Clarke County (25) - REM Trestle

This iconic trestle known as the Murmur Trestle was made famous in 1983 by the rock band REM.  They featured the trestle on their album Murmur.

Built in 1883 by the Georgia Railroad this trestle was part of an extension into downtown Athens, GA.  It was slated for demolition in 2000. REM fans convinced the county to purchase trestle and this is how it stands to this day.

You can get a great view of the trestle by visiting Dudley Park. There is a parking lot on Poplar Street located behind Mama's Boys restaurant (197 Oak St, Athens, GA 30601)

Clarke County (25) - Elijah Clarke Monument

Located on Broad Street across from the University of Georgia, this monument to Elijah Clarke was unveiled on November 4th, 1904. The 30-foot monument was one of the first projects of the Elijah Clark Chapter National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.

Elijah Clarke was an officer during the Revolutionary War most known for his victory at the Battle of Kettle Creek in nearby Wilkes County.  He led a group from Wilkes County who fought from Augusta to the Tennessee border earing Clarke a reputation as a great partisan leader. After the war the state gave Clarke a plantation formerly owned by a Tory Loyalists by the name of Thomas Waters.  

After the way Clarke settled into anything but a peaceful life. In 1787 he served as General of the Militia and fought the Creeks at Jack's Creek in Walton County. In 1794, he tried to form an independent state called the Trans-Oconee Republic. 

Elijah Clarke died in Augusta on December 5th, 1799.  In 1801, Clarke County was formed and named for the former Revolutionary War Hero.

Clarke County (25) - Oconee Hills Cemetery

 Established in 1856

Sexton's House

Clarke County (25) University of Georgia Botanical Garden 1833-1856

Location:  Pope Street between Broad and Reese

Marker Text:

In 1833 Dr. Malthus Ward, Professor of Natural History, opened the University Botanical Garden at this location.  Covering the block bounded by Broad, Pope, Reese, and Finley, the four-acre garden was intended as a laboratory for learning and experimentation as well as a location of natural beauty. The promotion of the sciences, both in the classroom and through projects like the botanical garden, reflected a growing trend in higher education away from a strictly classics-based curriculum. Although the garden gained a national reputation and became one of Athens’ greatest attractions, loss of funding forced its closure in 1856. Funds from the sale of the garden property were used to erect the iron fence surrounding the campus and the Arch, a free-standing gate that has become the symbol of the University of Georgia.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Athens Historical Society.