All Wright - No Wrongs

One of my favorite movies from the late 1950s is A Summer Place mainly because I like Sandra Dee, and I'm in awe of the scenery. The story is set along the coast of Maine, but was filmed on the Pacific Coast at Carmel-by-the-Sea. 

You know, that place where "Dirty Harry" happened to be the mayor for a bit.

While all of the scenery in the movie is fascinating, one location has always held my attention - the fictional residence for one of the couples. It is referenced in the movie that the home was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and indeed it was!

The home is known as Walker House (photo courtesy of Brooks Walker). It's located on Scenic Road in Carmel-by-the-Sea. It was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1948.

I saw some friends were discussing the movie and the house on Facebook, so I naturally joined in by sharing this particular link to a post written by Mrs. Walker's grandson, Brooks Walker who is also an architect.

The discussion turned to how some of us would love to go on a tour across the United States to see first-hand some of the homes and buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

I think it would be a most interesting trip.

However, it would take time and money, but you have to start somewhere, right?

So, I checked to see if Georgia had any structures attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright.

Sadly, no.

However, it is possible for my first notch in my "Frank Lloyd Wright" belt I won't have to go too far.

Right here in Georgia we do have a home attributed to Frank Lloyd Wright's style.

I found an article at Curbed-Atlanta regarding architect Robert M. Green - one of Frank Lloyd Wright's last apprentices and a Georgia native originally from Savannah. It's a great article with a few pictures of the home.

It's called the Arrowhead House (picture courtesy of Curbed-Atlanta).

The Arrowhead House is located in North Druid Hills. Robert M. Green began designing homes and commercial structures in the Atlanta area in 1960. Arrowhead House was built in 1964 for developer Robert Witcher and was named for the unique shape of the primary structure and the arrow-like appearance the plan had on paper.

The house was on the market as recently as February, 2013...I'm not sure if it's been snapped up yet.

A great Flickr set of Arrowhead House can be found here.

I'm off to find my belt, so I can start making those notches!

Atlanta's Historic Row Houses

My parents periodically had out of state friends visit us, and of course, we always took them to see the sites. In the late 1960s and 70s the sites included the Varsity, a trip to the airport to watch planes take off and land, and we would have been considered poor hosts if we didn't take folks down to Tenth and Fourteenth Streets to gawk at the Hippies.

Apparently, Atlanta has always had certain must-see sites to show out of town guests. I found this quote from a former governor, John M. Slaton who recalled that in the 90s --that would be the 1890s -- one always took visitors to see the state capitol building, Lithia Springs and Baltimore Block.

Well, I can certainly understand the draw of the state capitol especially if they had the two-headed calf on display back then, and since I research and write about Douglas County I can even understand the draw of Lithia Springs in the 1890s. If you don't, then read this, but what about Baltimore Block?

What the heck was that?

Look at this grand mansion in the picture I've posted below (photo courtesy of the Atlanta History Center).

This is the mansion of Calvin W. Hunnicutt. It's a view of his home via a side street that at the time was known as Hunnicutt Avenue.

Makes sense, right?

Hunnicutt's home sat along Spring Street, and he owned various parcels of land including the land along Hunnicutt Avenue.

At the time the area where Hunicutt lived was very fashionable. It was considered the northern end of the city. In fact, Tenth Street was the dropping off point, since anything past Tenth was farmland, and the roads steadily got worse.

In 1885, along came a company by the name of Atlanta Land and Annuity Company owned by a group of businessmen from Baltimore led by Jacob Rosenthal. They bought the land along Hunicutt Avenue for $22,000 and built 14 townhomes - the first type of apartment homes in Atlanta. Amazingly, 8 of the homes still exist!

In the tradition of Baltimore row houses Rosenthal built homes that appealed to the folks in Atlanta because they were different. Of course, the homes didn't spread out. They were taller than they were wide rising to a height of three floors. Each home had a depth of 70 feet, 1 bath, and a kitchen on the basement floor. The homes boasted the first central heating system in Atlanta. Known as a Baltimore heater it was fitted into the fireplace on the first floor with vents running  to the upper floors.

Of course, Hunnicutt Avenue soon became known as Baltimore Block, and it became one of THE places to live in Atlanta or at least to be seen. During the late 1800s ladies would have social gatherings called "at homes", and to be invited to an "at home" on the Baltimore Block meant you had "arrived." There are also stories of fantastic New Year's Eve parties on the block as well. Another draw was the street itself. It was cobblestone, and added to the unique look of the block.

