May 11, 2023 | Final brushstrokes have been made to preserve a historic Rock City barn advertisement in Rydal, Georgia, commemorating the finale of Rock City Gardens’ 90th anniversary year. The barn’s message, “SEE ROCK CITY today,” now shines as brightly as its first paint in 1935.

Located on Highway 411 just north of the intersection of Georgia Route 140, this roadside gem has been in the hands of property owners Tim and Robin Ward since 2017, who have fully embraced the barn’s notoriety.

“Everyone in the Rydal area knows the barn as a landmark from their childhood or when they first moved to the area – it is how they also learned about Rock City,” Ward said, adding that it is not uncommon to see cars park along the road to get a good picture, which he enjoys. “We have had several amateur and professional photographers stop by - two just last week, one from Louisiana; in addition to people taking prom and homecoming pictures.”

This historic barn is the latest to be painted in Rock City’s multi-state barn roof restoration project this spring. The objective has been to preserve the most cherished barn signs that helped put Rock City and Lookout Mountain on the map in an era before billboard advertising. In the last few weeks, painters have completed barns in Fort Payne, Alabama, Crossville and McEwen, Tennessee, Murphy, North Carolina and LaFayette, Georgia.

Over 900 barns once adorned “See Rock City” branding, however that number has dwindled over time due to the Highway Beautification Act which passed in the 1960s, restricting the use of roadside signage. Today, most Rock City barns are found along rural highways that predate interstates.

For the first time in history, onlookers got to take hold of the brush and spread a few stokes on history. Len is proud to be one of those painters.