When the Braves Couldn’t Win on the Field, One Man Made Sure They Won in the Stands It’s a matter of Atlanta history that the Atlanta Braves of the 1970s weren’t known for championships—but their promotions were legendary. From ostrich races to on-the-field cash grabs, the Braves’ front office turned the ballpark into a spectacle, […]
Tag: Stories of Atlanta
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Bad Blood
In 1862, while the Civil War raged on, two men—both claiming the same badge—met inside an Atlanta saloon. Only one would walk out. This week on Stories of Atlanta, we step back into a city caught between battle lines and internal conflict. Whitt Anderson, a former Deputy Sheriff wounded at Antietam, had returned to Atlanta […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Proper Train Station
It was a time of improvement for the growing city of Atlanta Continuing our march through Atlanta’s history, this week’s Stories of Atlanta examines the state of the city in the mid 1850s. Since the infamous night that members of Atlanta’s Moral Party had resorted to violence in order to rid the city of its […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Atlanta Loses Its First Mayor
If it is southwest of Atlanta, why is it called East Point? This week on the Stories of Atlanta, we take a look at what seems to be an Atlanta history contradiction. It has to do with the naming of a neighboring city and why it got its name. With the unpleasantness of dealing with […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Extralegal Actions
Who loses an election but still claims victory? In early Atlanta, a political argument and a contentious loss leads to a level of discord that tests its citizens. In Atlanta history, there have been some contentious political arguments, but never has there been a night like the one we tell in this Stories of Atlanta. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Drinking, Gambling, & Unruly Behavior
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
Life-threatening Politics
He brought an umbrella to a knife fight. In this episode of Stories of Atlanta, part of our Atlanta history series Iron and Ambition, we travel back to 1848—a time when political insults came with real consequences. When Georgia Superior Court Justice Francis Cone called Alexander Stephens a “traitor,” it wasn’t taken lightly. Stephens, known […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The First Election
What kind of city elects a saloon owner as its first mayor? In this episode of Stories of Atlanta, part of our Iron and Ambition series, we travel back to 1848—the year Atlanta held its very first city election. Fueled by fistfights, whiskey, and political passions, this raucous vote set the tone for the kind […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Not All Fun and Games
In response to competition from South Carolina, the State of Georgia embraced the fledgling railroad industry. The idea was to establish new trade opportunities by building a railroad system that would connect Georgia to the rest of the United States. Key to that plan was constructing a state-owned railroad line that would terminate in north […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Cure for Chaos
The town of Atlanta had designated its first commissioners in 1845. The 5-man governing body was comprised of stalwart citizens, none of whom had any previous experience in government affairs. They did their best to bring order to the young railroad town but, by all accounts, their efforts fell on deaf ears. There was little […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Blockade Runner
It was 1844, and the newly chartered town of Marthasville, Georgia, per its official charter, had appointed five commissioners to handle the town’s business. Their first act was to levy a tax on the community for the purpose of building new streets. Clearly, the citizenry of Marthasville had not embraced the concept of a commission-led […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Replacing the Monroe
By the end of 1845, people in the region had begun to believe that there just might be something to the young town of Atlanta. Any who remained skeptical of the hype found it harder to do so with the arrival of the first Macon and Western train. You’ll remember that Cousin John Thrasher had […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Everybody’s Cousin
As these things go, the changing of the name Marthasville to Atlanta went about as smooth as could be expected. There was one slight hitch, some, who were no doubt devotees of ancient literature, assumed that there had been a typographical error in the spelling of the town’s new name and that actually “Atlanta” should […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
It Was About Paperwork
The origin of the name “Atlanta” has been questioned for as long as there has been an Atlanta. When all is said and done, however, the name of the city is “Atlanta,” and it’s a safe bet that’s not going to change anytime soon. We haven’t read much about how the people of Marthasville felt […]
Posted inColumns
Neighbors opposed to Amsterdam Walk project are primed for City Council meeting
Residents near Amsterdam Walk say they’re prepared to speak out against a large-scale redevelopment project during Monday’s Atlanta City Council meeting. While public comment rules limit what they can say, they plan to make their concerns clear, warning that the proposed redevelopment plans by Portman Holdings are too large for the surrounding neighborhood and would […]
Posted inAdrianne Murchison, Columns
Georgia journalists’ film following superfans of murder trials debuts on Amazon Prime
Veteran Georgia journalists Neil Gordon and Mike Petchenik’s new true crime docuseries is now available to stream on Amazon Prime. The duo published the book “Trial Watchers,” last year and produced the documentary under the same title. They focus on murder trial enthusiasts who travel to the U.S. to attend courtroom proceedings on some of […]
Posted inMedia, Stories of Atlanta
Pioneer Citizens
In the lore of Atlanta’s history, there is a story about an organization that called itself, “The Pioneer Citizens of Atlanta.”
Posted inAdrianne Murchison, Columns
Move to stop hate speech in Sandy Springs sparks new concerns
In an effort to curb hate speech and regulate flyer distribution, Sandy Springs has approved new ordinances that some say may violate First Amendment rights. The American Civil Liberties Union and the Georgia First Amendment Foundation both say that the new laws infringe on freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Flyers and pamphlets […]
Posted inAdrianne Murchison, Columns
Star of touching Netflix documentary to appear at autism summit
An Atlanta teenager featured in the award-winning Netflix documentary “Makayla’s Voice: A Letter to the World” will participate in the upcoming Autism Awareness Summit at the Atlanta City Hall Atrium on April 16. Makayla Cain, who has a rare form of autism and is nonverbal, communicates using voice technology and her own unique forms of […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Chief Engineer
There is an interesting side benefit to reading about history and it has to do with being able to predict the future. Well, not so much “the” future as “a” future. At various stages along the path of historical research, one becomes familiar with the players in a particular story. When a new character is […]
