Explore Pickens County's history, culture, historic buildings and learn about the Native Americans that inhabited this area. Follow the Trail of Tears and observe the life of North Georgia’s early settlers. Be surprised by the role of Georgia marble in your daily life (Hint: you put Georgia marble in your mouth this morning). Learn the story of the construction of the Lincoln Memorial from Georgia marble. Be amazed by the engineering exploits to fashion marble columns for the U.S. Capitol. Tour the “Only Jail You’ll Want to Visit” – complete with gallows. Visit the one-room school house, historic homes and buildings. Dine inside the old theater and stay at a 19th century inn. Learn lost skills like quilting, pottery and more, and experience Community Theater. Discover History and the Arts in Pickens County.
Notes
The Old Pickens County Jail (1906-1982) is Pickens County’s third jail. When constructed, the jail with its metal ceilings topped with poued concrete was considered escape-proof. Pauley Jail Building Co. of St. Louis furnished and installed the steel jail equipment. Local artisans completed the marble and brick exterior at a cost of $28,631. The marble came from the Southern Mill in Marble Hill, GA. The sheriff’s family lived on the first floor with cellblocks for men and women on the second floor.
What was originally the children’s bedroom now houses displays of early Pickens County, the marble industry, and maps. The “family room” contains a tribute to the Cherokee, Mississippian, and Woodland Native Americans. Another original bedroom later became the sheriff’s office and booking room. And in the kitchen, the sheriff’s wife prepared meals for the family and the prisoners. Two cellblocks upstairs were designated for males or females. Also on the second floor is a working gallows that was installed when the jail was built in 1906. It’s never been used. 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.
The Marble Valley Historical Society took possession of the building in 1982 and spent approximately $150,000 renovating. Today, the jail is on the National Register of Historic Places and is open for tours.