THE ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER TURNS 100 AND UNVEILS ITS MOST COMPELLING ARTIFACTS.
The Atlanta History Center is marking its 100th birthday with a series of new exhibitions, and one of them, Atlanta in 100 Objects, is built around one deceptively simple premise: 100 objects tell the full story of the city. The exhibit draws from archival collections and invites visitors to explore artifacts that trace the city’s evolution over the past century. Curators spent months combing through the collection and weighing thousands of candidates before landing on the final 100, a process that reflects just how rich and layered the city’s history truly is. Vice President for Collections and Exhibitions Michael Rose says, “We hope that visitors will encounter a piece of Atlanta’s history that they’ve never seen before, and they’re taken by surprise.”
The complete exhibit is a sweeping and eclectic mix, and it spans the entire Buckhead campus as well as the Margaret Mitchell House in Midtown. “Unlike most of our other exhibits, where you walk into a gallery, and you see the whole thing, this one is spread throughout the Atlanta History Center,” Rose says. Among the highlights are the first map of Atlanta used during General Sherman’s 1864 Civil War siege and 1950s couture gowns by Atlantanative and fashion designer Ann Moore. The Swan House, the center’s historic estate, is also on the list; it’s considered a single object in its entirety.
One of the most meaningful inclusions is a collection of annual academic bulletins spanning 1887 to 1927 from Spelman Seminary, now Spelman College. They were among the first items donated to the center after its founding. The Zero Milepost, the marker that designated Atlanta as the terminus of the Western & Atlantic railroad and a major transportation hub, also stands out as a significant piece in the exhibit. “That is as basic to Atlanta as you can possibly get,” Rose says. Several items are also making their debut, having never been displayed before, including Victorian period dresses specifically positioned to highlight the bustles, and 1920s house plan books by Leila Ross Wilburn, one of the first female architects licensed in Georgia.
atlantahistorycenter.com/atlanta-in-100-objects
@atlantahistorycenter
