Widely known as the home of Georgia marble is the little town of Tate. The main quarries of The Georgia Marble Company were located here, as well as one of its large marble works. This is one of the oldest settlements in the County, and in fact was the site of the very first election and court held in the newly organized Cherokee territory in 1832. The settlement was then called Harnageville, after Ambrose Harnage, in whose house the early court was held. The post office at this place was officially known as Marble Works for a period of years; then it was re-named Harnageville; and when the railroad came through in the early 1880’s the town received its present name. A high school building here was build of Georgia marble, made possible by the interest and liberality of Colonel Sam Tate, one of the founding fathers.  Read more HERE.

Inscription on the Tate Historical Marker:
The Georgia Marble Company began in 1884 as one of many small marble quarrying operations in the region. In 1905 Colonel Sam Tate became the company's president, continuing in that position until his death in 1938. Georgia Marble Company stone can be found in monuments and public buildings around the world, including the Lincoln Memorial and the twenty-four columns of the east front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. As the Village of Tate's largest employer, Georgia Marble Company provided housing, recreational facilities, and schools for workers and their families. Construction of a company power plant made Tate the first electrified town in the area.