Beginning of Production

Marble work in North Georgia began with the Cherokee Indians, although it was not a major craft within the Cherokee Nation. There are some existing examples of their work still in existence. Henry Fitzsimmons (some sources list the name as Fritz Simmons) spotted a marble outcrop in Pickens County in 1836 along the Old Federal Road. In 1838 Fitzsimmons began limited production of marble taken from outcrops.

Quarrying operations began in 1840 in Longswamp Valley near Tate, but production seems to be limited at the time to tombstones. Polishing was done by hand and Fitzsimmons' work left a lot to be desired. In 1842 he began milling the marble in a facility near the Marble Hill post office, the first marble milling operation in the state. A second mill was built east of Jasper, Georgia with a partner.

Tate, Adkinson & Company opened began to quarry marble in 1850. They organized two mills on Longswamp Creek and hired an agent to travel throughout North Georgia to take orders for tombstones. Delivery was done in a mule wagon. The Tate Company changed ownership to Rankin, Summy and Hurlock in 1852. In 1854 Fitzsimmons' mill in Jasper was reopened and expanded by these men. All these mills were abandoned during The Civil War.

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