There were other draws to the property such as the fantastic recessed doorways.

The Baltimore Block homes were also unique in that it was based on the first long-term lease ever consummated in Atlanta. You could purchase one of the homes for $4,000 and take on the responsibility for the taxes, upkeep, etc., but the interesting part of the deal was owners actually leased the land from the Atlanta Land and Annuity Company.

In his book Atlanta and Its Environs Franklin Garrett explains that the "arrangement was quite complicated for those days of straight sales."

Once the purchaser agreed to pay $4,000 for the home he then leased the ground occupied by the building for a term of 99 years at the annual rental of $110 each. This brought the company an annual return of $1,540 on its original investment.

Take another look at the picture I posted above of the Hunnicutt mansion. At the time the picture was taken the row houses had already been built. You can make them out a little in the picture, but here is a better one.

Unfortunately, by 1908 popularity of the Baltimore Block had waned as the fashionable people moved further north, and for a few years the area declined. Four of the units were torn down in 1924.

By the 1930s, the block was run-down and home to vagrants, but a new crowd began to move in.

Folks like Harvey M. Smith, Jr. moved into 17 Baltimore Place. Known for many things including being a close friend of Margaret Mitchell, Mr. Smith published Southern Architectural Review.

Other notable residents during that time were Mr. and Mrs. William Hunter. They moved to Atlanta from Pennsylvania and bought unit 13. Some of the regulars in the neighborhood weren't too happy about that. See, they bought the one unit on the block that had a missing front door. Folks had been using the unit as a walk-through from one side of the block to the other. Mr. Hunter was a landscape architect, and Mrs. Hunter collected antiques.

It was the Hunters who were the long hold-outs during a push by Asa G. Candler to purchase the entire block for a medical complex he wanted to build. Since the Hunter's wouldn't sell the deal fell through. Mr. Candler had to go elsewhere for his building which happened to be Crawford Long Hospital. 

Another notable to the Baltimore Block re-birth was Nancy Barrington Dolinoff de Welles, sometimes referred to as the Countess. She was born in Mobile, Alabama, but if you are familiar with Roswell she was one of the Barringtons of Barrington Hall. The Countess was in Paris at the beginning of World War II. She fled to the United States shipping everything in sections. She took over units 15, 17 and 19 along the block making a very nice home for her and her two daughters.

The picture below is from 1939 along the block during the celebrations across the city of the premier of Gone With the Wind.

By the 1960s another change came to Baltimore Block as the row houses became home to Atlanta's Beat Generation -- a center of counterculture.

At one point a developer came in and wanted to redevelop the block, but again one lone holdout kept the project from happening Property owner Isobel Hunter Quentin put her foot down and wouldn't sell.

You guessed it...she was the daughter of the Hunters who some years before wouldn't see to their unit to Asa G. Candler.

...and it's a good thing. I'm glad she waited for E.R. Howington & Associates to come along. In the late 1980s they bought the block and renovated it into office space. The block is now joined by a glass-roofed atrium to an addition in the back featuring a high rise with more office space and several penthouse apartments.

Today Baltimore Block is part of Atlanta's SoNo District.

SoNo? Yes, the area of town south of North Avenue -- a name the area has held since 2005 when folks decided they wanted a trendy name, but you know what?

I don't think SoNo makes the area trendy. I think it has something to do with the history of the area. The ebb and flow of a block where many different people lived for over a hundred years.

The history of Baltimore Block is the draw, and I'm awfully glad it's still around even if it is a different form from the original.

This PDF file has numerous newspaper and magazine articles concerning Baltimore Block through the years. I lost myself in all forty-something pages last night for several hours.

Looking at the Past Through Present Eyes

Recently I read something that said Douglasville, Georgia is “known for nothing.”

Considering I’ve spent the last few years of my life learning the fascinating history of my little area of the state saying that Douglasville is known for “nothing” riles me up a bit.

Case in point……the summer of ’68.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated in April…..followed by hundreds of riots across the United States.  Dr. King’s contemporaries with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference decided that they would go ahead with Dr. King’s planned Poor People’s Campaign….an effort to bring attention to the nation’s poor. 

This was not a movement focused just on black Americans.  Dr. King intended…..the SCLC’s leadership intended for the movement to focus on all ethnic groups.

Different caravans representing the nation’s poor would converge on Washington D.C.  A camp “city” was set up along the Mall called Resurrection City.

