It didn’t take me long to realize why it’s the Atlanta History Center and not the Atlanta Museum of History. Its sprawling size and the depth of some of its core collections and the way they are presented make it kind of a Swiss Army knife of museums. A number of its sections could be free-standing museums on their own.
That’s true for the famed Atlanta Cyclorama and other exhibits that grapple with Atlanta’s Civil War and civil rights histories and conflicts with Native Americans, and also its in-depth study of folk art and its place in culture generally and Georgia’s history in particular. Popular culture topics get a look, too, including local golf traditions, and, of course, baseball great Hank Aaron.
But one of the major exhibits, right at the entrance, is focused on Atlanta itself, and the stories of people who live and have lived there. Under the general title ‘Gatheround: Stories of Atlanta’ it’s a wonderful walk-through touching on nostalgia, tragedy, progress and more, all with a focus on what it was like to live with those things and times.
There’s no way you can think of Atlanta without Coca Cola popping up somewhere…
We’ve all heard of carpetbaggers—but here’s an actual carpetbag of the post-Civil War era. It’s not just an object: It’s a link to Martha Sever, a volunteer U.S. army nurse from Massachusetts who died of influenza in 1864, the only woman from Massachusetts to die on duty in the war.
The exhibits don’t shy away from the bad moments, either; labels and objects describe post-Civil War racism and violence, including a 1906 race massacre in 1906 and the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, both after the Civil War and World War I.
But there’s also room for moments of civic pride, including the building of the ornate Fox Theatre, originally built as a Shriner temple. An elaborate aisle end is on display, as well as a Key to the City presented in 1959 to a man selected as the city’s one-millionth resident. He also got a new Ford Falcon and a year’s supply of Redfern sausage.
Sports pop up here and there in Gatheround, including this Hank Aaron button and a scorecard from a Braves game (apparently an away game in Cincinnati) and displays of changing styles in acceptable swimwear
Politics has its place, and in Atlanta that has often involved sharp conflicts between long-standing segregation rules and rulers, and African-American struggles for civil rights. Voting and schools were often the issues at the core. The events were not always political: they also at times involved violence against churches and synagogues.
Sections of the exhibit are devoted to Atlanta’s Black institutions, including church and social organizations.
Music gets a spotlight as well. Atlanta has been a center for many kinds of music, including early country music, folk music and blues.
Some of us are old enough to remember when diners often had a jukebox link at every table…
Outside its main building, the Atlanta History Center is spread over 33 acres, with beautiful gardens and woods, a historic mansion, a small playhouse and more.
For more TravelGumbo articles on Atlanta History Center exhibits, click HERE
