History Makers Call Georgia Home
ATLANTA, May 7, 2009 - Georgia has a long tradition of placing stars on the national and international stages. Drawing on an eclectic mix of personalities, professions and communities, Georgia has produced many famous Americans. U.S. presidents, musicians, literary masters and civil rights leaders have all left their mark on the world after being shaped and influenced by Georgia. Explore these famous Georgians and the sites associated with them and see where history is made.
With intimate ties to three U.S. presidents, Georgia has played a unique role in shaping our nation. President Jimmy Carter is well known for his actions on the national and international stages, but he is also remembered in Georgia as a young, forward-thinking Governor. Today, families can take a trip to Jimmy Carter's boyhood farm in Plains for an educational journey to another time. Restored to the 1930's time period, it documents the childhood and life of America's 39th president through exhibits, videos and buildings. Open to the public daily, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta includes photos and memorabilia from Carter's presidency, an exact replica of the Oval Office, gifts received by the Carters while in the White House, and permanent exhibits of significant events during his life with timeless photographs and insightful interpretation.
One of America's most-loved leaders of all time, Franklin D. Roosevelt, also has strong ties to Georgia. In fact, the only house he ever owned was his Little White House in Warm Springs. He built the house while Governor of New York, and would come down to swim in the springs to treat his polio. His experiences here in rural Georgia are thought to have inspired many of his New Deal programs, and he was in Warm Springs when he passed away in 1945. Now a protected historic site preserved much as he left it, Roosevelt's Little White House is home to rare artifacts such as his 1938 Ford convertible with custom hand controls, his stagecoach and the 'Unfinished Portrait' of him that was never completed due to his death.
The 32nd president is also honored by the largest state park in Georgia: Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park. More than 9,000 acres encompass sites such as Dowdell's Knob, Roosevelt's favorite picnic spot, and Pine Mountain, the southernmost edge of the Appalachian Mountain range.
Another famous Georgian was President Woodrow Wilson. Affectionately referred to as 'Tommy,' Wilson spent the formative years of his youth in Augusta. The Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has been designated an official 'Save America's Treasures' site. This National Historic Landmark is where Wilson began his education, first tasted leadership and experienced the hardships of the Civil War and Reconstruction. Take a trip to the home and learn how Wilson's childhood in Georgia affected him as he later served as President of the United States.
Georgia's famous musicians have had a lasting effect on America's musical and cultural traditions. No one can forget names like James Brown, Ray Charles, Otis Redding, the Allman Brothers Band, Alan Jackson, Jennifer Nettles and Emma Kelly. And these names represent only a fraction of the state's diverse musical heritage. Experience part of Georgia's musical legacy by visiting sites like the James Brown Cam in Augusta. Simply find the statue, follow the instructions for dialing a special number on your cell phone, and in just 10 minutes you can download a picture of you standing with The Godfather of Soul. Ray Charles Plaza in Albany, the city where he was born, is a tribute to the performing legend. Part of Albany's Flint River Walk, the plaza includes a rotating bronze statue of Charles , walkways engraved to look like piano keys and the soft music of the man who put Georgia on everyone's mind.
In Statesboro, the Emma Kelly Theater welcomes performers and musicians in memory of the 'Lady of 6,000 Songs.' Rising to international fame in 1994 with a chapter devoted to her in the bestselling book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Miss Emma became a household name, performing everywhere from rural Georgia towns to New York City. All of these performers and even more famous Georgia musicians, such as Christopher 'Ludacris' Bridges, Gladys Knight, Dallas Austin, 'Blind Willie' McTell, and the B-52's, can be found in the Georgia Music Hall of Fame. This 43,000-square-foot museum in Macon houses thousands of artifacts, documents, sound records, costumes, instruments and memorabilia from hundreds of the state's celebrated musicians.
Any consideration of famous Georgians would be incomplete without turning to the literary world. One of the most popular novels of all time, Gone With the Wind, was written in Atlanta by native Georgian Margaret Mitchell. Located on Atlanta's renowned Peachtree Street, the Margaret Mitchell House is a full-blown experience for any Gone With the Wind fan. Discover the apartment where the novel was written, see exhibits detailing Mitchell's life and journey through The Gone With the Wind Movie Museum. The tour will last for an hour or more, and will tell the story of the woman who won both of the United States' highest honors for fiction - the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award.
After learning about the author, make your way to Jonesboro, setting for Gone With the Wind's fictional plantation, Tara. Clayton County and Jonesboro have been designated by the Mitchell Trust and the Georgia State Legislature as the official 'Home of Gone With the Wind.' To honor this tradition, The Road to Tara Museum, located in the 1867 Train Depot in historic Jonesboro, highlights the bestselling book, the blockbuster film it inspired and the area's history as the setting of both.
Flannery O'Connor is another highly-praised Georgia author whose works have continued to win awards and receive praise decades after her passing. She won three O. Henry awards for short fiction, received prestigious grants and fellowships from the National Institute of Arts and Letters, the Kenyon Review and the Ford Foundation and was awarded honorary doctoral degrees by Smith and St. Mary's colleges. She also received a National Book Award (for her collected stories) and a National Book Critics Circle Award (for her collected letters) posthumously. Many of her best works were written and published while she was living at Andalusia, the O'Connor family farm in Milledgeville.
