Iconic Georgia BBQ restaurant known for ‘Pig Hill of Fame’ to close
Sandra Parrish, WSB Radio
·3 min read
An icon is closing in North Georgia that has been a stop for political candidates for more than three decades.
Oscar and Edna Poole first opened Poole’s BBQ out of a trailer in East Ellijay in 1989. The retired pastor turned restaurateur was well known for his connections in the Republican Party and the yellow suit and top hat that he wore to campaign events.
Edna, his wife of 70 years, recalls how that suit came to pass.
“He saw Col. Sanders with that white suit, and he said, ‘I’m going to have me a yellow suit’. I laughed. I thought, ‘I can’t believe he’s going to wear a solid yellow suit’, but he did,” she tells WSB’s Sandra Parrish. She would later have one made to match.
Before Col. Poole, as he was known, passed away in 2020, his son Darvin took over the business in 2008. The restaurant has served politicians and celebrities alike over the years.
“Dad has a lot of pictures on the wall, and we’ve wanted to redo them. But we didn’t know what to leave up and what to take down. So many things are just iconic of Dad and what he believed in and the people he met and saw. So, we just left it,” he says.
It was his father who started the Pig Hill of Fame.
“That’s the number reason people stop because people see all the pigs on the hill. It’s very visible to the four-lane highway and it’s been a blessing,” says Poole.
A lot of politicians who have visited the restaurant over the years have their names on that hill. Many were invited to campaign at the restaurant by longtime Gilmer County GOP supporter Joe McCutchen who was a close friend of the elder Poole.
“In ‘92, Pat Buchanan came here, and he nearly beat Bush. He got 30 percent. And brought the world press here,” says McCutchen.
Poole’s is closing its doors after 33 years so Darvin and his wife can retire to spend more time with their three grandchildren who live three hours away.
Edna, who’s been happy to have her son continue to run the place that she and her husband built, is understanding.
“We worked hard to start it. And I’m a little sad, but I know my son has got to retire,” she says.
The family would love someone else to buy it and keep the name and the same great BBQ, but Darvin understands if that doesn’t happen.
“We just want to thank all of our customers. It’s been a lot of fun meeting people. And some of my best friends that I have now, I met through the BBQ. So, that’s been an extra blessing on top of everything else,” he says.
The restaurant will be open this weekend and then will close its doors for good at 4pm Saturday, Nov. 26th.
GALLERY: Georgia’s odd roadside attractions
Recognize this? The roadside attraction is set to close on Saturday, Nov. 26.
Ever seen it driving along I-575 after it turns into Hwy. 515 in Ellijay?
This is Poole's Bar-B-Q, home to good eats and...
Col. Poole's Pig Hill of Fame. The restaurant is set to close for good on Saturday, Nov. 26.
What's the Pig Hill of Fame?
It's the hill outside the restaurant that is dotted with small pigs...
with each pig containing a special note.
Oscar Poole and his wife Edna own the restaurant. He told Southern Living magazine that state law didn't outlaw him to put a sign on the highway. So, he decided to make a pig instead. It started with a few pigs, but all his customers kept asking for a pig.
Nothing says romance like a marriage proposal...on a pig!
Poole's gained national attention when then Presidential candidate Pat Buchanan stopped by the eatery in 1992 with 500 media members and supporters.
Poole's Bar-B-Q and Pig Hill of Fame is definitely one of Georgia's odd roadside attractions. See it at Ga. Hwy. 515 in East Ellijay.
There's an unusual spot in south Atlanta...
where Barbies come to play.
And Ken too!
This is Barbie Beach.
It's in the Senoia/Turin area.
Steve and Linda Quick created the attraction in their front yard.
The first scene at Barbie Beach recreated the 2006 Winter Olympics. And those Barbies have been there ever since.
You'll see different scenes at the beach depending when you go.
It's near the intersection of highways 54 and 16.
Someimes, the scenes are a bit unusual.
