers on that line as well as its successors until 1951.  This depot replaced an earlier one that had burned down.

This photo shows what the Blue Ridge Depot looked like in the mid to late 1970's, more than 30 years after the last passengers boarded trains here.  As per the photos I looked at on the National Register of Historic Places website, the depot was in much worse shape just before it was listed in the Register in 1982.

The Marietta and North Georgia Railroad came to Blue Ridge in 1890.  It was on the railroad’s route from Atlanta Georgia to Knoxville Tennessee.  The railroad brought about an influx of visitors to the area’s mineral springs and helped local businesses flourish.  The advent of the railroad in Blue Ridge also caused the county seat to be moved here in 1895.  In 1890, the town’s population was 264 but by 1900, it had risen to 1,184.  Many of the new residents at that latter date were employed by the railroad shops that were built here.

The train pictured above is operated by the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway.  A subsidiary of the Georgia Northeastern Railroad, the scenic train began operations in 1998.  The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway follows the former Marietta and North Georgia Railroad line north to Copperhill Tennessee.  Georgia Northeastern also operates freight service on the same line.

Trains operated by the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway generally run from late March until the last weekend in December.  However, the number of days these trains operate does vary during this period, peaking in the summer and also during the fall season when the leaves along the route become rather spectacular. 

FYI: For railroad fans, the Georgia Northeastern Railroad (GNRR) is a Class III short line railroad that is based in Marietta Georgia.  The company owns about 72 miles of the Louisville and Nashville Railroad’s famous “Hook and Eye” line between Marietta and Ellijay Georgia.

I love the clever use and/or reuse of old and unused objects.  That is why I truly appreciate the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway’s new uses for this former Louisville and Nashville Railroad caboose and a boxcar.

The Blue Ridge Scenic Railway is located at 241 Depot Street in Blue Ridge Georgia.  Phone: 877-413-8724.  To learn more about riding the rails with the Blue Ridge Scenic Railway, just go to https://brscenic.com/.

As the Laurie, Bonnie and Bill were shopping, I was wandering around the streets seeing what I could see and taking photos.  This building is located right across from the railway depot at 260 West Main Street.  It was built in 1926 and given the name of a restaurant that used to occupy the space, which was “The Vault of Blue Ridge”, I’m guessing that the structure began life as a bank. 

The current occupant of this handsome building is also a restaurant.  ‘The General Ledger’ offers a fairly sophisticated menu with quite a bit of variety.  Given their interesting menu, if we’d been in Blue Ridge at meal time, we would have given The General Ledger a try.  You can check it out at https://www.generalledgerblueridge.com/.

As I’d mentioned, the rest of our group were frequenting just about any store that was open along Main Street.  This was one of the more interesting stores that I checked out.  Located at 709 East Main Street, the Owl’s Nest of Blue Ridge offers a wide variety of items and unusual goods.

This creative and a bit spooky metallic creation did grab my attention.  It would be quite a conversation piece as a table in someone’s home.  It looks like this toothy skeleton is ready to take a bite out of the next shopper!

The Owl’s Nest of Blue Ridge is open every day from 10 am until 5 pm.  Phone: 7906-946-6378.  You can check out this store on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Gift-Shop/Owls-Nest-of-Blue-Ridge-115971348534733/.

Of course, the Owl’s Nest wasn’t the only store our little group invaded.  I just didn’t take any other ‘shopping’ photos.  This was the only exception in Blue Ridge…with Bill headed for the checkout counter.  The sisters were still shopping at the back of the store.  We did contribute a little cash to the local economy…

The two photos above are views up and down East Main Street in Blue Ridge.  West Main Street runs parallel to East Main Street with the railroad tracks running right down the middle of town.

As of the 2020 census the town had a population of 1,253, down from 1,718 in 1950.  As I’d mentioned before, Blue Ridge is the County Seat for Fannin County Georgia.  While Blue Ridge’s population has declined, the county itself has shown a major increase.  In 1952 the population was 15,192 but as of 2019, it had 26,188 residents.

The county was founded in 1854 and was named in honor of James Walker Fannin, a war hero, but also a slave trader, who was murdered in March of 1836 following the Battle of Coleto in the War for Texas Independence.  He’d surrendered the 400 men that he commanded to Mexican General Jose Urrea, whose forces had surrounded the Texans.  About a week after surrendering, Fannin and virtually all of his men were executed.   

I saw several signs and trout images like these around town during our visit.  Apparently the Blue Ridge Trout and Outdoor Adventures Festival is a big deal hereabouts.  Activities include casting, paddling, hiking, climbing, riding, axe throwing, outdoor art, and live music as well as craft beer and food.  Professional local outfitters and fishing guides, food vendors, gem mining, outdoor art for sale…and other activities are offered during this annual event.  To learn more you can go to https://www.blueridgemountains.com/events/blue-ridge-trout-and-outdoor-adventures-festival/.

Next stop, Helen Georgia!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave