The state of Georgia is currently in the process of planning and surveying a road “improvement” project that would significantly and adversely affect the Historic Old Stone Church In Ringgold, Ga. The church, a cornerstone of Ringgold’s history, was built circa 1849 and has played an integral role in not only the personal and communal history of Catoosa County, but also in the history of the state of Georgia and of the nation as a whole.

The church served as a headquarters and hospital during the American Civil War and played an integral role in the battle of Ringgold Gap. The building is also famous as being the site where the famous gospel hymn "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms" was first performed. As one of the oldest and longest running churches in Ringgold it has borne witness to countless generations of family and community history. The building no longer holds church services, but since a complete restoration in 1997, it has served as a museum and home for the Catoosa County Historical Society.

Weddings, baptisms, funerals and burials, the agony of war and the fruits of peace, through triumphs and tragedy the Old Stone Church has withstood the trials of time, but now this historic community landmark is being threatened by the very state to whom this humble church has contributed so greatly.

Currently there are plans being made by the GDOT to construct a round about intersection at the junction of U.S. Hwy. 41 and state Rt. 2. This round about intersection would not only encroach deeply into the church property, it would also create a retaining wall that would effectively block the view of the church from any direction and significantly affect the geographic and historical context of the site.

A previous improvement project was conducted by the state with no public meeting regarding the impact on the church property (which the initial project encroached heavily upon.) This initial project failed and furthermore created a dangerous and impractical traffic scenario which has damaged the historic and geographical context of the site as well as having a negative impact on the traffic pattern of the schools and community surrounding the church. Now the state is moving forward with yet another project, with no consultation with the community whom it will so adversely affect. While there are obvious and significant flaws in the states current proposal, members of the community have proposed alternate and sensible solutions with no apparent consideration.

Why a roundabout won’t work in this location?
The proposal contains a wall being built. At the current elevation of the roadway and the extending of the road to include the necessary space for a roundabout, the wall would be extremely high and almost to the front door of the Old Stone Church. There is simply not enough room for this proposal to work. When I-75 is backed up, this is a major thoroughfare for traffic including 18 wheelers and the proposed solution would only make a bad situation worse.

With an aging community of concerned citizens we feel as if we are standing in front of a freight train trying to save this historic treasure from being further removed from significance and lost to "progress." This amazing piece of our countries history does not deserve to be hidden behind a retaining wall, relegated to insignificance by the state. It deserves to be celebrated.


What can be done? A new bridge needs to be built on GA 2 that crosses Tiger Creek just East of Rhea Mc Clanahan Dr. to tie into Hwy 41 on the straight away between the current bridge location and the produce stand. This would be a state road and would not follow federal bridge requirements to be elevated. This area has not flooded in the 100 year flood plain and flooding is not a threat. Additionally the GDOT need to take steps to not only mitigate the damage they have done to this historic landmark but also to ensure that it receives the protections it deserves from any future attempts to encroach upon it's historic landscape.