Nelson, Georgia

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Nelson is a city partly in Pickens and mostly in Cherokee counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 626. City of Nelson - Pickens County Pickens County was created in 1853 from parts of Cherokee and Gilmer counties. Georgia's 100th county was named for General Andrew Pickens, a Revolutionary War soldier. According to the USGS GNIS, it is named for John Nelson, early landowner, farmer, and rifle maker. It is served through its downtown by the Georgia Northeastern Railroad, and by the former route of state route 5 along its main street. South on old 5 is Ball Ground, north is Tate. The north end of Interstate 575 and south end of state route 515 is at the county line just to the southwest of Nelson. A railroad line built in 1883 from Atlanta, through the valleys and mountain passes of Pickens County to Tate and Nelson, made possible the development of large marble quarries. One of the largest marble veins in the world is in Pickens County, running at least four miles long. It is a half-mile deep and almost that wide in places. Over 60 percent of the monuments in Washington, D.C. are made from Pickens County marble. Marble Museum: Located in the Nelson City Hall 500 Kennesaw Avenue, Nelson, Georgia in Pickens County. It is open M-F 9 AM until 4 PM and may be reached at 770-735-2211. The museum includes a year-round exhibit that includes “examples of fine marble and shows the history of marble mining in Pickens County. Many stone cutters and other workers who migrated from either Italy or Scotland in the early years of the industry settled in Nelson to work in the area’s marble industry. Today the Great Northern Railroad operates between Tate, Georgia, and the CSX interchange at Elizabeth (Marietta) five days a week. The Georgia Marble rail lines at Tate and Marble Hill, and the Blue Ridge Scenic Railroad at Blue Ridge, Georgia are also operated by GNRR. Their web site also states the the “GNRR runs through a Georgia Marble facility that no is no longer served by rail” at Nelson. Georgia Marble Festival Tours (From the web site) “Don't miss the opportunity to take a guided tour of the world’s largest open pit marble quarry at Polycor Georgia Marble Company’s Tate operation. This is the only time of the year the quarries are open to the public! On your two hour tour, see the Nelson Marble Museum and learn about the multitude of uses for marble and marble by-products…. ”