Two Coots and Bill Chapin, past president/owner of See Rock City. The spark that still ignites this destination.

In the span of seven months, the roof changes on the Murphy barn. Considered a legacy barn, it is one that was painted during the 1960s.

As editor of a small regional magazine in Georgia, one of my favorite contributions was my thoughts on page 8 of every quarterly issue, The Editor’s Pen. My random ideas came in right at 500-words, exactly as the designer instructed. As an editor, I know the importance of that number. I leaned toward topics found in the issue but sometimes I rambled. There were things I wanted to say, and with a forum at my fingertips, why not? No matter if I strayed from topic or inserted a personal quip, one thing always remained the same: the quote.

Rock City Barn in Rydal, GA, gets a fresh coat of paint.

Why are the Rock City barns significant? Why should we care?

The Robbinsville barn has fallen. Follow for more updates

Nine-hundred barns stood at one time emblazed with a message about Rock City Gardens. Today, only about 42 remain, and as every day passes, that number falls. If you consider that many of the barns exceeded 80-years-old, that’s remarkable. Many barns have outlived the land owners and have been passed down to the next generation or sold to a new owner.

It’s a crazy idea that I’m working on my third book. However crazy, a writer’s world is always consumed with the story they are working on and the one that is just around the corner. Len and I first turned the ‘corner’ on this story in 2106 when we began covering the repainting of Rock City barns. Lovers of history and understanding that so much of what we experienced growing up is now disappearing, we took it upon ourselves to write down our memories for posterity.