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