In 1976, the Elberton Granite Association, Inc., gave Elberton and Elbert County a fountain to mark the two hundredth anniversary of American independence and to serve as an everyday reminder of the Elberton granite industry's interest in the community and contributions to the area's economic and civic life. It also presents Elbert County's history as a story of advancement from 1776 to 1976, beginning with Cherokee and Creek hunting and burial grounds and early settlers from North Carolina and Virginia at Dartmouth, later Petersburg, where the Broad and Savannah Rivers joined. During the Revolutionary War period, the area was part of Wilkes County, and colonial patriots included Stephen Heard, Benjamin Hart, Dan Tucker, and Nancy Hart, who lived near Broad River. Petersburg, established by Dionysius Oliver, became a major early Georgia town of 2,000 people, and in 1813 two of its residents, Dr. William Wyatt Bibb and Justice Charles Tate, served simultaneously in the U.S. Senate. Elbert County was created from Wilkes County on December 10, 1790, named for General Samuel Elbert, and its first Superior Court session was held on January 20, 1791, at the home of Thomas A. Carter on Beaverdam Creek. From 1790 to 1860, population and development grew as land was cleared, roads were built, cotton replaced tobacco, churches were organized, Heardmont and Ruckersville were settled, and Joseph Rucker established the Bank of Ruckersville. Elberton was created on December 10, 1803, as the county seat because of its central location, natural watershed, elevation, and good spring. From 1860 to 1878, Elbert County furnished many troops to the Confederate cause, more than 280 of whom died, and the county was steadfast in its opposition to radicalism during Reconstruction. Rail connections completed in 1878 and 1891 opened commerce and trade, and commercial quarries begun in 1889 launched the granite industry that made Elberton known as the Granite City. From 1900 to 1920, public schools, churches, cultural groups, farming, trade, and incorporated towns expanded, World War I claimed 24 lives from the county, and Joseph Rucker Lamar was appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1911. From 1920 to 1940, cotton and land prices rose and fell, banks closed and reopened, and Elberton's industrial and granite base helped ease the Depression while modern conveniences spread. From 1940 to 1960, the granite industry drove prosperity, the Elberton Granite Association was formed, homes, businesses, and medical facilities increased, wars claimed 53 lives from the county, and Savannah River hydroelectric development began under Congressman Paul Brown. From 1960 to 1976, new civic, commercial, religious, educational, and recreational buildings and more diversified industry reflected continued community progress in Elberton and Elbert County.