And usually reflect something that's going on...like the Olympics, holidays, Final Four, etc.
Many of the dolls have been donated to the Quicks.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
Here are some more photos from Barbie Beach in Senoia.
This is the Krog Street Tunnel in Atlanta.
It's on Krog Street of course, in the Cabbagetown/Inman Park area.
Love the art!
You never know what you might find in the tunnel!
Graffiti artists routinely stop by the tunnel and fill it with some pretty amazing art.
The tunnel is great for photo ops and features some live music from time to time.
Enjoy what's there today...
because in a blink of an eye it will be gone...and something new will take its place.
Does this look familiar?
Jump in the car and take a road trip to Alto, home of the School Bus Graveyard.
Alonzo Wade opened a used cars and parts business in Alto in 1959. The business sold buses as well as bus parts. However, vandals started breaking in to steal the radiators out of the buses. That led Wade to construct a makeshift fence using the buses themselves.
Fast forward 50 years, unwanted visitors started painting inappropriate things on the bus fence. Walter Wade, who now runs the business, called in some artists to paint over the graffiti and thus, the School Bus Graveyard was born.
“It’s amazing,” Walter Wade told WSBTV.com’s Nelson Hicks. “There’s a lot of things I’ve done in my life, but I’m never been able to (paint) like that. I just get a kick out of watching the people’s reactions. We’ve had people from a lot of states here, other countries, just to stop by to look because they’ve seen pictures of it. It’s totally different when you stop and look at it up close and personal.”
Now, artists gather from time to time with Wade’s approval to paint. There’s more than 100 buses and some cars, too. Visitors will find everything painted across the vehicles from Homer Simpson to killer ants to PAC-MAN to Waldo.
Walking around the outside of the School Bus Graveyard is free and many people do it everyday. Inside tours cost a few dollars. Either way, it’s a great afternoon away from home.
Here are some more photos from the School Bus Graveyard in Alto.
Here are some more photos from the School Bus Graveyard in Alto.
Here are some more photos from the School Bus Graveyard in Alto.
Nestled in north Fulton County, approaching Arnold Mill Road from Cagle Road, you'll find a castle.
Seriously, a castle!
You can find info about the castle on several websites, but here's what the AJC.com's Mitchell Northam found out.
According to realtor.com, the home — yes, this is someone’s home — sits on 2.11 acres of land and spans 1,962 square feet. It features two bedrooms, two and half bathrooms, and was built in 1950. The estimated value of the castle is $428,500.
There is a moat around it. You can see the ladder leading down to the moat here...
and see how the moat wraps around the house in this photo.
According to AtlasObscura.com — a website billing itself as the “definitive guidebook and friendly tour-guide to the world's most wondrous places” — it was built by Rudy and Ruth McLaughlin.
Rudy was a truck driver and told Ruth he would build her a castle one day, and sure enough, he did. The site cites Fulton County as its source.
The home is surrounded by a fence and gnomes sit atop it at the entrances, giving it one of its nicknames. It also features a drawbridge.
But remember, tourists, this is a home. It’s private property and tours aren’t available. So view it from afar.
Here are some more photos from the Alpharetta castle.
Look familiar?
It's the White House!
But you won't find this White House in Washington. You'll find it in Atlanta.
The home on Briarcliff Rd. is a 3/4 replica on the one in Washington.
Atlanta developer Fred Milani was behind the three-quarter replica. He called the 16,500-square-foot home a tribute to democracy and the U.S., according to a 2015 AJC blurb on area “hidden gems.”
It includes an “Oval Office,” a movie theater and a “Lincoln's bedroom.”
After the real estate bubble burst, the home landed in foreclosure in 2011. Milani had tried to sell it at least once before but took it off the market because, “It takes a special person, with a special reason to buy,” he told The AJC.
Here is another photo of the Atlanta White House.
Here is another photo of the Atlanta White House.
