On Wednesday, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp vetoed 12 state bills before the signing deadline, including HB 376, a bill that would have expanded tax incentives for historic property preservation. The bill, passed in the House and Senate, would have increased the limit on the available tax credits from $30 million to $60 million. It was […]
Tag: Atlanta History
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Bobby Cox and the Art of Ejection
On May 9th we got word of the passing of legendary Atlanta Braves coach Bobby Cox. He was 84 years old. In memory of his passing, we wanted to revisit one of our favorite Stories of Atlanta episodes, a story that captures not only Bobby’s fiery spirit, but the fierce loyalty that made him one […]
Posted inMedia, Stories of Atlanta
The Thinking Machine
He was among the more well-known writers of his day, often compared to the creator of Sherlock Holmes. He traveled in a rarified circle of fame and success which was certainly a far cry from his days writing sports for the Atlanta Journal. A Georgia man who made it big discovers the end is near […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Thirsty People
In 1891, Atlanta’s Mayor began spending the City’s money, secretly buying land on the outskirts of Atlanta. It wasn’t a case of embezzlement, just good-old business common sense. In attempting to solve one of the City’s ongoing issues, the Mayor had made a decision, a decision that would not only affect every single Atlantan for […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Why So Wide?
It was rumored to have miraculous, healing properties and, if the first-person accounts were to be believed, drinking the water from this spring was good for what ails you. Miracle cure or not, what it most definitely turned out to be was a really good business opportunity. It is the tale of thirst and the […]
Posted inColumns
Fulton Reparations Task Force quantifies harm tied to county’s role in slavery, Jim Crow
How do you measure the impact of a wound so deep and gaping that it still reverberates today? A wound of that magnitude denotes harm. The Fulton County Reparations Task Force drew on an abundance of documents and data to “quantify harm” against Black people during slavery and the Jim Crow era. The result: a […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
He Got His Wish
Two men sit down for a conversation. As a result, one of the men, and influential industrialist and newspaper owner, commits his political support to the other man. This is enough to get the other man elected to the Georgia House of Representatives, where, according to the plan they hatched during their conversation, the new […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Real Estate Bonus
G.W. Collier was one of those Atlantans who arrived just as the ground itself was beginning to whisper opportunity. When he first came to the region, there was little more than wilderness, wagon ruts, and the faint outlines of a future not yet agreed upon. By the time Marthasville took on the name Atlanta, Collier […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Doctor Innkeeper
Long before Atlanta became a city of glass towers and interstates, it was a place where opportunity came by rail—and, now and then, by way of a well-placed connection. One of those invitations came from J. Edgar Thomson, a powerful figure in the railroad world who saw potential not just in a city, but in […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
First Impressions
It was not long after 3-railroad lines were connected to a central point in north Georgia that people began beating a path to Atlanta. Word had spread of the abundant opportunities and cheap land and those seeking better lives were arriving to the young city every day. There were, of course, those looking for work […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
After the Journey
Some stories rise with the skyline. Others whisper from the past. This week’s Stories of Atlanta reminds us that when the journey ends, it’s the stories we tell that remain.
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Price of Standing Still
Henry Ford is often credited with saying, “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.” In true Ford fashion, he didn’t ask. Instead, he gave the world the “horseless carriage” and nothing was ever quite the same. For more than a century, Americans have had a love affair with […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Egleston Hall makes 2026 ‘Places in Peril’ list
On Feb. 25, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released its 2026 ‘Places in Peril’ list for significant historic properties at risk of demolition or neglect – and Egleston Hall has made the list. It’s a hot topic among preservationists because All Saints’ Episcopal Church is considering a plan that could demolish the 1918 Gothic Revival […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Real Story about the Real Thing
A story has long connected two Atlanta institutions: The Coca-Cola Company and Georgia Tech during the days when John Heisman coached Tech’s football team. It suggests that somewhere between the boardroom and the gridiron, the structure of the game itself may have shifted from a game played in two halves, to a game played in […]
Posted inColumns
Plan threatens Egleston Hall; panics preservationists
“Traditionally, the outcome is the juice ain’t worth the squeeze.” David Y. Mitchell, the Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, has done this before. His signature is battles for historic preservation — the Atlanta Constitution Building, Gaines Hall, 148 Edgewood Ave. — trying to save the city’s oldest buildings before they get torn down. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Present Tense – Past Story
Atlanta is a city that rebuilds, repurposes, and replaces. But look closely and you’ll discover that its past is still there, hiding in plain sight. In this episode of Stories of Atlanta, we explore the orphaned signs, ghost signs, and architectural remnants that have outlived the buildings they once served. From South Downtown’s Hotel Row […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Prince Hall Masonic Lodge reopens after $10 million makeover
The “Jewel of Auburn Avenue” is officially open for business. On Feb. 11, local leaders held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on the renovated historic Prince Hall Masonic Lodge and Temple after a years-long $10 million makeover. Now, the 16,000 square foot multi-use space is officially part of the Martin Luther King. Jr. National Historic Park. It […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Dragon from Below
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 […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr
‘From Rails to Trails’ explores train tracks, tension and the American landscape
A new documentary tells the story of a grassroots movement, fierce pushback, national tensions, controversies and the transformation of the American landscape across 55 minutes. It showed at the Atlanta HIstory Center on Jan. 29 to a large local crowd. And it’s all about abandoned railroads turned to sprawling trails. “From Rails to Trails” is […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Faithful to Tech
A crooked little dog. A headstone on a college campus. And a question that still stops people in their tracks. On the grounds of Georgia Tech, a small marble marker tells the story of Sideways, a campus legend who arrived by accident and stayed by choice. How did a stray dog earn a permanent place […]
