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Home » Atlanta History Stories

Tag: Atlanta History Stories

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Friends in Low Places

Avatar photo by Lance Russell December 4, 2023 5:11 pmDecember 4, 2023 5:11 pm

The occasion was somber. A group of friends had gathered in an Atlanta bar to toast the memory of one of their comrades who had tragically died earlier that same day. As the drinks flowed, a plan was hatched to memorialize their friend by having a street in Atlanta named after him. Despite the fact […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

A Confusing Name

Avatar photo by Lance Russell November 27, 2023 5:50 pmNovember 27, 2023 5:50 pm

It is common knowledge that Atlanta got its start as a railroad town. So it shouldn’t be surprising that the influence of the railroads reached far and wide across our city. But you might not realize just how far and how wide that influence actually ran. Which is why we decided to tackle the question […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Good Idea for a Yankee

Avatar photo by Lance Russell November 20, 2023 5:00 pmNovember 20, 2023 12:44 pm

While the early history of Atlanta is defined by its colorful characters, its free and rowdy reputation, and its embrace of modern technology in the form of railroads, the larger story of Atlanta begins with its destruction. The rapidity with which Atlantans rebuilt their devastated city is so legendary that it is symbolized on the […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Atlanta’s Neighborhoods

Avatar photo by Lance Russell November 13, 2023 5:00 pmNovember 11, 2023 6:02 pm

This week on Stories of Atlanta, we look back at a part of Atlanta’s history to which most of us never give much thought. Though we may live in a City of Atlanta neighborhood, chances are pretty good that few of us have spent much time wondering about the origins of the name of our […]

Posted inUncategorized

A Big City Problem

Avatar photo by Lance Russell November 6, 2023 4:34 pmNovember 6, 2023 4:39 pm

As they say, “there are two sides to every coin,” a fact of life that Atlantans in the late 1800s knew all too well. The City’s success as a railroad town brought wealth and distinction but that success also brought to town a life-threatening problem. Thankfully, Atlanta was filled with clever people who devised a […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

How is it East?

Avatar photo by Lance Russell October 30, 2023 6:13 pmOctober 30, 2023 6:13 pm

With the unpleasantness of dealing with Atlanta’s rowdy element behind them, Atlanta’s city fathers turn their attention to what would become an old nemesis… fire. The city gets another railroad and, in the process, answers a valid question about a town’s name. Atlantans vote for a dead candidate and, after 66 years, Atlanta’s first mayor […]

Title over a motel postcard
Posted inStories of Atlanta

Not Good Enough

Avatar photo by Lance Russell October 23, 2023 6:54 pmOctober 23, 2023 6:56 pm

There are stories in Atlanta’s history that can only be described as cringeworthy. From our 21st century perspective, they make no sense. We want to look away but, as they say, no matter where you go, there you are. It’s the story of a highly accomplished man who, no matter what he did, was never […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Collective Regret

Avatar photo by Lance Russell October 16, 2023 7:10 pmOctober 16, 2023 7:10 pm

The stories of the history of Atlanta do not always have happy endings. Sometimes, try as one might, things just don’t work out. Such was the case in the early 1970s, when a lot of Atlantans got their hopes up, only to be disappointed. It’s a case of collective regret on this week’s Stories of […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

158 Days Shy

Avatar photo by Lance Russell October 9, 2023 4:19 pmOctober 9, 2023 4:19 pm

This week’s Stories of Atlanta examines a part of Atlanta’s history that may not be common knowledge to most Atlantans. The subject of our story was an athlete who many would describe as the best who ever played the game, and though a household name back in his day, he is now a man who […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

An Unsung Influencer

Avatar photo by Lance Russell October 2, 2023 7:07 pmOctober 2, 2023 7:07 pm

When one thinks of influential Atlantans who played a role in shaping our city, a lot of names come to mind. Frank Quarles, however, is probably not one of them, and that’s a shame. The Reverend Frank Quarles was a former slave who founded Atlanta’s Friendship Baptist Church and his role in shaping the future […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Perfect Hair