Rocking chairs aren't odd, are they?
Well, this isn't an ordinary rocking chair.
This one is huge!
You'll find it in Lula,Ga on Lula Rd.
It even has a few stairs for people to climb up on it.
It sits in a random field. There isn't much around it.
Who knows why it's there, but it is fun to stop and snap a few funny photos.
Georgia is filled with plenty of odd roadside attractions, but this one might be the most famous of them all. It's The Big Chicken in Marietta.
The Big Chicken in Marietta is the site of a KFC franchise.
And thanks to a $2.2 million renovation to The Big Chicken in Marietta in 2017, there's plenty to check out including a timeline of the 56-foot animatronic chicken's history.
In 1963, The Big Chicken was built with motorized eyes and beak for Tubby Davis to promote his restaurant Johnny Reb's Chick, Chuck, 'N Shake.
In 1964, the original motor caused so much vibration that all the windows shattered in the restaurant.
In 1966, Davis sold the restaurant to his brother, who turned it into a KFC franchise.
By the time 1984 arrived, airline pilots used The Big Chicken to navigate the skies.
In 1993, due to a windstorm, the original chicken had to be rebuilt.
During the rebuild, there was talk that the new chicken would be contemporary and distinctively female. That didn't fly.
By popular demand, the new Big Chicken retained the original design.
You can even hear The Big Chicken talk!
You'll find The Big Chicken at 12 Cobb Parkway in Marietta.
Recognize this?
It's Goats on the Roof in Tiger, Ga.
What is Goats on the Roof?
Well...there are goats...on the roof!
Goats on the Roof is a family fun stop in Tiger, just north of the end of I-985.
Goats on the Roof has fudge, ice cream, t-shirts, gem mining, souvenirs and plenty of fun!
The Tiger store opened in 2007.
The goats at Goats on the Roof are direct descendants of aliens...according to legend anyway.
The ice cream in award-winning Nitro handmade ice cream!
Visitors can feed the goats on a visit.
Check it out on the web at http://www.goats-on-the-roof.com/ for more.
Here are some more photos from Goats on the Roof in Tiger, Ga.
You're looking at the
This is Paul Anderson Park in Toccoa.
or at least a statue of him.
Anderson is considered the father of powerlifting.
According to history.com, Anderson began working out to make the high school football team. He was so strong that lifting dumbbells wasn't enough. So, he started lifting truck axles and 55-gallon drums filled with concrete.
He went on to become an Olympic weightlifting champ.
Anderson could lift two 85-pound dumbbells with his little finger!
Anderson totaled 440 pounds for a clean and jerk, 930 pounds for a back squat and a 6,270-pound backlift. The backlift record was why he was called the
Anderson and his wife Glenda opened the Paul Anderson Youth Home in Vidalia in 1961. It's still open today.
Anderson was born in Toccoa, where the park is located.
You'll find cows all over north Georgia.
But this cow is a little larger than most!
And it doesn't moooooove.
The 9-foot cow is named Dipsy. She grazes the front of the Mountain Fresh Creamery business in Clermont, Ga.
The company bottles cream, whole milk, chocolate milk, low-fat milk and buttermilk – they also make their own butter and premium ice cream!
Check it out online at mountainfreshcreamery.com/our-creamery
Mooooving on now...
Have you ever driven by this?
It's not an abandoned construction site!
This is 54 Columns. It's on the corner of Highland Ave. NE and Glen Iris Drive NE in historic Old Fourth Ward.
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Former NBA guard Darius Morris has died at the age of 33. He played for five teams during his four NBA seasons. Morris played college basketball at Michigan.
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An annual government report offered a glimmer of good news for Social Security and a jolt of good news for Medicare even as both programs continue to be on pace to run dry next decade.
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Minneapolis Fed president Neel Kashkari said interest rates will likely stay at current levels for an "extended period" and didn't rule out a hike if inflation stalls near 3%.
