There was no question which Atlanta theater would host the world premiere of Gone With the Wind
Tag: Atlanta History
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
It’s not often that a condemned building gets to live on after it is demolished
Among the more recognizable features of larger buildings constructed in the early twentieth century were the ornamental design elements that often gave buildings their personalities. The material of choice for these elements was terra cotta clay, primarily because it was relatively inexpensive, lightweight and could be easily molded or sculpted. These eye-catching details often elevated […]
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Being first — how Jackie Robinson integrated professional baseball
This week guest contributor STAN DEATON, historian at the Georgia Historical Society, recalls Jackie Robinson’s extraordinary first season in the major leagues, nearly seventy years ago.
For most of us, being first is something we long for. Americans like being first in everything. But what if being first means having people hate your guts?
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
It may be the most unorthodox trade in all of baseball history and it happened right here in Atlanta
It wasn’t exactly the trade of the century but, in 1948, it did make baseball history
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
An Atlantan pursues his dream only to discover it is, in reality, his nightmare.
It only took one year as a lawyer to convince an Atlanta attorney that his destiny was not the practice of law.
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New park helps small city’s residents discover ‘greene’ space and forgotten son of the New South
This week guest contributor BRIAN BRODRICK, city councilman in Watkinsville and Georgia Humanities board member, calls for the memory of Atticus Haygood to be pulled from the shadow of New South spokesman Henry Grady and brought out to our public space.
The name — Atticus Greene Haygood — conjures images of To Kill a Mockingbird and old Georgia, which are both appropriate.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
A popular Atlanta attraction was once just a place called home.
You might be surprised at what becomes of one man’s idea a a place to go to get away from it all.
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On the right side of history — how a modest experiment in interracial community leaves a lasting impression on Habitat for Humanity
Clarence Jordan, from a distinguished Georgia family of politicians and community leaders, began a career in the 1930s as a Baptist minister. A rising star, he had a reputation for distinction that was spreading throughout the state and the South. With time, any pulpit or university appointment could be his.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
You know the notes but did you know they came from Atlanta?
They became the most recognized set of musical notes in the nation and they originated right here in Atlanta.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
The Georgian Terrace Hotel serves as the launching pad for a national sensation.
No one imagined that the small business operated by a Georgian Tech student in a ballroom of the Georgian Terrace Hotel would one day become a national sensation.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
Going It Alone
An Atlanta politician stands on the right side of history even though it means going it alone.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
The Dancer
The power of a little girl’s dream to transform a city is celebrated in this weeks Stories of Atlanta.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
The Scoop
In the wake of a destructive fire, one Atlanta newspaper found itself scooped by an upstart competitor.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
The Visitor
If only the residents of Marthasville had known about the future of their young visitor.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
The Namesake
Two missionary teachers, a newly founded school for Atlanta women, and the world-renowned industrialist whose surprise visit changed everything…This is the story of how a well known Atlanta institution got its name.
Posted inMain Slider, Stories of Atlanta
Once Upon a Time in Atlanta
There is a reason behind everything, you just have to know the story. Coming to the Saporta Report … the Stories of Atlanta.
Posted inColumns, Michelle Hiskey, Michelle Hiskey & Ben Smith
Obscure inventor, quirky museum plow roots of television
Rigby, Idaho—Life before television lies in stark relief here in this small high desert town (pop. 4000) in southeastern Idaho. Its claim to fame is the birthplace of TV, where a teenaged farm boy first thought up the technology to carry images through the air into our homes.
The story is told at the quirky Farnsworth TV and Pioneer Museum, which itself could be a destination for the Travel Channel. In this converted hotel, amid the animal trophies, retro beauty shop mannequins and collections of barbed wire, you can find his quintessentially American hard-luck inventor story. Philo Farnsworth believed he could invent a device to transmit pictures and sound over long distance, and he did it without getting much credit or fortune.
Posted inDavid Pendered
Fort McPherson area rich in human rights history, poor in redevelopment
Juanita Crater knows what she doesn’t want to happen at Fort McPherson – for redevelopment to dawdle so long the federal government decides to use the post to house large numbers of the homeless, or undocumented immigrants.
History both recent and distant underscores the relevance of concerns raised by Crater, a senior citizen of East Point who lives near the fort and is viewed as a local historian. The fort and its surroundings are not thriving; federal law requires the site to house the homeless; the fort has served as a stockade.
Posted inDavid Pendered
Chattahoochee River past, present: Two speakers part of Paddle Georgia
Two local authorities are on deck to talk about the past and present roles of the Chattahoochee River in as part of the annual Paddle Georgia festival.
The speakers are Tom Baxter, a political correspondent with SaportaReport, and Clarke Otten, a Civil War historian who focuses on Sandy Springs and overlooked aspects of the war – such as how the Union army crossed the river.
The free events are scheduled June 23 and 24 along the banks of the river at Riverview Landing, a former industrial tract in Mableton that’s to be retooled into a mixed-use community by the company redeveloping Ponce City Market in Atlanta.
Posted inDavid Pendered
After Civil War, Atlanta’s leaders were ready to return to business, says upcoming speaker at History Center
The way Decatur historian Wendy Venet tells the story, Atlanta residents were weary of the Civil War by the time Union General William T. Sherman advanced on the city and “schmoozed” the Union general who presided over the city during Reconstruction.
“After 1863, loyalty becomes a highly contested issue in Atlanta,” Venet said. “It took a variety of forms including acts of lawlessness, particularly the draft, people hiding horses or mules to keep them from being impressed. So by the time Sherman seized the city in 1864, Atlanta was becoming unglued.”
