They say it’s the journey, not the destination. And for some in the 1950s and 60s whose destination was Atlanta, the journey was more than mere conveyance, it was, in fact, Southern Tradition. For many, the trip is a lingering memory from childhood. For others, it was just how we lived back in the day, that day before divided, multi-lane, controlled access super highways connected everybody everywhere. The times and methods may change but there will always be a need to get from point A to point B and back again. And that is the subject of this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Lance Russell is an Atlanta-based filmmaker and media communicator who, for over three decades, has been entrusted by clients to tell their stories. A seasoned producer with an innate ability to cut to... More by Lance Russell
Wish we still had a Nancy Hanks to take us to Savannah!
Thank you Lance! I am an Atlantan and remember going downtown with my Mom to shop at Davidson’s and Macy’s! But first she would stop at the Trust Company Bank of Georgia to get me my own “spending money” for our day of shopping! And of course, we would lunch at the Macy’s Tea Room!!! When Lenox Square opened as one of the first “open air” malls, we had a new shopping destination! Then at lunch time, the only place to go was the Kroger at the end of the Mall that had a little outdoor European cafe! As a Southern girl, it was my first introduction to a pastry – “Bear Claws”!! Atlanta is rich with so many wonderful stories; so glad you are telling its’ stories!!!
Very enjoyable story, Lance. “The “Nancy Hanks” had an equine counterpart…. the “Man o’ War” which plied the rails between Atlanta and Columbus and was introduced at just about the same time as the “Nancy ” but was ‘put out to pasture’ a year earlier in May of 1970.
Consisting of 4 lightweight passenger cars which were named for military posts (forts McPherson, Ogelthorpe, Mitchell, and Benning), the train made 2 daily roundtrips between the 2 cities. Both of these silver-sided ‘racehorses’ departed and arrived back at Atlanta’s grand old Terminal Station.
In the spring of 1952, I was fortunate to be a passenger aboard the Man o’ ‘War with my mom on a journey to visit her sister in Columbus, but being only a wee toddler at the time, I have no recollection of the journey.
Carry on.