“World's Most Complete Neighborpedia”
Explore:   What's happening in your neck of the woods?

Patty Ledford-Your N. Ga. Mountain Agent -The Ledford Team-Blue Ridge, Ga.

Calendar of Events for Fannin County

MAY

24 6PM Classic Cars "Cruise In" Home Depot Parking Lot 706-632-3656

24-25 Arts in the Park City Park-Downtown Blue Ridge 706-632-2144

27 6:30-9PM Blue Mountain Jam Kiwanis Fairground 706-258-2736

29 6PM Pickin' in the Park Horseshoe Bend Park 423-496-4653

30 Movies in the Park Fannin County Park 706-632-7696

30 Comedy/Foreigner 11 Mountain Street 706-632-9223

JUNE

1 Comedy/Foreigner 11 Mountain Street 706-632-9223

1-3 6:30- 9PM Blue Mountain Jam Kiwanis Fairground 706-258-2736

4 6PM Pickin' in the Park Horseshoe Bend Park 423-496-4653

6 Comedy/Foreigner 11 Mountain Street 706-632-9223

7 8PM Kids Fishing Rodeo Lake Winfield Scott-Hwy 180 706-745-6928

7 10th Annual Benefit Auction 420 West Main Street 706-632-2144

10 6:30-9PM Blue Mountain Jam Kiwanis Fairground 706-258-2736

11 6PM Pickin' in the Park Horseshoe Bend Park 423-496-4653

14 6PM Blue Ridge Mtns Story Tellers 497 E. Main Street 706-374-5156

14 7PM Flute & Drum Circle 420 W. Main Street 706-632-2144

this is just a small list of things to do in May and June 2008...so come on out and enjoy the summer in the beautiful North Georgia Mountains.

History of the Railroad in Blue Ridge Ga (Part 1)

Few events could have had greater impact in shaping-and reshaping-Blue Ridge Ga than the coming of "the railroad". This "great iron highway" created new markets for the region's products, and brought to it's citizens the products, cultures and ideas of regions far beyond these grand mountains.

It re-arranged where people would live and what they did for a living, and was a primary factor in Blue Ridge's successful campaign to win the seat of campaign to win the seat of county government from the rival town of Morganton.

As the railroad prospered, so did Fannin County. This vision of a railroad throught the mountains of Fannin to tap the mineral treasures of the Copper Basin area goes back well before the War Between the States.

The grade through Fannin County was prepared in 1885, and on January 1, 1886, amid much festivity, the ceremonial first spike was driven in Ellijay and the railroad was surging northward again, to begin the scream of trains to Fannin and the "unexplored regions of North Carolina".

More to come........

A little Blue Ridge, Ga. History

I thought since everyone seems to love our wonderful little town located in the N. Georgia Mountains, that I would share a little history. We have seen alot of changes, but one thing still stands-"friendly, caring folks"!

Blue Ridge, Georgia, so named because of the Blue Ridge Mountains of the Appalachian Range, was incorporated by an act of the Georgia Legislature on October 24, 1887.

The founding father was Colonel Michael McKinney. He built the first house in the town and established the first business after the incorporation. He dealt in lumber, real estate, and merchandise.

Colonel McKinney was a moving force in getting the railroad to Blue Ridge. His partner, C.R. Walton, a civil engineer, was superintendent of construction for the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad. He surveyed and laid out the town of Blue Ridge.

The site for Blue Ridge was once a Cherokee Indian stronghold. White settlements date back to about 1832. A post office operated there from 1848. A Methodist Episcopal Church, South,was established in 1877, and the First Baptist Church in 1888.

In many respects, the railroad "built" Blue Ridge. In 1886, the wood-burning engine, "Little Mary," of the Marietta and North Georgia Railroad, made it's first appearance in Blue Ridge. Tracks for the railroad had been laid through the efforts of convict labor and sheer determination of men such as Mike McKinney, Legislator Ben Duggar of Fannin County and the engineer, C.R. Walton.

Some facts from Facets Of Fannin, History of Fannin County.

More on the history of our beautiful mountain town coming soon. I love sharing the history of Blue Ridge and knowing that my husband Terry Ledford, a real estate agent himself, is the GG Grandson to the founding father of this great town, Col. Michael McKinney.

Patty Ledford-Realtor

www.LedfordProperties.com