This small mountain church in rural Fannin County began as Pleasant Gap Methodist but later became known as Tarpley Chapel, honoring the Tarpley family who helped found it and still care for it today. The church’s history is closely tied to the Tarpley family, documented in A History of Fannin County, Georgia, family records from Nellie Abercrombie, and articles from The Blue Ridge Summit-Post.

The Tarpley family originated in England and came to America before 1664, farming tobacco before eventually moving south. Mason Tarpley and his wife, Sara, both born in Virginia, married in 1842 and moved to what is now Fannin County in 1850. They purchased a large farm beside the Toccoa River, raising six sons and two daughters. Mason, crippled since childhood, was exempt from Civil War service but served as a Methodist circuit preacher. He died in 1907 and was buried with his wife at their homeplace in Blue Ridge.

One of Mason’s grandsons, Linzy Tarpley, married Martha Ware in 1872. They raised eight children on their farm, living off the land with sheep, cows, chickens, and geese. In 1890, Linzy’s father, James, deeded him land to build Pleasant Gap Methodist—a log church with a dirt floor. In 1908, a larger, more comfortable building was constructed by Simpson and Nolan Ambercrombie and dedicated in June 1911. At some point, the name changed to Tarpley Chapel, though the cemetery records still reflect both names.

The Tarpleys were among the early settlers who arrived after the Cherokee removal in the 1830s. The 1835 Treaty of New Echota led to the infamous Trail of Tears, and shortly afterward, families like the Tarpleys moved in. A 1913 photograph shows Linzy and Martha with grandchildren Ora Jane and Sadie, surrounded by poultry and a cow—a glimpse into the hard but close-knit life of early mountain farmers.

Today, the Tarpley family’s roots stretch back over 170 years in this corner of Georgia. James Allen and Sarah, their son Linzy, and little Sadie—who died at just eight years old—are all buried in the chapel cemetery. The family’s care for this place is a lasting tribute to North Georgia’s pioneer spirit.