Ever wonder where that granite countertop came from?

It might be Elberton, Georgia, the self-proclaimed "Granite Capital of the World." I'm not sure if it's more or less famous than the Georgia Guidestones, but you pretty much have to go through it to get to them.

It is a pretty little country town, with just about anything you can think of made out of granite, including the high school football stadium (The Granite Bowl) which remind me of the Greek and Roman ampitheaters of Italy with its stone seating. There are over forty quarries and 150 finishing plants in this little town of under 5,000 people.

It has a lovely town square with the obligatory Confederate soldier monument. The original one, though, had been torn down and buried because the sculptor unknowingly put a Union uniform on it! In fact, it was the commissioning of this very first dubious sculpture that began the quarrying of granite in Elberton in 1898.

There is a granite museum, but, unfortunately, it was not open the day we were there, much to our disappointment. We only got to see a few items on the outside. I was amused by the frequent appearance of the name Oglesby, which also happens to be the town I grew up in in Illinois. Apparently, this was a family name of some influential quarry owners in Elberton as well as a governor of Illinois.

The Top Dawg, "Best Hot Dog Around The Rock Pile," where we wanted to eat lunch, was also closed. It seemed a lot was closed, maybe because it was Labor Day weekend (but it was Saturday!)? We also were unsuccesful in finding even ONE quarry! With forty around, you'd think . . . and we even asked. We did find this Lucy & Desi tombstone, though, made of Elberton granite!