Q: I’ve heard Georgia is a big producer of something called the three P’s. What are the three P’s and what is Georgia’s connection with them?
A: Georgia is nuts over pecans and peanuts and loves its peaches. The state is one of the nation's top producers of those three crops, which are vital to Georgia from both an agricultural and economic standpoint. Georgia leads the nation in pecan production and the area surrounding Albany and Dougherty County is called the pecan capital of the world because of the huge amount of pecan trees in the area. And we're just beginning to crack the shell. Georgia produces about 49 percent of the nation's peanuts, which has meant about 1.8 million tons of peanuts a year until recently. Most come from the South Georgia counties of Decatur, Worth, Early, Miller, Dooly, Baker, Seminole, Calhoun, Colquitt and Irwin, according to the Georgia Peanut Commission. Jimmy Carter was a peanut farmer before being elected president. Even though Georgia is known as the Peach State, it's usually behind California and South Carolina in peach production, although most Georgians will argue that their peaches are the sweetest, especially those folks who live in Peach County, which was created in 1924 and named for the area's tasty and juicy crop.
Q: What is the history behind Mary Mac’s Tea Room? Why is it called a Tea Room when it serves Southern food?
A: Mary McKenzie wanted to open a restaurant in 1945, but women then just didn't open restaurants, so she called it Mary Mac's Tea Room, which was a "more genteel Southern" way of naming it, according to the restaurant's website. So Mary Mac's was born on Ponce de Leon Avenue in Atlanta. Margaret Lupo bought the restaurant in the early 1960s and grew it, eventually buying the adjacent property and expanding the building. She sold Mary Mac's to John Ferrell in 1994, and it remains one of Atlanta's top places to indulge in Southern cooking, especially fried chicken and its famous mac-n-cheese.
Q: I know Atlanta hasn’t always been the capital of Georgia. What are the other cities that have been the capital of Georgia?
A: As Georgia's population has shifted westward, so has its capitals. Of course, Savannah was the first town to be honored as the state capital, but in 1786, the capital was moved to Augusta. That didn't last long and Louisville took its place in 1796, complete with a red brick Georgian-style building. By 1807, a new castle-like statehouse had been built in Milledgeville, which remained the capital until 1868, when it was moved again, this time to Atlanta. Ebenezer served as a temporary capital during the Revolution and Macon was home to the legislature in 1865, after Union forces occupied Milledgeville.
What do you want to know about Georgia?
If you’re new in town or have questions about this special place we call home, ask us! E-mail Andy Johnston at q&a@ajc.com.
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