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 […]
Tag: Atlanta History
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 […]
Posted inDelaney Tarr, Latest News
‘From Rails to Trails’ documentary highlighting Beltline to show in Atlanta
The new documentary “From Rails to Trails” will air in Atlanta on Jan. 29 at the Atlanta History Center, hosted by the Trust for Public Land and WABE, with a live panel discussion of local leaders afterward. Atlanta is key to the documentary. Across 55 minutes narrated by Edward Norton, the film tells the story […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Face to Face
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.
Posted inDelaney Tarr
Georgia history groups announce yearlong programming for America’s 250th anniversary
Two well-known history organizations in Georgia are ringing in America’s 250th anniversary since the signing of the Declaration of Independence with a host of activations, events and resources on local and national history. Locally, the Atlanta History Center announced a major highlight: The Buckhead Center will be one of eight locations in the country to […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Atlanta in a Flash
Georgia State’s extensive digital collections library contains visual gems of Atlanta life through the years. Some of those are thanks to the efforts of a man by the name of Tracy O’Neal. For decades, O’Neal captured the rich tapestry of Atlanta. Trade shows . . . Promotional events. . . New Products . . . […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Trashcan Saga
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 inMedia
An Eye for Detail
One of the challenges of our 21st century lifestyle is trying to process the unprecedented amount of information available at any given moment. We are subjected to so much input on so many different topics that it is hard for us to imagine how people got along before the invention of instantaneous communications. It helps, […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Love in the Workplace
A young man from Cartersville, GA comes to the big city hoping to pursue a career in medicine. He walks the streets of Atlanta, knocking on the door of every drug store in town. As the sun is setting, he is hired on the spot by one of the best-known druggists in Georgia and his […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Community Standards
Shakespeare had it right, “the play’s the thing.” And that was especially true of Atlanta in the 1890s. The theater was the dominant form of entertainment and, as you would expect, it was an industry that gave many people a chance to make money. One such Atlantan was Martin J. Dooley who made a nice […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Not Everyone was Saved
There is no question that Atlanta’s Downtown Connector, when unobstructed, is a benefit to the region’s commuters. There is also no question that much was lost as a result of the construction of the Downtown Connector. Some of that loss was anticipated, some of it was not. Join us for the story of an unintended […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Messages from the past
If you could leave a message, knowing that it would be seen for years to come, what would you say? Thousands of people took just that opportunity before the 1996 Olympic Games came to Atlanta. What they chose to say – and how they said it – is the subject of this week’s Stories of […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Delayed Gratification
With the news this past week of the passing of basketball legend Lenny Wilkens we wanted to rerun one of our earliest Stories of Atlanta videos about the Hawks legendary player and coach. Wilkens was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame on 3 separate occasions, once as a player, once as a coach and […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Manager Gets Managed
In baseball, every number tells a story…but few tell one quite like this. For more than three decades, Bobby Cox was the heart and backbone of the Atlanta Braves. Unwaveringly loyal, fiercely competitive, and never afraid to speak his mind, Cox managed his team the way Atlanta loves its heroes, with passion, grit, and a […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Skill of the Pen
Throughout history, some of the world’s most enduring companies have been the result of business partnerships. Sometimes, the partnership brings renown to all of the partners, Procter and Gamble, Hewlett-Packard and Ben and Jerry come to mind. But not every partnership can be Rodgers and Hammerstein and, as they say, ‘Fair’ does not always mean ‘Equal’. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Resignation that Wasn’t
In 1972, Atlanta’s Symphony faced a crescendo of controversy. Its world-famous conductor, Robert Shaw, had transformed the orchestra into a national powerhouse…but not everyone applauded the changes. When Shaw was suddenly dismissed, the city’s music lovers didn’t take to the streets.They didn’t carry signs.What they did instead was conduct a masterclass in community resolve…a reminder […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Matter of Honor
In 1895, Atlanta set out to prove it was more than a railroad town rising from the ashes. The Cotton States and International Exposition would dazzle the world, until the money ran out. As the fair teetered on the brink of disaster, one man stepped forward with an offer that would save the city’s reputation, […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Where Atlanta Grew Up
Atlanta was born beside the railroad tracks—but it didn’t stay there for long. In the years after the Civil War, the city rebuilt itself from the ashes, its heart beating along the rail lines of what is now South Downtown. But as Atlanta grew in wealth, ambition, and confidence, the city’s center began to shift […]
