Originally built by W.E. Johnson in 1940, the Sweet Potato Curing and Storage House, near Roopville, Georgia, incorporated a slated floor and sub-floor heating ducts, to regulate airflow, temperature, and humidity to cure sweet potatoes faster so that they would last through the winter cold. The storage house with its brightly painted Coca-Cola advertisements, is still one of the most photographed landmarks in West Georgia. In the Springtime, the field just North of the structure is planted with Sunflowers that are used in non-profit fund raisers in the area.
A local man, along with Coke officials arranged for the creation of a collectible bottle honoring the Sweet Potato House. The bottles were sold for $15.00 each, and all 960 of them were sold out within 35 minutes. Sales of the bottle helped pay for the restoration project of this local landmark, which certainly would not have lasted too much longer as it was.
Johnson’s Sweet Potato Curing Shed also has another claim to fame in this part of the state. The site used to be a drop-off point for area students attending Berry College in Rome, and this resulted in US 27 being named Martha Berry Highway by the Georgia Department Of Transportation. The locals around these parts just know that the "potato house" is the coolest landmark for miles around!
*First to Find Honors go to: Lindzree & wgablondie!!!*