INSIDER GUIDE: Historical Sites

By Brian O'Shea, bposhea@ajc.com

Brian O'Shea is a native Atlantan who dabbles in local history and historic preservation. He is a manager for AJC.com.
Although Georgia was one of the original 13 American colonies, Atlanta is a relatively new city, dating to just before the Civil War. But the region's story dates back to pre-European history during the era of the Native Americans. Here are some must-see spots to learn about Atlanta's past:

Atlanta History Center
130 W. Paces Ferry Road N.W., Atlanta. 404-814-4000, www.atlantahistorycenter.com
Atlanta's history museum is a one-stop history lesson. Here you can learn about Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, the Civil War, Martin Luther King Jr., and more. The museum contains four major sections: the Civil War, a time capsule of Atlanta through the decades, a folk art gallery and a tribute to golf legend Bobby Jones. The museum also offers tours of the Swan Coach House, a 1928 Georgian mansion-turned-gallery, and the 1845 Tullie Smith Farm plantation home, originally located near what is now Executive Park. In addition, there are gardens, woodlands
and nature trails and a research archive.

The Wren's Nest House Museum
1050 Ralph David Abernathy Blvd. S.E., Atlanta. 404-753-7735, http://www.cr.nps.gov/nr/travel/atlanta/har.htm
The restored Queen Anne Victorian home of Joel Chandler Harris, author of the "Uncle Remus" stories, is located in historic West End, one of Atlanta's original street-car suburbs. The home includes original furnishings and light fixtures that were designed for both gas and electricity. (Harris thought electricity wouldn't last.) Harris lived here from 1881 until he died in 1908. Tours are available Tuesdays through Saturdays. Storytelling programs are offered on select Saturdays and special occasions. $7; $6 teens and senior citizens; $4 12 and younger.

Margaret Mitchell House
990 Peachtree St. N.E., Atlanta. 404-249-7015, www.gwtw.org
This is the restored dwelling where the novel "Gone With the Wind" was written and a museum that showcases elements of the 1939 movie. Mitchell, who made her living as a newspaper reporter, referred to her apartment home as "The Dump." 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. $12; $9 students; $5 ages 6-17; age 5 and younger free.

Martin Luther King Jr. Historic District
Visitor Center, 450 Auburn Ave. N.E., Atlanta. 404-331-5190, www.nps.gov/malu
This site, maintained by the National Parks Service, includes a number of locations that were pivotal in the life of the civil rights leader and in the Civil Rights Movement in Atlanta. Tours are available of the house where King was born. Also Ebenezer Baptist Church and the King Center. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. 404-331-5190. Free; donations accepted.

Herndon Home
587 University Place N.W., Atlanta. 404-581-9813, www.herndonhome.org
The residence of Alonzo Franklin Herndon, Atlanta's first black millionaire, is a museum reflecting the Herndon family's lives during much of the 20th century. Herndon rose from slavery to become a successful businessman, first as a barber on Peachtree Street and later as the founder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company. Tours are offered Tuesdays-Saturdays. $5; $3 students.

Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
441 Freedom Parkway N.E. Atlanta. 404-865-7100, www.jimmycarterlibrary.org
This museum is all about the son of a south Georgia peanut farmer who became governor and then president. The library and museum include Carter memorabilia and a replica of the Oval Office. 9 a.m.-4:45 p.m. Mondays-Satur-
days; noon-4:45 p.m. Sundays. $7; $5 seniors, military and students with valid ID; under 16 free.

Bulloch Hall
180 Bulloch Ave., Roswell. 770-992-1731, www.bullochhall.org
The circa 1840 home of Theodore Roosevelt's mother and Eleanor Roosevelt's grandmother, Mittie Bulloch, serves as a cultural center with photographs and documents from the Bulloch and Roosevelt families, plus gardens. Guided tours offered daily. $6; $4 ages 6-16.

Piedmont Park
Entrances are on Piedmont Avenue, 10th Street and Monroe Drive. 404-875-7275, http://www.piedmontpark.org/
It may be just a park, but over the years history has happened there, including the second football game ever played in the South. Visitors from around the world arrived there for the Cotton States and International Exposition of 1895, where President Grover Cleveland presided over the opening and Booker T. Washington made his famous Atlanta Compromise speech. On May 13, 1976, the park was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Hours: 6 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.

Rhodes Hall
1516 Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-885-7800, www.rhodeshall.org
This historic mansion on Peachtree Street in Midtown houses the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. Built in 1904 for Atlanta businessman Amos G. Rhodes and reflecting his admiration of German castles along the Rhine River, the building features parquet floors, ornate woodwork and stained-glass windows -- not to mention an exterior of Stone Mountain granite. When this house was built, its location was on the edge of town. Tours are available Sundays-Fridays. $5. 1516 Peachtree St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-885-7800, www.rhodeshall.org.

Downtown Atlanta Walking Tours
404-688-3353, www.preserveatlanta.com
If you want a sense of how Atlanta has developed, the downtown walking tour by the Atlanta Preservation Center is a good way to see this growth through the office towers the city has built downtown. Included are the Flatiron Building and the Candler Building. You'll also learn about the site of the Loew's Grand, where "Gone With the Wind" premiered. (The address is now occupied by a large modern office tower.) The Atlanta Preservation Center also offers tours of Ansley Park; Fox Theatre; Grant Park; Inman Park; Miss Daisy's Druid Hills; and Sweet Auburn/MLK District. Special tours on request. Tours canceled in bad weather, except Fox Theatre. Call for schedule. $10; $5 senior citizens and students.

Underground Atlanta
50 Upper Alabama Street, Atlanta. 404-523-2311, www.underground-atlanta.com
Sure it's a shopping and entertainment complex, but this six-block area under the heart of downtown Atlanta is a great place to learn about Atlanta's roots as a railroad town. Nestled between a historic freight depot and the Five Points MARTA station, Underground includes one of the city's oldest gas street lamps, an original Coca-Cola building sign, photos and historic markers. Open daily.