Col. Sam Tate announced the creation of a 10,000-acre estate that would serve as a summer resort for wealthy Atlantans in 1929. At the cost of one-million dollars (seventeen million in today's money) he would construct a 51-acre manmade lake, 18-hole golf course, Dude Ranch, and a premier place to rest and hold events, the Connahaynee Lodge. Situated some 3,300 feet above sea level, atop Mount Burrell (Burnt Mountain today), the giant lodge was built of American Chestnut Logs, local fieldstone, and marble. It held 30 rooms with marble baths, was two stories high, and had a great hall, dining room, parlor, basement, and more. At the entrance of the lodge was a circular gravel road that went around a putting green.
The Connahaynee Lodge
The living room lounge with fireplace and terrazzo floor.
In 1930, when the lodge was built there were only two wings of the building. A few years later a third wing was added that gave the building the shape of a Y. The top of the mountain was mostly clear-cut and visitors enjoyed a panoramic view of the area and its mountains. To the southeast one could see Mount Oglethorpe, Sharp Top Mountain further west, Jasper was visible to the south, and the rest of the Appalachian Mountain chain (and Lake Sequoyah in the winter) was visible to the north.
The living room pictured above had ceilings all the way to the top of the second level of the lodge, with balcony and railings, bearskins and horns adorned the walls. The sofas were a deep red color, and there were armchairs for people to sit on, bridge tables, and more.
A postcard showing the exterior of the lodge, Lake Sequoyah, and a larger rendering of the lounge room.
Residents of Tate Mountain Estates and visitors would often come to the lodge on Saturday nights for beer (even though Pickens County was a dry county at the time), cigarettes, food, and entertainment. Other times there were balls and socialite events, fox hunting competitions, and equestrian events,. For recreation, people could try their hand at archery or trapshooting, go swimming or boating in Lake Sequoyah, and play 18-holes of golf at the course. The Van Kleek-designed course often was attended by Charlie Yates and his friends. Bobby Jones even played a round once. In the early years, one of Col. Tate's people to host social events at the lodge was Blink Drummond (also the equestrian leader of Tate's Dude Ranch.) Various groups from Atlanta and elsewhere would hold events at the lodge, garden events, Halloween balls, etc.
The dining room of the lodge, apart from serving food, under Mr. Adams' ownership also had slot machines away in an adjacent alcove for people to play.
The following pamphlet at the lodge informed guests of amenities, foods, and rates.
Under the food section of the pamphlet, Irvindale Dairy of Chamblee, GA is mentioned as being the provider of dairy and ice cream. Special thanks to author Valerie Biggerstaff for providing a photo of the dairy from 1918. See picture below.
The lodge dining room with tables and chairs
One of the few existing dining room chairs
Other entertainments offered inside the lodge were local bands, square dancing a piano where musicians would play and sing requested songs, those written by Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, and Artie Shaw, and more for the guests.
Then Tate Mountain Estates, Inc. filed for reorganization under the Bankruptcy Act in November of 1934. In 1935, the property was sold to the Appalachian Realty Company. By 1940, after suffering financial hardships, the lodge was sold again to Joe Adams, former owner of the El Comodoro Hotel in Miami, Florida. Joe got into a dispute over which rights to the use of the estates, including the lake, were conferred to him in the sale of the land. Years later, the rights were settled.
In March of 1946, the caretaker, Fuller Forrest, noticed some electrical wires that were too hot. A fire had started in the basement and spread to the kitchen. He ran off to get help by the time help arrived the lodge was engulfed in flames. Given the topography, remoteness from water, and fire departments from Jasper, despite everyone's best efforts the lodge was destroyed.
The fire as it destroyed the lodge, March, 1946.
Some years later, Frank Spratlin, a member of the board of regents from WGST entered an agreement to put a radio tower near the former site of the lodge. I've written more about that venture here.
Today, the remains of the lodge are still in the forest, a solemn reminder of a different era, complete with most of the fieldstone and a large, still-standing chimney.
My daughter and I visited the ruins of the lodge in 2018.
A gallery of interior and exterior pictures of the lodge along with newspaper clippings.