Q: I was taught that Georgia was made up of debtors and criminals, and that its boundaries extended from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Are those myths perpetuated by social studies teachers, or are they actual facts?
--Andy Frame, Jackson, Miss.
A: Historians say Gen. James Oglethorpe thought he could lessen the load of England's overburdened jails by starting a new colony with those imprisoned for failing to pay their debts. In turn, the debtors, who would receive land in the new world, would gain a new start. King George II didn't care so much about the plight of the prisoners as he did about finding a way to defend England's wealthy colonies in the Carolinas from the Spanish in Florida, so he gave the go ahead. Oglethorpe landed on Feb. 12, 1733, and founded Savannah in time to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Just kidding about that last part. Debtors didn't make up the full contingent of Oglethorpe's party, with some historians saying that as few as 10 percent were former prisoners. If you think it takes forever to drive through the state now, you should have seen it then. The king's original charter granted Georgia "all those lands, Countries and Territories" between the Savannah and Altamaha rivers, extending west "to the South Seas" (Pacific Ocean). The treaty that ended the French and Indian War stopped Georgia's western boundary at the Mississippi River.
Q: What's the history of the former concert venue called the Atlanta Sports Arena?
--Ben Hines, Alpharetta
A:It's been tough to pin down info on this old facility, which hosted everything from pro wrestling and basketball to dances and concerts from the 1930s through the '70s. Rich Tate, who runs georgiawrestlinghistory.com, provided some history of the building, which was just east of downtown at 310 Chester Ave. L.C. "Pop" Warren was an early owner and he promoted wrestling at the Atlanta Municipal Auditorium and at what was then called Warren Arena. He later owned the Atlanta Sports Arena Blues, a women's basketball team that played at the 3,600-seat arena and won the AAU world title in 1947. He helped pay the team's bills, which included flying on their own airplane, by holding square dances there. Pro wrestling was the main event at the arena in the 1940s and early '50s, and Elvis Presley performed there in 1955. Wrestling promoter Paul Jones bought the arena in the '60s and renamed it Paul Jones Arena. The Grateful Dead and the Allman Brothers played there in '70 and pro wrestling was finally counted out in '74.
What do you want to know?
If you’re new in town or just have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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