Atlanta History Center
The Atlanta History Center is located in the Buckhead section of Atlanta on 33 acres of green space. The Center comprises multiple locations: The Museum, multiple gardens that make up the green space of the center, the Swan House, Smith Family Farm, Wood Family Cabin, and the Margaret Mitchell House, all located in midtown Atlanta. You will need more than an afternoon to see it all. The Center is the largest holder of Civil War artifacts in the country.
Swan House
I began with a short walk through the gardens just behind the main Center building. There are many trails here, and ample signage leads you to your destination. The Swan House is a magnificent 19th-century home owned by the Inman family.
Designed by Phillip Shutze, the home was completed in 1928. Edward and Emily Inman used the house largely for entertaining. Mr. Inman was heir to the largest cotton brokerage fortune in Georgia. Edward died in 1931, but Emily and the family continued living there until 1965. In 1966, the residence was acquired by the Atlanta Historical Society.
The mansion holds a great number of original furnishings, many of which were collected by Emily during her travels. The centerpiece of the home is the grand main staircase. The rooms throughout the home are large and airy.
During your tour of the house, you might just run into some of the characters that inhabited and worked in the mansion. No, not ghosts, just actors that tell the story of the home.
Cyclorama
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Cyclorama -
Cyclorama
The Cyclorama is the centerpiece of the History Museum’s collection. One of only two cycloramas left in the U.S., it is an intriguing look at the Battle of Atlanta and Civil War history.
The painting is hung in a cone shape and weighted at the bottom, giving the effect that the scene goes on forever. It is 370 long and 50 feet high. The viewing platform puts you at eye level with the battle scene. Cycloramas were popular in the late 1880s. It was the IMAX of its time. There are a number of cycloramas on display in Europe.
Commissioned by General “Blackjack” Logan to celebrate the Union’s victory in Atlanta on July 22, 1864, the Battle of Atlanta debuted in 1886. It was painted by seventeen German artists in Milwaukee. Logan is the largest figure in the piece.
After touring many cities in the Northeast, the painting was purchased by Georgia promoter Paul Atkinson and moved to Chattanooga. He also changed the artwork to reflect the battle as a victory for the Confederacy. He marketed the painting as the “only Confederate victory ever painted.” That was not as it was originally intended.
The City of Atlanta has housed the painting at Grant Park since 1893. In 1934, Wilbur Kurtz was hired to restore the painting and added the diorama figures in 1936. In 1979, Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson decided to save the painting. By 2011, the painting was in disrepair and on the verge of destruction, but by 2013, some of Atlanta’s wealthy citizens had united to raise funds to save the Civil War artifact.
German artisans were again hired to restore the painting to its glory. Some 200 individuals worked to give the work life again. The 132-year-old restored Battle of Atlanta was opened on February 22, 2019, at the History Center.
The Battle of Atlanta is a unique piece of history to see. You begin with a short film that explains the artifact’s history. After the presentation, visitors are then welcome to view the painting from the viewing platform or from below on the entry level. The presenters guide you through a hide-and-seek game of finding Waldo, and it is remarkable how minute details are found within the canvas.
In 1939, Mayor Hartsfield viewed the Battle of Atlanta with the cast of Gone with the Wind, who were in Atlanta for the film’s premiere. Clark Gable was said to have remarked that the only way to make the painting more magnificent was to put him in it. Mayor Hartsfield did just that and had Gable’s likeness placed on the face of a dead Yankee. Do not miss this unique Civil War artifact at the History Center.
The Texas
Alongside the Cyclorama exhibit is a locomotive, the Texas. Texas was also displayed in Grant Park, where the Cyclorama had been housed for a great many years in Atlanta. Before its present installation, it underwent a full restoration. It is a striking machine. In fact, it was rolled in through the back wall of the building just as construction was being completed.
Texas was built in 1856 and is an important link to Atlanta’s origins. The locomotive served for 51 years, contributing to Atlanta’s rise to become a railroad center. On display, just in front of Texas is the Zero Mile Post. Installed in the 1850s to mark the end of the Western & Atlantic Southern line, this is one of Atlanta’s most significant artifacts. These mileposts were used to let railroad crews know their position along a given route.
The Texas underwent a major upgrade in 1886 when many of its major parts were replaced. It is fitting that the restoration used this date as its hallmark because it was the year the cyclorama was painted. It is fitting that the Texas and the Cyclorama continue to be displayed together as they have since 1927.
Turning Point, the American Civil War
Turning Point conveys the story of the Civil War that divided the country. Here, you will walk through time with some 1,500 original Union and Confederate Civil War artifacts as your guide. Throughout the exhibit, you come to understand the hardships and terrors of the war. The 1864 Battle of Atlanta was a turning point in the war. The surrender of the city to General Sherman would ultimately lead to the end of the end of the war.
Gatherround: Stories of Atlanta
This exhibit is a fascinating look at the history of Atlanta through the memories of its citizens. Through their individual stories and artifacts displayed, they retell poignant, personal, and important points about Atlanta’s past.
Fair Play: The Bobby Jones Story
Atlanta’s own Bobby Jones was a lawyer by profession and one of the most influential golfers of his time. He was the first golfer to win the Grand Slam, four major tournaments in one year, in 1930. After his retirement from the sport in 1948, he founded Augusta National Golf Course and co-founded the home of the Master’s Tournament. He was also known for attention to the rules of the sport and his dedication to fair play.
There is much more to see at the Atlanta History Center. Be sure to put this on your must-see list. At AHC, you can see it all!
