As the saying goes, the fastest way from here to there is a straight line. But, sometimes, it is not that simple. These days, there are any number of possible impediments to a speedy trip: roadwork . . . detours . . . even street names. Over the years, many of Atlanta’s streets have gone through multiple monikers. This […]
Tag: Atlanta Stories
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The Iron Triangle
The Terminus location is fixed. The Iron Triangle is complete. There were winners and there were losers. It’s time to take stock on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
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The Name Change
He was one of 22 under-equipped soldiers charged with building a fort on Georgia’s western frontier during the War of 1812. After the war, he returned to the area, bought 1,000 acres and made a life for his family. The family business is long gone but the name is still around as told on this […]
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Let’s save Morris Brown before gentrification does it in
by King Williams Despite the foul weather last Tuesday, I joined maybe three dozen others on the vacant campus of Morris Brown College. We were all there standing in front of the historic Fountain Hall on the campus waiting for the unveiling of a new piece of public art for the university. The piece would […]
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An Unexpected Guest
Our intent this week was to talk about Atlanta and her visitors. Any city that attains any sort of momentum attracts interesting visitors…some famous, some not so much. But with every visitor comes a story and this week we were going to tell a visitor story. A pretty good one too. Kind of a “Day […]
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He left in a huff
A chief engineer identifies the terminus point, a stake is driven into the ground and, around that marker, the City of Atlanta grows. It’s a pretty neat story…except that isn’t exactly how it happened. Nothing in this world – or that world – is safe from political intrigue, as you see in this week’s Stories […]
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Connected to the past
Near the core of the Georgia State campus sits a Victorian structure that seems a bit out of place. Amid the multi-story buildings that line the street, it stands out in its uniqueness. With a gabled roof and turreted facade, what is today the home of the University’s Baptist Student Union resembles none of the other buildings in the neighborhood.
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A dubious first
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.
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Not everyone shared his enthusiasm
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 […]
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Moral Moviemaking
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 […]
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It’s probably not what he had in mind
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 […]
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His Honor the Urban Planner
Reuben Cone was a justice in DeKalb County when Decatur consisted of about 12 log cabins. Which means that Judge Reuben Cone was around when they laid the 1st railroad tracks that would create the City of Atlanta. He was also smart enough to know a good thing when he saw it, as you’ll see on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
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Avoiding the Wrecking Ball
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.
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Planning for the W&A
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.
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This should come as no surprise to anyone
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 […]
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Influenced By the Best
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 […]
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The Settlers
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.
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The job wasn’t what he thought
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 […]
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Not a river town
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.
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He missed the bus but eventually got to Atlanta
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.