Avatar photo by Lance Russell September 25, 2023 11:23 amSeptember 25, 2023 11:24 am

Where the history of Atlanta is concerned, one could be forgiven if the name Warren Zevon did not immediately come to mind. However, given that this is a Stories of Atlanta, connecting the dots in an unexpected manner should not come as a surprise. Neither should connecting downtown Atlanta with the name Lawrence Talbot, and […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Night of the Whitecaps

Avatar photo by Lance Russell September 18, 2023 4:40 pmSeptember 18, 2023 4:40 pm

In the history of Atlanta, there have been some contentious political arguments, but never has there been a night like the one a few days after Jonathan Norcross was elected mayor. The trouble began when the losing political party refused to accept their loss, and it ended when the other party donned white hoods and […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Growing Pains

Avatar photo by Lance Russell September 11, 2023 3:46 pmSeptember 11, 2023 3:53 pm

Watching the Stories of Atlanta, one might be tempted to think that Atlanta’s history unfolded in a smooth, orderly fashion…one event after another in a precise and predictable manner, much like the hands on a clock. One should resist that temptation. The history of Atlanta was marked by challenges, setbacks, unexpected results and, as with […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Three Amigos

Avatar photo by Lance Russell September 4, 2023 7:29 pmSeptember 4, 2023 7:29 pm

We look at three friends, all of whom lived in Atlanta. Each of the men are charter members of the history of Atlanta pioneers club and each left the city better than they found it. It’s the story of three amigos on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.

Posted inStories of Atlanta

A Druid Hills Alum

Avatar photo by Lance Russell August 28, 2023 5:27 pmAugust 28, 2023 5:27 pm

He lit everyone’s candles for every bar mitzvah in New York City. At least, that’s what he said it felt like. He was named New York’s Most Popular Person…twice. They even named a sandwich after him at the Stage Deli. In high school he lettered in 4 different sports, received 125 basketball scholarship offers and […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

The Trashcan Saga

Avatar photo by Lance Russell August 21, 2023 2:37 pmAugust 21, 2023 2:37 pm

Our story this week comes from Atlanta’s long-time Chief of Police Herbert Turner Jenkins. Chief Jenkins served on Atlanta’s police force from 1932 to 1972 and was named chief of Atlanta’s police force in 1947, a position he held for 25 years. In his book, Forty Years on the Force, Jenkins reminisced about his time […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

There and back again

Avatar photo by Lance Russell August 14, 2023 4:00 pmAugust 14, 2023 9:47 am

Ask anyone who doesn’t live in Atlanta what they know about Atlanta and chances are pretty good that they’ll say they know Atlanta has a really busy airport. They probably won’t put it quite that gently, but who are we to presume. According to Airline Weekly, Atlanta took the title of “World’s Busiest” from Chicago […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

He scooped everyone

Avatar photo by Lance Russell August 7, 2023 4:00 pmAugust 6, 2023 9:59 pm

In the movie “Charlie Wilson’s War,” the character Gust Avrakotos, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, tells the story of a village boy who is given a horse. Everyone in the village says, “How wonderful, the boy got a horse,” everyone except the Zen master who just says, “We’ll see.” Two years later, the boy falls […]

Posted inStories of Atlanta

Making Radio Better

Avatar photo by Lance Russell July 31, 2023 4:00 pmJuly 31, 2023 6:56 am

There are two main lessons to be learned from the movie “A Christmas Story.” First and foremost, don’t shoot your eye out. Running a close second, play your cards right, and you just might win a major award. Where we may have some disagreement is on just exactly what constitutes “a major award?” Perhaps we […]

Posted inUncategorized

Marketing in the 1800s

Avatar photo by Lance Russell July 24, 2023 1:29 pmJuly 24, 2023 1:29 pm

How many times every day do you have your picture taken? By some estimates, which include security cameras, it’s about 75 times. That’s a lot of pictures and it’s one of those 21st century statistics that wouldn’t even translate to Atlantans in the 1800s. Back in the day, having one’s image captured was a rare […]

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