With all of the books, documentaries and tours, you would think that there was nothing new to be learned about the final resting place of Atlanta’s notable citizens. But if you happen to be a regular viewer of our stories, you already know that there is always more to the story.
When you think about it, there is just no way, in a city the size of Atlanta, that the final chapters of Atlanta’s most well-known citizens could be summed up in one neat, little package. And while we, of course, can not speak with certainty to the more ethereal aspects of the afterlife of Atlanta’s citizenry, we can offer insight into the final disposition of the earthly remains of those who left a significant mark on our city.
Forget what you think you know, set aside the concept that one size fits all and be prepared to learn something new from this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
I first became acquainted with Westview as a wide eyed 8 year old on a chilly but sunny day in January of 1958. The occasion was the burial of my maternal grandfather, who had owned a small printing shop on Pryor street in previous years, and who had also served as a city councilman from his old Kirkwood neighborhood. Westview is quite serene and peaceful…..an oasis in a sometimes tumultuous city A great uncle is buried right across from the big mausoleum…..he once challenged incumbent senator Walter F. George for a Georgia US senate seat….that endeavor did not turn out well for Uncle Lawrence. (Camp)
About 12 years ago I was privileged to address a UDC gathering at Westview on the role of the railroads of Atlanta during the Civil War. Though I have lived away from the state and city of my birth for some 40 years now, I still check out this place on forays back to the old stomping ground. Two years ago, I strolled the hundred feet or so from my grandparents gravesite to that of Asa Candler. I placed a can of ‘the pause that refreshes’ on top of Candler’s tombstone……maybe not quite up to par with the cognac left sometimes at Edgar Allen Poe’s memorial in Baltimore’s Westminster burying ground. Both men left their mark on the world.
A tip of the hat to Lance….. for his great stories …..
Greg
Richmond, VA.
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