Marietta’s William Root House Museum named institution of the year

This room in the historic William Root House Museum in Marietta, Georgia, depicts life in the 1850s, including with a touchscreen tour. Cobb Landmarks

Credit: Cobb Landmarks

Credit: Cobb Landmarks

This room in the historic William Root House Museum in Marietta, Georgia, depicts life in the 1850s, including with a touchscreen tour. Cobb Landmarks

The Georgia Association of Museums named the William Root House Museum in Marietta its institution of the year for the museum’s importance as a cultural resource in the community.

Cobb Landmarks owns and operates the museum to present life for the Root family and their enslaved servants during the 1850s, the organization’s press release says.

The museum incorporated a touchscreen tour a few years ago, guiding visitors through the property and providing more information on the lives of the family members and enslaved people who lived there.

A sculpture outside a cabin at the William Root House Museum in Marietta, Georgia, depicts the life of enslaved people in the 1850s. Cobb Landmarks

Credit: Cobb Landmarks

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Credit: Cobb Landmarks

“The museum experience we have crafted at the Root House is vitally important, and I am very happy to see that the groundbreaking efforts of Root House volunteers, trustees, and staff have been recognized in this way,” Trevor Beemon, Cobb Landmark’s executive director, said in the press release.

Last year, the association recognized the museum for its use of touchscreen technology and representation of the enslaved person’s experience.

One of the oldest homes in the metro Atlanta area, the Root house was built in 1845 for William and Hannah Root. In the 1980s, when the house was slated for demolition, Cobb Landmarks purchased the home and restored it to its 1845 appearance, according to its website.