Bringing learning to life

The Atlanta History Center offers visitors a diverse view

BY JENNIFER J. HEWETT

Want a glimpse into what’s made Atlanta what it is today, or a chance to step back in time to see what life was like before the city became the cultural hub of the South? Either way, exciting things are taking place on the Atlanta History Center’s campus.

The Atlanta History Center began in 1926 as the Atlanta Historical Society and has transformed into a history museum and so much more. Located in the Buckhead district of Atlanta, the history center’s 33-acre complex houses one of the Southeast’s largest museums chronicling Southern life; the Tullie Smith Farm and the Swan House; more than 30 acres of gardens; the Kenan Research Center; as well as the Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, the birthplace of the novel, “Gone With the Wind,” located in midtown.

Newly opened in 2006, the history center’s 27,500-square-foot Fentener van Vlissingen Wing allows for expansion of the museum’s 40,000-piece permanent collection as well as a place for traveling exhibits.

The Centennial Olympic Games Museum, part of the museum’s permanent space in this wing, opened on the 10th anniversary of the 1996 Olympics coming to Atlanta. The exhibit chronicles how Atlanta won the Olympic bid, ways the games changed the city and a day-by-day look at the 17 historic days, along with the legacy the games left behind.

Visitors can test their strength and skill throughout the exhibit in the Sports Lab, while biking, rowing or leaping their way to victory, or through the interactive trivia stations that test knowledge of Olympic history and track scores as you compete against others. At the end, check out your totals and step onto the winner’s platform—the same one Andre Agassi stood on at Stone Mountain to accept his gold medal in tennis in 1996.

An impressive array of historic Olympic torches is one of the exhibit’s many highlights. And on display, of course, is a large variety of memorabilia surrounding the games, including thimbles, Swatch watches, clothing and trading pins, as well as some offbeat items such as officially licensed bottles of three-pepper, lemon hot sauce, complete with the Atlanta Olympic logo.

Wrapping up its stay this month is the first of many traveling exhibits in the new wing. The “I Have A Dream: The Morehouse College Martin Luther King Jr. Collection” exhibit offers a glimpse into Dr. King’s historic speeches, notes, books and photos. Selected from among the 7,000-item collection procured last June by Morehouse College in Atlanta, the exhibit runs through May 13.

“It is only fitting that the King collection return to his birthplace and be available for Atlantans and visitors to view this monumental collection,” says Jim Bruns, president and CEO of the Atlanta History Center.

In the exhibit, stop to read King’s words and hear his message of nonviolent social change—words that made a lasting impression on his generation and those afterward. Among the displays is King’s extensive collection of note cards containing important anecdotes, quotes, Bible verses and literary passages he would draw from when writing a speech.

Opening July 4 in this space is “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World,” a blockbuster exhibit on one of our country’s founding fathers who was a printer, activist, statesman, scientist, ambassador and author. Featuring items such as Franklin’s printing press, bifocals, armonica, his 1790 anti-slavery petition and his draft copy of the Declaration of Independence, many artifacts have never been on display outside of Philadelphia. With 40 interactive displays and more than 250 artifacts, the exhibit runs through Oct. 15 and will feature special events, lectures and kids’ day camps.

Future traveling exhibits slated for this space include baseball memorabilia from Cooperstown’s Baseball Hall of Fame, and an exhibit on Abraham Lincoln including the bullet that killed him.

Be sure to tour the museum’s other signature exhibits, available year-round. Among the diverse collections are “Metropolitan Frontiers,” a look at early settlers of the region through Atlanta’s growth into a metropolis; “Turning Point: The American Civil War,” the largest Civil War exhibit in the Southeast; “Down the Fairway with Bobby Jones,” interactive exhibits and memorabilia telling the story of golf legend Bobby Jones and the development of golf as one of the nation’s best-loved sports; “Shaping Traditions: Folk Arts in a Changing South,” preserving local handicrafts like baskets, quilts and pottery, as well as the oral history, stories and songs passed down; and “Philip Trammel Shutze: Atlanta Classicist, Connoiseur and Collector,” showcasing this architect’s collection of ceramics, silver and other decorative arts.

Visitors interested in researching genealogy, Atlanta’s history or Southern culture can do so among the vast collection of documents and photos held at the Kenan Research Center.

A jewel in the history center’s crown, the Swan House, built by Shutze in 1928 for Edward and Emily Inman, showcases the grandeur of early 20th-century living. Though Emily’s fondness for swans led to the bird’s incorporation into architectural details and furnishings of the home, the house was not officially known as the “Swan House” until later. A noted businessman, Inman was the city’s first Cadillac dealer and lived here with his family three years before his death at age 49. The family remained in the house until Emily’s death in 1965, and in ’66, the Atlanta Historical Society acquired the house and all estate possessions.

Undergoing a $5.4 million renovation three years ago, the intricate millwork, unique plaster moldings, free-floating staircase and beautiful black-and-white Italianate floor design—now the logo for the history center—remain impressive.

To step further back in time, visit the 1845 Tullie Smith Farm and get an up-close look at a working farm in the 1860s with the help of costumed docents who run a blacksmith shop, cook on an open hearth, preserve food in a smokehouse and care for the animals. A favorite of the many school groups that tour the grounds each year, the farm is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

While outside, be sure to stroll through the 30-plus acres of on-site gardens. It’s blooming time for the center’s rhododendron garden, alive with spring colors. But don’t miss a stop by the Quarry Garden to learn about 300 native plant species that were here long before Georgia was settled, including the Franklinia tree, which no longer grows in the wild.

After touring, you’re bound to be hungry. Head up to the Swan Coach House for Southern specialties—chicken salad or crab cakes and a French Silk Swan, a swan-shaped meringue filled with chocolate mousse—or grab a quick bite from another Georgia favorite eatery, Chick-fil-A, at the Coca-Cola Cafe.

Special programs held throughout the year help give a more in-depth view of Southern culture.

May’s events include the Folk Pottery Festival: Made From Mud, May 19, where area potters showcase wares and demonstrate how pottery is made, and the World War II Remembrance Day, May 28, with living history interpreters in period dress honoring contributions of the Allied Forces; both are free to the public.

Whether it’s through the many hands-on exhibits, presentations by living history interpreters, in-depth special programs or summer history camps, the Atlanta History Center makes learning about Southern culture come alive for visitors young and old.

—Jennifer J. Hewett is an associate editor at Georgia Magazine.

Details

Atlanta History Center, 130 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW, Atlanta 30305; (404) 814-4000; www.atlantahistorycenter.com.

General admission

Includes the Atlanta History Museum, Centennial Olympic Games Museum, historic gardens and tours of the Swan House and Tullie Smith Farm. $15 for adults, $12 for seniors and students, $10 for youths ages 4 to 12, and free for members and children under 3.

Special deals

• Admission to the King exhibit is free the first weekend of May and every Monday.

• AT&T Family Saturdays offers free admission to youth under 18 accompanied by a paying adult: July 7,  Aug. 4 and Oct. 6, 2007, and Feb. 2, 2008.

• To see more of the city’s attractions, take advantage of Atlanta’s City Pass, providing admission to six Atlanta venues including the Georgia Aquarium; World of Coca-Cola; the High Museum of Art; Inside CNN Atlanta Studio Tour; Fernbank Museum of Natural History or the Atlanta Botanical Garden; and Zoo Atlanta or the Atlanta History Center. Passes are good for nine days and are $59 for adults and $45 for children. Visit www.citypass.com for more information.