Diane Culpepper writes, via our Facebook page: The general store pictured above is Balchin Store on Lincolnton Highway in Elbert County. Thriving store until the early 70’s.
Balchin Store, Elbert County
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Rice Town, Georgia
You won’t find Rice Town on any map, but it’s a settlement of many Rice family members and descendants on GA 79, east of Elberton. The Rice Garage looks like it may have also once had gas pumps and a country store.
Commercial Block, Elberton
This large commercial block has been home to numerous businesses over the years, including a stone supply company and appliance service. If not too far gone, it would be a great restoration project.
Elberton Commercial Historic District, National Register of Historic Places
Seaboard Air Line Railway Depot, 1910, Elberton
One of Georgia’s finest old depots, this is now home to the Elbert County Historical Society.
National Register of Historic Places
Georgia Guidestones, 1980, Elbert County
Known as the Georgia Guidestones and standing nearly 20 feet high, the six granite slabs situated beside a field nine miles north of Elberton have become a curious tourist attraction since their erection in 1980. Because of the anonymous origin and patronage of the guidestones, controversy has always surrounded them. In their April 2009 issue, Wired dubbed them the “American Stonehenge” and published a great essay on their history and the ensuing conspiracy theories. They noted that they may be the most enigmatic monument in America…inscribed with directions for rebuilding civilization after the apocalypse.
Four slabs radiate from a central slab with a capstone atop the array which, when viewed from above give the appearance of a star. Ten guidelines are inscribed on the guidestones in eight modern languages (English, Spanish, Swahili, Hindi, Hebrew, Arabic, Chinese, Russian) with a shorter message inscribed on top in four ancient languages (Babylonian Cuneiform, Classic Greek, Sanskrit, Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs) . The ten guidelines, translated, are: 1) Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
2) Guide reproduction wisely-improving diversity and fitness. 3) Unite humanity with a living new language. 4) Rule passion-faith-tradition-and all things with tempered reason. 5) Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts. 6) Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court. 7) Avoid petty laws and useless officials. 8) Balance personal rights with social duties. 9) Prize truth-beauty-love-seeking harmony with the infinite. 10) Be not a cancer on the earth- Leave room for nature- Leave room for nature.
An explanatory tablet, a few feet away from the Guidestones, notes the date of dedication (22 March 1980), identifies the languages used and the astronomical coordinates of the site, and reads: Let these be guidestones to an Age of Reason.
Update: On the morning of 6 July, part of the Georgia Guidestones was destroyed by an explosive device. The case is being actively investigated and I’ll post an update when I know more.
Log Trucks, Hart County
As of 2017, Georgia had nearly 25 million acres of commercially available timberland, more than any other state. Forestry-related jobs are a major economic force and log trucks are familiar on roads from the mountains to the coast.
Adams Brothers Grocery, Circa 1950, Hart County
Kevin Cowart writes: This store was built around 1950 by my grandfather Jim Tom Adams. It was called Adams Bros Grocery and was run by Jim Tom and his brother in the early years. Jim Tom ran it for years until 1980 when he started renting it out.
Smith-McGee Bridge, 1922, Hart County
Built as a privately-owned toll bridge spanning the Savannah River at the Georgia-South Carolina state line, the Smith-McGee Bridge was purchased by Georgia and South Carolina in 1926 and the toll removed. It’s a good example of the once-common camelback through truss design.
It was replaced with a new bridge in 1983. The eastern section of the bridge has been removed but it is open to pedestrians and is a popular spot for viewing the river.
Maurice Road, Jekyll Island
L. D. Wright Grocery, Fitzgerald
Fitzgerald historian Paul Dunn relayed this history to my father via telephone: “This was L. D. Wright’s grocery store. Railroad employees charged their purchases and later “picked up” their tickets and paid their balances in the store. L. D. Wright ran two “store trucks” and traveled the area trading groceries for chickens, eggs, etc. The trucks were loaded with chicken crates to facilitate this practice.“
The blue decal on the door suggests that Wright was associated with the RIO brand. RIO, an acronym for Retail Independently Owned, was a grocery syndicate once associated with hundreds of small stores throughout Georgia.