Today, visitors to Andalusia can discover that sense of place that is palpable in many of her works. O'Connor buffs can also visit her childhood home in Savannah. The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home allows visitors to experience part of the great writer's childhood, which is important in understanding her works according to the author herself: 'I think you probably collect most of your experience as a child - when you really had nothing else to do - and then transfer it to other situations when you write.'
One of Flannery O'Connor's greatest admirers, Alice Walker is world-famous Georgia author hailing from Eatonton. She shares her hometown with Joel Chandler Harris, creator of the 'Uncle Remus' character and second in popularity only to Mark Twain at the time of his death. Harris' retelling of African American folktales not only cemented characters like Brer Rabbit into American culture, but also helped to preserve and dispense rich oral traditions. In Eatonton, The Uncle Remus Museum is full of authentic period mementos and articles associated with Harris' lovable character.
Civil rights and black history have deep roots in Georgia, from its founding as a British colony to the present. Born in 1807, Horace King was one of the most respected bridge builders in the Southeast in the middle of the 19th century. Born as a slave of African, European, and Native American ancestry, he gained his freedom in 1846. Local writers and chambers of commerce in the Lower Chattahoochee River Valley still proudly proclaim their Horace King bridges or buildings even when there is little or no real historical evidence to verify many of the claims. King's legendary status stems from several factors, including the fact that he was the best bridge builder in the region, a career that was rare for a man of color at the time. Visitors can see his covered bridges still standing around Columbus, Gay and LaGrange.
Lucy Craft Laney has gone down in history as one of Georgia's most influential educational leaders. After graduating in the first class of Atlanta University, she went on to start a teaching career that would touch homes throughout the state. She started the first kindergarten for black boys and girls in Augusta, as well as the first black nursing school in the city. She grew her institutions into successes, despite having troubles securing funding. In honor of her strength and dedication to the children of Georgia, a portrait of her was commissioned and unveiled in the Georgia State Capitol, and her Augusta home was restored in 1991 and opened as the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History, the only African American Museum in the Central Savannah River Area.
The Roland Hayes Museum in Calhoun honors another black Georgian who broke down barriers, and he rose to international prominence in the process. Roland Hayes was the first African American man to win international fame as a concert performer. Born to former slaves in 1887, his talent was recognized by the president of Fisk University, who invited him to become the lead tenor for the Fisk Jubilee Singers' tour in Boston. With determination he made a name for himself, becoming wildly popular and performing at top venues in cities such as New York, Boston and London. By the 1920s he had become the highest-paid tenor in the world and performed for British royalty, breaking through racial barriers and prejudices with his commanding performances and unrivaled talent.
Georgia's most famous and influential civil rights leader was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Born in Atlanta's 'Sweet Auburn' neighborhood, Dr. King was a figurehead in the community as well as the world, co-pastoring local Ebenezer Baptist Church with his father from 1960 until his death. The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site in the Sweet Auburn district includes several facilities, including the International World Peace Rose Garden, the birth home of the great civil rights leader, historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and The King Center. Everything from exhibits to special events are offered throughout the year so be sure to check the site's calendar before you go. The park even offers visitors a self guided multimedia tour of the site.
Whether politician, musician, author or civil rights leader, all of these Georgians made an indelible mark on the state and the nation. Visiting the sites associated with them is an authentic and educational way to experience history – history that has, at times, changed the world. Visit www.exploregeorgia.org today to plan your next trip.
The Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) is the state's sales and marketing arm, the lead agency for attracting new business investment, encouraging the expansion of existing industry and small businesses, locating new markets for Georgia products, attracting tourists to Georgia, and promoting the state as a location for film, video and music projects, as well as planning and mobilizing state resources for economic development.
Andalusia Farm – http://www.andalusiafarm.org
F.D.R.'s Little White House – http://www.fdr-littlewhitehouse.org
Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park – http://www.gastateparks.org/info/fdr
Georgia Music Hall of Fame – http://www.georgiamusic.org/
James Brown Cam – http://www.augustaarts.com/jamesbrowncam.htm
Jimmy Carter National Historic Site (Boyhood Farm) – http://www.nps.gov/jica
Jimmy Carter Library and Museum – http://www.jimmycarterlibrary.org/
Lucy Craft Laney Museum – http://www.lucycraftlaneymuseum.com/
Margaret Mitchell House – http://www.gwtw.org/
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site – http://www.nps.gov/malu/
Roland Hayes Museum – http://harrisartscenter.com/Events/RolandHayes/tabid/67/Default.aspx
The Boyhood Home of President Woodrow Wilson – http://www.wilsonboyhoodhome.org
The Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home – http://www.flanneryoconnorhome.org
The Road to Tara Museum – http://visitscarlett.com/roadtotaramuseum.html
Uncle Remus Museum – http://www.uncleremus.com/museum.html