Being a lawman in Atlanta during the Civil War was challenging enough. It was especially hard for Tom Shivers when he came face to face with the man who wanted his job. It’s a story with an ironic ending that culminates with a dubious first on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
James Litchfield Beavers is not a name that most Atlantans today are familiar with but back in his day James Beavers was “The Man”…literally. For 26 years, James Beavers was a member of Atlanta’s police force and from1911 to 1915 he was Atlanta’s “Top Cop,” the Chief of Police. In his almost three decades of […]
In September of 1895 at Atlanta’s Cotton States and International Exposition, Charles Jenkins demonstrated to the world what he called a Phantoscope, an early version of a movie projector. From that moment on, the world would never be the same. The invention of the movie projector led to the emergence of filmmaking as an art […]
Houses of worship have not just been a presence in Atlanta, they have been one of the forces that helped shape and support our community. This week, we tell the tale of Leonard Broughton who came to Atlanta to lead a church and ended up building one of Atlanta’s still-standing historical structures. Each year Broughton’s […]
They came seeking a new life in a new town. As a newlywed couple, Sarah and Willis Carlisle left a comfortable home in Marietta and moved to Terminus to make their fortune. Little did they know that just by doing what every newlywed couple does, they would make history. It’s the story of a first […]
In a city known for its out with the old, in with the new attitude, architect William Stoddart’s buildings have defied the odds. It’s the story of two turn of the century era buildings that have stood the Atlanta test of time on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
He was everybody’s cousin. Nobody’s fool. And the richest 21-year old in town. It’s the story of the railroad man who built a community that became a city on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
If you had to pick just one occupation that people throughout the ages would recognize as a job, what would you pick? Yeah, us too. This week’s story is about those who work for a living. According to Atlanta’s 1850 census, there were 54 people who chose to leave the census question about their occupation […]
Some folks just seem to have a knack for what they do. They find their footing at a young age, start moving forward and never look back. It’s hard to say where that type of motivation comes from. Perhaps it has something to do with the company we keep along the way. It’s the story […]
They walked into the woods and made lives for themselves. That’s a concept 21st-century Atlantans understandably might have trouble wrapping their heads around. But for the 19th century settlers whose names would become a part of our city’s history, it was business as usual. We meet the neighbors on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
By the end of the 1870’s, Atlanta’s population had grown to over 37,000 and in 1881 the Atlanta Constitution reported that Atlanta was in the midst of the greatest boom she had ever seen. It was into this boomtown environment that a young, first year lawyer from the University of Virginia moved. He set up […]
During the early days of America’s founding, having access to water was one of the primary prerequisites in choosing a location for a community. It’s not a difficult concept to understand.
They became the most recognized set of musical notes in the nation and they originated right here in Atlanta, although not in the order Atlantans heard them. And, apparently, it was such a good idea that more than one radio station wants the credit. You’ll have to decide for yourself who did what and when […]
When a sports franchise moves from one city to another not everything in the process goes smoothly as one player for the St. Louis Hawks discovered in 1966. But as they say, “all’s well that ends well.” Join us, won’t you, in welcoming home a prodigal son on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
When Sherman’s army departed Atlanta in November of 1864 the city treasury was left with a grand total of $1.64, and, apparently, that was all in confederate money. To say the least, not much of a nest egg with which to begin rebuilding a city. But that would be just one of many obstacles that […]
Pay a visit to pretty much any cemetery in the world and you will notice that, in addition to the traditional gift of flowers, people leave all kinds of items behind after their visit. Stones and coins are a favored way to show that the departed has not been forgotten, as are pictures and family […]
It’s no secret that in Atlanta far too many of our older buildings have had a limited lifespan. There is no better example of our penchant for replacing the old with the new than along Atlanta’s most famous thoroughfare. We examine the transformation of one downtown intersection on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Roger Babson is the founder of the Gravity Research Foundation, an organization with the stated purpose of studying, understanding and, ultimately, harnessing the force of gravity. It was the childhood drowning of his older sister in a river near Gloucester, Massachusetts that sparked Babson’s life-long interest in finding a way to control the effects of […]
The old saying “a penny for your thoughts” is, by current standards, too expensive. We are living in a era where seemingly everyone is “on the record” about…everything. We blog, vlog, tweet and post about whatever thought enters our head. In the opinion of some, we’ve gone a little too far in sharing our pontifications. […]
Mathew Brady is known as one of America’s first photographers. It was Brady who personally financed and oversaw the effort to photographically document the Civil War. At his own expense, he hired a team of photographers who traveled with various Union armies and together those photographers produced over 10,000 plates; a body of work which […]
Kemp appoints five to state board that oversees film industry; board appears in transitionMay 21, 2019 - 11:22 pm
Female business owners struggle for equality as success stories prove the ruleMay 20, 2019 - 5:02 pm
Atlanta changes street name in Buckhead, this one for public safetyMay 19, 2019 - 4:52 pm
Photo Pick: Explore parks by Michael HalickiMay 13, 2019 - 12:44 pm
Photo Pick: UNG develops app to help citizen Scientists ID snakes (photos by Peggy Cozart)May 13, 2019 - 12:27 pm
Photo Pick: Midtown’s historic fabric torn down to make way for a new office development. Photo by Maria SaportaMay 6, 2019 - 10:35 am
