Claude and Fred Derrick were born in the town of Burton, Claude in 1886 and Fred in 1891. They grew up in that farming community on the banks of the Tallulah River where their family co-owned the Foster and Derrick General Store in Burton plus over 200 acres of land. In 1917, when Georgia Power decided to build a dam on the Tallulah River in their valley, the family was forced to sell their land to the power company. Most of that land, as well as the town of Burton, are now under Lake Burton. The Derrick boys went to Rabun County schools, and then Claude went on to the University of Georgia and Fred to Georgia Tech. Both of them played baseball in college, where they began to attract the attention of professional baseball scouts. Claude was a standout player at Georgia, and has since been selected to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Fred never made it to the major leagues, but he played minor league ball with Portland in the Oregon Pacific Coast League for three years, in Toledo for two years, and in Birmingham for one year. His baseball career was cut short by an injury sustained in a tragic train wreck in Illinois in 1917, when some of his teammates were killed and his legs were badly injured.
No longer able to play baseball, Fred returned to his home in Clayton and went into business with his father, John Derrick, under the firm name of Derrick Motor Company. The money that Georgia Power Company paid the family for their land helped provide the capital to get started in business. Fred was also very active in civic affairs, and being a golf enthusiast, he helped establish the Rabun County golf course. The WPA, a New Deal program of FDR, constructed the buildings, and the Rabun Country Club was opened in 1940.
In the April 29, 1926 edition, The Clayton Tribune had this news item about the Derrick business:
“The Derrick brothers are laying down material with which to build a filling station, just in front of the Blue Ridge Hotel. They plan to put up one of the most modern and up-to-date filling stations in this section of the country.”
Derrick Motor Company eventually included a Standard Oil Station, a Ford dealership, and a garage and repair business. The Standard Oil station was one of the first service stations in Clayton. It was located on Main Street in a building that is now Prater’s Main Street Books. It is interesting to note that the Ford dealership was originally located in a building on Main Street that later became Belk’s and is now Doncaster and Main Street Gallery. Amazingly, the building had an elevator that was used to move the automobiles up to the second floor. The dealership later moved to the building that is now Butler’s Gallery.
Not only were the Derrick brothers in the baseball “big leagues”, but they were instrumental in developing the downtown Clayton business district into the vibrant area we still recognize today.
NOTE: Claude Derrick's first room mate when he started playing professionally was George Herman Ruth, better known as "Babe" Ruth.
Fred never made it to the major leagues, but he played minor league ball with Portland in the Oregon Pacific Coast League for three years, in Toledo for two years, and in Birmingham for one year. His baseball career was cut short by an injury sustained in a tragic train wreck in Illinois in 1917, when some of his teammates were killed and his legs were badly injured.
No longer able to play baseball, Fred returned to his home in Clayton and went into business with his father, John Derrick, under the firm name of Derrick Motor Company. The money that Georgia Power Company paid the family for their land helped provide the capital to get started in business. Fred was also very active in civic affairs, and being a golf enthusiast, he helped establish the Rabun County golf course. The WPA, a New Deal program of FDR, constructed the buildings, and the Rabun Country Club was opened in 1940.
In the April 29, 1926 edition, The Clayton Tribune had this news item about the Derrick business:
“The Derrick brothers are laying down material with which to build a filling station, just in front of the Blue Ridge Hotel. They plan to put up one of the most modern and up-to-date filling stations in this section of the country.”
Derrick Motor Company eventually included a Standard Oil Station, a Ford dealership, and a garage and repair business. The Standard Oil station was one of the first service stations in Clayton. It was located on Main Street in a building that is now Prater’s Main Street Books. It is interesting to note that the Ford dealership was originally located in a building on Main Street that later became Belk’s and is now Doncaster and Main Street Gallery. Amazingly, the building had an elevator that was used to move the automobiles up to the second floor. The dealership later moved to the building that is now Butler’s Gallery.
Not only were the Derrick brothers in the baseball “big leagues”, but they were instrumental in developing the downtown Clayton business district into the vibrant area we still recognize today.
NOTE: Claude Derrick's first room mate when he started playing professionally was George Herman Ruth, better known as "Babe" Ruth.
