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| My American Soldier Monument |
 | Elberton, Georgia “Granite Capital of the World”? It must be so, because the proclamation is written prominently on the side of a building on the main street running through Elberton. The sign says more granite is quarried here than any other place in the world. Impressive! Elbert County Memorial Park, located in downtown Elberton, is the destination for this TOH site. The park began with a deed of land from Ora Tate, Sr. to the Service Star Legion of Elbert County. The deed included a stipulation that the land be used and maintained as a memorial park. Tate, Sr. deeded the land in part to honor the memory of his son, Ora Tate, Jr. who was killed in WWI at the Argonne Forest Battle in October 1911. Tate, Sr. also wanted to honor his other two son's who also served in WWI as well as the rest Elbert County's WWI veterans. Elbert County Memorial Park has evolved since it's early days as a memorial to veterans of WWI and is now dedicated to preserving the memory of all who served, including even those residents who fought in the Revolutionary War. On the backside of “My American Soldier,” there is a photo etching of a young child holding an American Flag, looking up at other images depicting the toll of battle, as if the child is trying to understand what is happening before him but is too young to understand. Alongside the child is a poem, written by what could be the child's father, a father the child will never know. A must read. There are other excellent memorials within the Park. A multi-sided memorial dedicated to the “Can Do” spirit of the Navy's Seebees containing etched scenes of the Seebees in action during WWII. A Revolutionary War Soldier's memorial containing not only the names of Elbert County citizens who served but also a nice etched color rendering of the “Washington Crossing the Delaware” painting. The memorial to “Elbert County's Dead In The Civil War” has a color etching, but more importantly it contains the names of 100s of Elbert County's war dead, highlighting the tremendous human cost of the Civil War. In the middle of the park stands a tall and prominent memorial with an etched rendering of what looks to be a life sized WWII, or possibly Korean War, Infantry soldier. Below the soldier etching is a poem entitled “Soldier,” by George L. Spypeck. The poem speaks of the hardships of soldiering but also the pride and honor that comes from doing what is difficult. Elbert County Memorial Park is a great place to visit not only for the variety of memorials contained within the park but also for for the beautiful stone art work of those memorials. Expect nothing less from the “Granite Capital of the World”! Also in the area: Most roads to and from Elberton offer lots of open scenery and light traffic. These roads are pleasant to ride at a relaxed pace, so enjoy your ride and enjoy your visit! For Mexican Food, try LaFogata, 204 Elbert St., Elberton. LaFogata is rated number one out of three Elberton restaurants, on tripadvisor.com. Okay, an admittedly small list of Trip Advisor-rated restaurants to choose from, but from personal experience, it can be said with confidence, that the Lunch Fajitas are really quite good. Give 'em a try if you're in the mood for Mexican. According to the state sponsor, no trip to Elberton would be complete without a visit to the wild and quirky Georgia Guidestones. The Guidestones contain “guiding principles” by which to live and preserve humanity, written in no less than 12 different languages, including Sanskrit, Babylonian, Arabic, Hebrew and of course English. The Georgia Guidestones are easily found seven miles north of Elberton on Hwy 77. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Tour of Honor-Georgia is sponsored by Wes McCann. |
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