Tyrone Museum highlights historical moments from Coweta-Fayette EMC’s From Rural Sparks to Powerlines

PALMETTO, GA, February 24, 2022 – Located in the heart of Tyrone, the town’s newest museum will showcase historical research pieces from Coweta-Fayette EMC’s book, From Rural Sparks to Powerlines, which was produced in 2012 to highlight the establishment of the cooperative as well as honor the memory of its original incorporators.

From Rural Sparks to Powerlines features dedications to pioneers of the community, including Coweta-Fayette EMC’s longest-serving director Floy Farr, extensive history of rural electrification and well-known recipes from local home economists.

The display will feature the story of how Floy Farr worked to establish telephone service in Tyrone. Positioned next to a vintage rotary telephone, the display will allow visitors to learn about how Farr organized a group of Tyrone residents to install their own telephone line after being told that the already established telephone service in Fayette County would not run lines to Tyrone due to the distance out of their existing territory.

The museum also plans to display the story of how Farr was instrumental in bringing 150 jobs to Tyrone in the mid-1940s through assisting in the establishment of the rock quarry, the first industry in Fayette County. The display will feature Farr’s involvement in convincing a local farmer to sell his land to accommodate the rock quarry – all in exchange for a new mule.

Tyrone Museum volunteers Amy Duell, Amy Finocchiaro and Linda Howard are responsible for the displays, which will be available for public viewing this summer. Since the opening of the museum in May 2021, volunteers have strived to acquire and exhibit physical, cultural, and historical artifacts which reflect the story of Tyrone for future generations.

Tyrone Museum is located at 881 Senoia Road, Tyrone, GA. Museum hours are Wednesday and Saturday from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. and Sunday from 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. The museum is currently searching for new artifacts to display including gifted and loaned items. For more information, please visit https://tyronemuseum.wordpress.com/.

Coweta Fayette EMC is a member-owned cooperative providing electricity and related services to over 80,000 consumers in Coweta, Fayette, Heard, Fulton, Clayton, Meriwether, Spalding and Troup counties.