Q: Who is Booth of the Booth Western Art Museum in Cartersville? Why did Booth start a museum devoted to western art and U.S. presidents?
—Bob Harbort, Atlanta
A: A group of anonymous donors in Cartersville weren't horsing around in 2000, when they decided to start Booth Western Art Museum. Their money paid to build a facility, which houses collections of Western and Civil War art, as well as presidential letters and photographs they managed to corral. The museum's namesake is Atlanta businessman Sam Booth, who mentored several of the founding board members but was not a founder. That group desired to provide an opportunity for north Georgia children and adults who might not have previously visited an art museum. They caused a stampede of interest because more than 300,000 people have visited Booth Western Art Museum since it opened in 2003.
Q: What is Chieftains Museum/Major Ridge Home in Rome all about?
A: One of the state's many unique museums – and only one of 45 National Historic Landmarks in Georgia – includes this spot focused on Cherokee history and culture. The Major Ridge Home, which was the home of Cherokee leader Major Ridge and his family, became a museum in 1971. It's on the National Park Services' Trail of Tears National Historic Trail, and a Trail of Tears exhibit is running there through June. In 1814, Major Ridge's troops helped defeat the Creeks at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend, and that's when Gen. Andrew Jackson awarded him the rank of major. When the Georgia legislature in the 1830s declared Cherokee laws null and void, the home was given to a white widow named Rachel Ferguson, but she chose not to settle on her new property before the Cherokee were removed. Major Ridge was among the Cherokee who in 1835 signed the Treaty of New Echota, which sold Cherokee land to the U.S. in exchange for land in what became Oklahoma, but other Cherokee considered the treaty illegal. Ridge and his family moved to the Oklahoma Territory in 1837. Major Ridge was killed by other Cherokee in June 1839.
Q: What happened in Rockdale County in 1996 that was featured on PBS’ “Frontline”?
A: A syphilis outbreak among more than 200 teens in Conyers was the focus of a documentary titled "The Lost Children of Rockdale County." The PBS report started out examining teen sexual promiscuity and how the disease was spread, but ended up focusing on the teens' relationships with their parents and each other.
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 Lori Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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