Claude and Fred Derrick were born in the town of Burton, Claude in 1886 and Fred in 1891. They grew up in that farming community on the banks of the Tallulah River where their family co-owned the Foster and Derrick General Store in Burton plus over 200 acres of land. In 1917, when Georgia Power decided to build a dam on the Tallulah River in their valley, the family was forced to sell their land to the power company. Most of that land, as well as the town of Burton, are now under Lake Burton. The Derrick boys went to Rabun County schools, and then Claude went on to the University of Georgia and Fred to Georgia Tech. Both of them played baseball in college, where they began to attract the attention of professional baseball scouts. Claude was a standout player at Georgia, and has since been selected to the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
Fred never made it to the major leagues, but he played minor league ball with Portland in the Oregon Pacific Coast League for three years, in Toledo for two years, and in Birmingham for one year. His baseball career was cut short by an injury sustained in a tragic train wreck in Illinois in 1917, when some of his teammates were killed and his legs were badly injured.
No longer able to play baseball, Fred returned to his home in Clayton and went into business with his father, John Derrick, under the firm name of Derrick Motor Company. The money that Georgia Power Company paid the family for their land helped provide the capital to get started in business. Fred was also very active in civic affairs, and being a golf enthusiast, he helped establish the Rabun County golf course. The WPA, a New Deal program of FDR, constructed the buildings, and the Rabun Country Club was opened in 1940.
In the April 29, 1926 edition, The Clayton Tribune had this news item about the Derrick business:
“The Derrick brothers are laying down material with which to build a filling station, just in front of the Blue Ridge Hotel. They plan to put up one of the most modern and up-to-date filling stations in this section of the country.”
Derrick Motor Company eventually included a Standard Oil Station, a Ford dealership, and a garage and repair business. The Standard Oil station was one of the first service stations in Clayton. It was located on Main Street in a building that is now Prater’s Main Street Books. It is interesting to note that the Ford dealership was originally located in a building on Main Street that later became Belk’s and is now Doncaster and Main Street Gallery. Amazingly, the building had an elevator that was used to move the automobiles up to the second floor. The dealership later moved to the building that is now Butler’s Gallery.
Not only were the Derrick brothers in the baseball “big leagues”, but they were instrumental in developing the downtown Clayton business district into the vibrant area we still recognize today.
NOTE: Claude Derrick's first room mate when he started playing professionally was George Herman Ruth, better known as "Babe" Ruth.
Fred never made it to the major leagues, but he played minor league ball with Portland in the Oregon Pacific Coast League for three years, in Toledo for two years, and in Birmingham for one year. His baseball career was cut short by an injury sustained in a tragic train wreck in Illinois in 1917, when some of his teammates were killed and his legs were badly injured.
No longer able to play baseball, Fred returned to his home in Clayton and went into business with his father, John Derrick, under the firm name of Derrick Motor Company. The money that Georgia Power Company paid the family for their land helped provide the capital to get started in business. Fred was also very active in civic affairs, and being a golf enthusiast, he helped establish the Rabun County golf course. The WPA, a New Deal program of FDR, constructed the buildings, and the Rabun Country Club was opened in 1940.
In the April 29, 1926 edition, The Clayton Tribune had this news item about the Derrick business:
“The Derrick brothers are laying down material with which to build a filling station, just in front of the Blue Ridge Hotel. They plan to put up one of the most modern and up-to-date filling stations in this section of the country.”
Derrick Motor Company eventually included a Standard Oil Station, a Ford dealership, and a garage and repair business. The Standard Oil station was one of the first service stations in Clayton. It was located on Main Street in a building that is now Prater’s Main Street Books. It is interesting to note that the Ford dealership was originally located in a building on Main Street that later became Belk’s and is now Doncaster and Main Street Gallery. Amazingly, the building had an elevator that was used to move the automobiles up to the second floor. The dealership later moved to the building that is now Butler’s Gallery.
Not only were the Derrick brothers in the baseball “big leagues”, but they were instrumental in developing the downtown Clayton business district into the vibrant area we still recognize today.
NOTE: Claude Derrick's first room mate when he started playing professionally was George Herman Ruth, better known as "Babe" Ruth.
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