One of the early residents of Atlanta was Dr. Joseph Thompson, who had been lured to the young city by an old friend. Dr. Thompson had a well-known and respected 20-year medical career in Decatur but issues with rheumatism put an end to his practice. He was running an inn when J. Edgar Thomson, a […]
Tag: Stories of Atlanta
Posted inStories of Atlanta
An Appeal to Patriotism
During times of national crisis, we are all called upon to do our part. Such was the case during World War One when a plan was hatched for Atlantans to conserve oil and gasoline for the war effort. An interesting twist was, for those who violated the restrictions, there was no fine. Instead, the city […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
An Explosion of Growth
In the later part of the 20th century, Atlanta experienced a period of rapid growth thanks to events set in motion with the beginning of World War II. Due to its transportation history and the city’s foresight in developing its aviation capabilities, Atlanta came through “The Big One” in prime position to become the city […]
Posted inLatest News, Stories of Atlanta
He Didn’t Stay Long
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
A Forbidden Love
A young man from Carrollton, 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 inMedia, Stories of Atlanta
You Be The Judge
When the Hyatt Regency on Peachtree Street opened as the Regency Hyatt House in 1967, it immediately became one of Atlanta’s biggest tourist attractions. It was, in fact, completely unique in the history of modern hotels and people came from near and far to experience architect John Portman’s newest creation. Part of that experience involved […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Show Did Go On
The founding of the City of Atlanta may have been an unforeseen result of Atlanta’s railroads, but the rapid growth of the city by the train tracks did not happen by accident. Nor did the city’s recovery from the devastation of the Civil War. Throughout Atlanta’s history there have always been those who paved the […]
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A Proper Depot
Continuing our march through the history of the City of Atlanta, the population triples in 5-years, there is a recognition of the need for a proper rail connecting point, and the little town by the railroad tracks continues to change. It’s an ongoing story of Iron and Ambition on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Three-Dimensional Thinking
When the State of Georgia greenlit the Western and Atlantic railroad line and marked its terminus point just south of the Chattahoochee River, most observers recognized the impact that the new technology would have on Georgia’s commercial trade. It seems quaint by today’s standards, but almost no one at the time recognized that a world […]
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Home Away from Home
At the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Oakdale Road sits a grand old home, one of many along that stretch of Ponce. Built for well-heeled Atlantans, many of the homes, including this one, are no longer residences but, unlike most of the grand homes that once lined Ponce, this home is memorialized in […]
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Hedging His Bet
As automobile fever began to sweep across America, not everyone was enthralled with the new type of transportation. Among those said to be less than thrilled with the new-fangled form of conveyance was the founder of the Coca-Cola company, Asa Candler. A passing fad thought Atlanta’s best-known businessman, which makes one wonder why, then, did […]
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The Five and Dime
This week we take a look at a city that no longer exists…Atlanta. To be more accurate, South Downtown Atlanta. Once the retail capital below the Mason Dixon Line, everybody who was anybody shopped south of Atlanta’s railroad tracks. Today, it is hard to imagine the amount of two legged, four legged and wheeled traffic […]
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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 . . . […]
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The Future Market
Having examined its origin and lived through 100-years of its ups and downs, in episode three of our series on the Municipal Market of Atlanta we contemplate the next century for the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Having dodged the bullets and defied the odds, we ask “What’s Next?” on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
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The Market’s Ups and Downs
In our last episode we put out the Great Fire, built the market and filled it with food. Who knew that would be the easy part? It turns out that lasting 100-years in the same building in Atlanta is just as hard as one might think it would be. Part two of our story takes […]
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The Building that Survived
What is it with Atlanta and fire? Our city’s motto is Resurgens, a self-congratulatory reference to Atlanta’s rebirth after surviving the fires of war. Five decades after Sherman’s incendiary exit from the city, Atlantans were once again tested by the crucible of fire, and once again, the city was knocked to its knees and got […]
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An Unsolved Mystery
As we have so often observed, there is a reason for everything…you just have to know the story. That is not true, at least, when it comes to Martin and Susan DeFoor. You may recognize the name, the Defoors gave rise to one of Atlanta’s many streets named after ferry proprietors. Unfortunately, Atlanta history remembers […]
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Love ’em and Leave ’em
Atlanta hooked its star to the burgeoning railroad industry and, as a result, became the first great inland city of America. The railroads and Atlanta grew together as rail travel came to dominate the American landscape. But it turns out that Atlanta’s love affair wasn’t so much with the railroads as it was with transportation. […]
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A Moral Degeneration
It is illegal in Mobile, Alabama to spray Silly String. In West Virginia, if you’ve ever fought a duel with a deadly weapon, you can forget about running for office, that would be illegal…as would entering a mine in Wyoming should you be intoxicated. And, if you’re under the age of 18 in the State […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Atlanta Bricks
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 […]
