Well, howdy neighbors! Fred Talley here from Faith Pest Control, comin’ to you straight from our beautiful little corner of North Georgia. Now, if you’ve listened to my podcasts or read my articles before, you know I’m usually talkin’ to you about things that scurry, buzz, or try to eat your home from the inside out—like those sneaky subterranean termites or attic-dwelling bats. But today, I want to talk about something else that’s been dug deep into this red clay for a long, long time: the history of our very own hometown, Jasper, Georgia. You see, I’ve been in the pest control business around here for years, and one thing you learn when you’re crawling around under old structures is that a town’s history is a lot like a good foundation. If you don’t understand what it’s built on, you’re missing the whole story. So let’s take a little stroll down memory lane and look at how Jasper became “The First Mountain City.” The Early Days and Foundational Stones Long before any of us were here, this beautiful land at the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains was home to the Cherokee Indians. They stewarded these hills and valleys until the tragic events of the Trail of Tears in the 1830s. Fast forward a bit to December of 1853, and the Georgia legislature decided to slice off pieces of Cherokee and Gilmer counties to create Pickens County. Now, the folks in charge needed a county seat, and they picked a spot right in the exact geographical center of the county. In 1857, that little spot was officially incorporated as the town of Jasper. We were named after a real-deal Revolutionary War hero, Sergeant William Jasper, who famously lost his life saving his regiment’s flag at the Siege of Savannah in 1779. A Little Fun Fact: Our county, Pickens, was also named after a Revolutionary War hero—General Andrew Pickens. So we’ve got patriotism baked right into our names! A Town Divided: The Civil War Era Now, here’s a piece of history that a lot of folks don’t know, and it shows the independent streak of our mountain ancestors. When the Civil War rolled around in 1861, Pickens County was deeply divided. We didn’t have the big plantations or the slave economy of south Georgia; we were mostly independent mountain farmers. In fact, local leaders actually voted against secession. To show you just how stubborn and brave those mountain folks were, when Georgia decided to leave the Union, a group of local citizens raised the U.S. Stars and Stripes flag right in front of the county courthouse in Jasper. And get this—they guarded it day and night, keeping it flying for nearly a month after the state seceded! Throughout the war, Jasper was occupied by both Union and Confederate troops at different times, and it was a rough, rocky road for the citizens living here. The Two Booms: Rail and Marble After the war, Jasper grew pretty slowly. By 1880, the census recorded only 146 people living here! If you walked down the street back then, you’d see a log jail, a couple of churches, a brick courthouse, and a lot of log cabins. But then came 1883, and two massive things changed Jasper forever: The Marietta and North Georgia Railroad chugged into town. The Georgia Marble Company started booming over in nearby Tate. Suddenly, we weren’t just an isolated mountain village anymore. The railroad gave us a way to ship out the local timber, cotton, and most importantly, that world-famous Pickens County marble. The Capital of Pure Stone Our local marble isn’t just any old rock. It’s some of the purest, most beautiful stone in the world. If you’ve ever been to Washington, D.C., you’ve probably looked right at a piece of our home—Georgia marble from our county was used to build the Lincoln Memorial, parts of the U.S. Capitol, and more than half of the monuments up there! Locally, you can see it everywhere, from our historic 1949 courthouse to the famous Tate House built out of rare pink marble. [ THE JASPER TIME-LINE ] 1853 ── Pickens County formed out of Cherokee/Gilmer. 1857 ── Jasper officially incorporated as a town. 1861 ── Union flag flown at courthouse in defiance of secession. 1883 ── Railroad arrives; the marble industry explodes. 1920s── Expansion of Georgia Marble Co. keeps Jasper afloat. 1940 ── Amicalola EMC brings rural electricity to the hills. 1990s── GA 515 expansion connects Jasper to Atlanta. Keeping the Heritage Alive Through the Great Depression, the collapse of the cotton industry, and the turning of the centuries, Jasper held onto its small-town heart. We went from a tiny mountain outpost to a bustling city of over 4,000 residents today. We celebrate that rich history every single year during the first full weekend of October at the Georgia Marble Festival. If you’ve never been, you’re missing out on great music, incredible stone carving, and some of the finest folks you’ll ever meet. A Message From Your Local “Bug Man” You see, neighbors, knowing where we come from helps us appreciate what we’ve got today. Jasper has survived wars, economic crashes, and changed from a tiny railroad stop into the beautiful, thriving community we love. It’s a tough, resilient town. But you know what isn’t resilient? A house that’s being eaten up by pests! While we’re proud of our historic wood and marble buildings, those old-growth timbers are exactly what Eastern Subterranean Termites look at and think, “Mmm, buffet!” And with our high humidity and warm mountain summers, those critters are looking for a place to set up their own historic homestead right inside your crawlspace. Listen… I want to be YOUR BUG MAN! I’ve been protecting the homes and history of Jasper, Ellijay, and Blue Ridge for a long time. I don’t believe in cutting corners, because cutting corners just means the bugs come back—and that’s not how I do business. My “Make You Happy” Personal Guarantee: If you hire me to get rid of your pest problem and, at the end of 30 days, you are not 100% HAPPY, I will come back and retreat your home for FREE. And I’ll keep treating it for FREE until you tell me you ARE happy. If that still doesn’t do it, I’ll promptly and politely give YOU back every penny of your money, plus an additional $25.00 for your time and trouble… period. So, let’s keep Jasper beautiful, historic, and completely bug-free. If you hear something scratching in your walls or you’re worried about termites invading your home’s foundation, give me a call today at 770-823-9202. Tell ’em you read my history article, and I’ll even take $25.00 OFF your very first service! Until next time, neighbors, take care of your home, enjoy our beautiful mountain history, and let’s keep those tails waggin’! — Fred Talley Owner/Operator, Faith Pest Control Jasper, GA The post Jasper Georgia, The History of My HomeTown first appeared on Faith Pest Control.
