Stories

The 37th Annual Swan House Ball brings together some of Atlanta’s most outstanding business, social, and community leaders for a night of fun, fashion, fellowship, and philanthropy at Atlanta History Center. Over the years, the ball has included a revolutionary roster of women, both past and present. From philanthropists and CEOs to first ladies and founders, Atlanta’s history is incomplete without honoring some of the defining women who have elevated the city. 

In 1912, Five Black people were arrested for sexually assaulting and murdering a white woman in Forsyth County. One of the five was lynched and the others received unjust trials. These events led white residents of Forsyth to force more than 1,000 Black residents to leave the county, creating the environment for a county that retains a majority –white population.

On December 24, thermometers dipped to 8 degrees Fahrenheit, the coldest temperature seen in our area since 2014. Damages to the gardens in the metro area as a result of this polar plunge are now fully manifesting, and Goizueta Gardens is no exception. All this carnage certainly brings a tear to every gardener’s eye but not everything is dead! Though it may seem that way initially.

From Black professionals to the work of minority contractors, Atlanta History Center celebrates African American contributions to the establishment and growth of the institution.

What began as a fun idea to mark the return of in-person holiday celebrations on the heels of the pandemic, quickly turned into an institution-wide desire to create an entire experience and annual tradition to usher in the holiday season. What does it take to put together a community event of this magnitude? The holiday spirit and a massive undertaking.

From inventors to innovators, many remarkable Black Georgians have played a key role in changing the course of history through their pioneering work in science and technology. These brilliant minds have overcome obstacles and discrimination to make important contributions to society.

Looking back on the past ten years with Atlanta History Center’s Gulf Coast sheep.

Although it may seem there is little to see in a winter garden, Olguita’s Garden will show you otherwise.

Recognizing that digital adaptation is critical for the non-profit cultural sector to fulfill its full potential, the Digital Accelerator Program will provide $43 million to help arts organizations invest in strategic improvements to their technology infrastructure. Acceptance into this program will allow us to consolidate our library, archives, and museum collections databases into a single, federated search experience available on our website.

The Economist reviews Atlanta History Center’s new documentary Monument: The Untold Story of Stone Mountain, calling the film “powerful.”

The experiences of soldiers during wartime are frequently chronicled in newspapers, books, television, documentaries, movies and exhibits. What is less visible and often harder to uncover are the untold stories of the women and children who remain at home during a major war, and the loss, pain, and challenges they endure.

In September 1906, a white mob brutalized and terrorized Atlanta’s Black residents, resulting in the deaths of 25 Black Atlantans, the wounding of hundreds of Blacks, and the destruction of many Black businesses and homes. This period of racial violence has been passed down in history as a race “riot,” but “massacre” may be a more apt term.

The Christian Methodist Episcopal, founded in 1870 in Jackson, Tennessee, was the first Protestant African American denomination established in the South. With more than 330 CME churches in Georgia alone, it has become one of the premier Christian denominations for African American worship and religious life.   

The Birth of a Nation’s success and wide distribution increased national interest in the post-Civil War Klan. In Atlanta, the film served as an inspiration and a guide for the leaders of two early 20th-century Atlanta organizations with close connections to Stone Mountain—the modern Ku Klux Klan and the United Daughters of the Confederacy.