Tunnel Hill in Whitfield County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Building a Tunnel
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 27, 2022
1. Building a Tunnel Marker
These blocks are some of the limestone blocks that were cut from the surface rock on Rocky Face Ridge and brought down for use in the building of the Tunnel and the nearby W&A Depot in the mid-1800s. Surface ledge quarries are exposed areas of stone on the hills. The top layers are blasted off and split. Hand chisels were used to make the holes in which explosive charges were packed. The stone from the blasted ledge was then hammered into smaller paving block size and used for construction. Railroads made extensive use of surface ledge quarries in the 1800s.
The surface stone from which these blocks were blasted and cut are still visible today on Rocky Face Ridge; the drill marks are clearly visible. Once freed from the surface rock, these heavy stones had to be transported from the west side of the steep ridge to the tunnel construction site. The method used to transport them was most likely stone boats.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars.
Location. 34° 50.361′ N, 85° 2.271′ W. Marker is in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, in Whitfield County. It is at the intersection of Clisby Austin Road and Hunt Road, on the left when traveling east on Clisby Austin Road. Touch for map
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Mountains. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Deep South, in Appalachia, and specifically in Southern Appalachia. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the original Cherokee Nation, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: The Leg of Hood (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Remembering the General Stores (about 400 feet away); The Clisby Austin House (about 600 feet away); The Reverend Clisby Austin Sr. (about 600 feet away); Captain Key & Key's Battery (about 600 feet away); The Excavation (about 700 feet away); Tunnel Hill (approx. Ό mile away); What are Sherman Neckties? (approx. Ό mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tunnel Hill.
Photographed by Bradley Owen, October 27, 2022
2. Building a Tunnel Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on November 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on November 1, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. This page has been viewed 324 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 1, 2022, by Bradley Owen of Morgantown, West Virginia. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
