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The Georgia Marble Company was founded in 1884 by Samuel Tate. Tate leased out all the land in Pickens County, Georgia, which contained rich Georgia marble. Pickens County has a vein of marble 5 to 7 miles (8.0 to 11.3 km) long, a half mile wide, and up to 2,000 feet (610 m) deep.^[1]

Company history

In the 1830s Henry Fitzsimmons established the first marble quarry in Pickens County, which was part of the Murphy Marble Belt.^[2] In 1884, Samuel Tate founded the Georgia Marble Company, and leased out the land for others to use. In 1905 Colonel Sam Tate partnered with Dawson Mathias Caldwell and the two became co-presidents and general managers of the company. The business grew rapidly, until concrete began to replace marble in buildings.^[1] In 1969, with business falling, the company was purchased by Jim Walter Corporation.^[2] Over the next few decades it changed hands several times, passing through ownership by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts and Company, Hillsborough Holding Corporation, First Chicago Corporation and IMERYS.^[2]

Flood

On January 7, 1946, the Etowah River in nearby Cherokee County reached a depth of 26.7 feet (8.1 m), and flooded the county including the Georgia Marble Company plant, which was covered with one foot of water.^[3]

Acquisition

In 2003, the dimension stone division of Georgia Marble Company was acquired by Polycor.^[4]

Notable commissions

Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, designed by Milton Bennett Medary with the features sculpture by Lee Lawrie.
New York Stock Exchange annex ass the pediment in it created by John Quincy Adams Ward and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers,^[5]
Daniel Chester French's Abraham Lincoln statue in the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., carved by the Piccirill Brothers,^[6]
National Air and Space Museum
East Wing of the National Gallery of Art
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and Integrity and Security allegorical figures by Henry Hering, carved by the Piccirilli Brothers Cleveland, Ohio ca. 1923
Civic Virtue Triumphant Over Unrighteousness sculpture group and fountain created by sculptor Frederick William MacMonnies and architect Thomas Hastings, and carved by the Piccirilli Brothers.(1922) ^[7]
Buckingham Fountain in Chicago.^[1] (1927)
National McKinley Birthplace Memorial, McKim, Mead and White architects and J. Massey Rhind’s statue of William McKinley, in Niles, Ohio, (1915) ^[8]
Our Lady of Victory Basilica, Emile Ulrich architect, in Lackawanna, New York, (1924) ^[9]

Marble

The company's mines contain some of the best quality marble, and almost every type of marble found in the USA. The marble, when exposed to the weather tends to become less durable from acid rain. The mine is plentiful and every variety with every size is extractable with machinery,^[10] and transported by railroad.^[2] Types of marble include crystallized marble, and white sanctuary marble ranging in a variety of colors.^[10]

Historic district

Numerous company buildings and Tate community structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places in the Georgia Marble Company and Tate Historic District.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c 1997 Marble Valley Historical Society (September 30, 2009). "A short history..." GAGenWeb Project. Archived from the original on August 5, 2002. Retrieved 2009-09-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Introduction to Historic Georgia Marble Movies". Georgia Digital Library. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
^ Fuller, Ashley (September 26, 2009). "A record, remembered". Cherokee Tribune. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
^ "Polycor Purchases Georgia Marble Co. | Stone Business New". Stone Business. 2009-10-06. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
^ Daneker, Jerome G. (1927). The Romance of Georgia Marble. Baltimore: Thomsen-Ellis Company. p. 66.
^ Daneker 1927, p. 65.
^ Daneker 1927, p. 75.
^ Daneker 1927, pp. 46–47.
^ OLV archives
^ ^a ^b "Quarrying: The Carrara Quarries". The Manufacturer and Builder. 0016 (12): 278–9. December 1884. Retrieved 2009-09-30.