Atlanta Stories
Most people don’t know Atlanta. The modern high-rises might be the first thing you see, but the path from trail to train to world class city encompasses stories that run deep, reach far and have long lasting consequences. We’re telling those stories. From the early transplants who largely arrived by trains to modern arrivals, Atlanta has been a crossroads that offered opportunity for all kinds of people. In our walks we look to tell the stories of the diverse range of people who found opportunity in this big southern city and its southern traditions.
As historians that love Atlanta, we enjoy spending our time finding out about the people and events that built Atlanta and the impact on us today. History Afoot Atlanta is a walking tour delivered by historians showcasing what exists now, what came before, and how the two come together.
Whitehall Street
In 1835 Charner Humphries would build the Whitehall tavern along a stagecoach route caring for weary travelers. It would grow into a street dedicated to commerce in the new city. The city was called Marthasville, but by 1845 that would change to Atlanta. The street survived the Civil War but just barely. It’s reported that only one small block was left standing. Later, a large portion of Whitehall would be renamed Peachtree extending the existing Peachtree Street.
For more information check out “Atlanta and Its Environs” by Franklin M. Garrett.
The Union of Captain John Miller and Thomas Brady
In 1881 these two men of the South began a partnership that we can still see hints of today. The Miller & Brady firm sold feed, kept stables, and sold horses and mules. When Captain Miller died Brady purchased property around Marietta St. and Howell Mill Rd. and continued to grow the business. Atlanta became the second-largest mule market outside St Louis. As satisfying as it was to be the second-largest mule market, it did have some downsides. The now-named Brady Union Stockyards often ran “mule parades” driving the animals down the streets of Atlanta from their location in south Atlanta around Loyd Street, now Central Av, near the train station to north Atlanta around today’s Brady Ave. The fine people of Atlanta and their vehicles would often find themselves pushed off the streets to make way for the crush of animals moving through the city center. Eventually, it was decided this was not the look of the sophisticated, cosmopolitan city Atlanta was trying to promote. The “parades” of livestock had to be curtailed. As I write, I am curious about the aftermath of one of these animal drives through the city. The smell, manure, and damage had to be of note and possibly extensive. In spite of this, the area around what is now Brady and 10th thrived. A Hotel Florence was built to house the workers and stock owners. When Brady left Atlanta in 1905, the new owners renamed the business Miller Union Stockyards. Today a restaurant of that name can be found, but thankfully (or sadly) the mules are gone.
For more information check out “Atlanta and Its Environs” by Franklin M. Garrett.
Five Points
Five Points is where things come together. Intersecting here are Marietta Street, Edgewood Avenue, Decatur Street and Peachtree. But this confluence has brought together more than streets. There have been parades, protests and one particularly delicious drink. In 1887 Jacob’s Drug Store was serving Coca Cola as a headache tonic. A customer ask for the syrup to be mixed with water, as was typical. The soda fountain operator, Willis E. Venable had soda water close by and put that in instead. The rest is bubbly history.
For more information check out “Atlanta and Its Environs” by Franklin M. Garrett and “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Sandage