The main caravan headed to Washington D.C. would be the Mule Train out of Marks, Mississippi.  The caravan of wagons crossed Mississippi, Alabama and finally entered Georgia mid-June.

They were met at the Georgia state line by Georgia State Patrol officers who had been ordered by Governor Lester Maddox to serve as the Mule Train’s escort until they crossed the state.

Was there some effort on the Governor’s part to intimidate or harass the folks participating in the Mule Train?

I don’t doubt it.

Was there some effort on the Governor’s part to attempt to keep everyone safe…..those participating with the Mule Train and those citizens who came in contact with the trek across Georgia?

Given the tense times that summer….I don’t doubt it.

The Mule Train had left Marks, Mississippi on May 13th. While folks were still reeling from Dr. King's death and the subsequent riots, Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 5th, a few days before the Mule Train reached Douglasville.

I’ve written about the standoff between Mule Train leaders, the Governor, the State Patrol and the Sheriff of Douglas County here along with a news story and a few pictures that appeared in the Douglas Sentinel.

A week later after things had calmed down and the mules had gone on their clip-cloppy way the editor of the Douglas Sentinel published an editorial. 

I’m reproducing the editorial here in italics with my thoughts interspersed in regular type. 

The incident in Douglasville last week involving the so called “poor people’s” mule train to Washington D.C., and area law enforcement authorities is the latest example of how publicity-hungry the leaders of the flagging civil rights movement are becoming.

Even the normally liberal Atlanta Constitution condemned the incident, saying the marchers “have an ‘incident’ which is earning them publicity, and they are milking it for all its worth.”

After researching the Poor People’s Campaign as I did I believe Dr. King had a valid point in attempting to call attention to the nation’s poor. President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” had all but stalled by 1968 due to the Vietnam War. The history teacher reason for this is that you can’t fight two wars at the same time.

The Sentinel editorial continues….

The whole thing began when the marchers refused to take another, safer route into Atlanta, and demanded to travel Interstate 20, a high-speed expressway. The Georgia State Patrol offered to escort the 13-wagon train via any other route but apparently the so-called “poor people” were determined to violate the law and draw what they hoped would be unfavorable publicity to Douglasville and Georgia. Evidently, they also hoped to revive the now ineffective campaign in Washington D.C.

What would happen if I decided to take a mule driven wagon to Atlanta today….down Interstate 20? 

I’d be stopped and charged with a misdemeanor for sure.

It’s against the law now….it was against the law then.  

While Governor Maddox did have his issues with Civil Rights during the 1960s and 70s, I don’t think he was being nitpicky about detaining the Mule Train. He had a legitimate problem since it WAS against the law. The Mule Train could have continued down Highway 78 to Atlanta, but were adamant about taking the Interstate.

Was it just about needing a shorter route?   Or……did Willie Bolden and other SCLC leaders realize this episode could result in further media attention to shed light on the Poor People’s Campaign?

By the time the Mule Train reached Douglasville the efforts at Resurrection City along the Mall in Washington D.C. were falling apart. It had rained for days….the “city” had become a muddy mess literally and figuratively. Things weren't going well.

The editorial continues….

Willie Bolden, an official of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference was the main ramrod in last Friday’s defiance. But, he skipped out of town so as not to be arrested and became the “official spokesman” for the group. Bolden appeared back in town late Friday afternoon and mumbled a few ridiculous sentences about Douglas County being a “very, very poor county.”

His assistant, Andrew Marrisett attempted to dish out the usual propaganda about a moral right to disobey “unjust laws”, but found himself searching for the right answers when asked by a reporter if someone could strike him (Marisett) if the person believed the law against assault was “morally wrong.”

Marisett also attempted to say it was alright to disobey a law “if you are willing to pay the cost”. However, as it turned out, Marisette and the marchers really weren’t paying anything. They received several hours of rest in Douglasville’s armory, along with a free meal.

However, some 50 Georgia State Patrolmen, Douglasville Policemen, and Douglas County Sheriff’s deputies spent from 16-48 hours without sleep because of the marchers’ foolish antics. Many also went without food for long periods of time, in addition, the state of Georgia had to bear the cost of the patrol protection.

A cost was paid, but not by the so-called “poor people.”

I find it interesting that the author of the editorial…..I’m not sure but I believe it to be Tommy Toles, who was the editor of the Douglas Sentinel at the time……continually put quotation marks around the words poor people throughout his statements. I have no idea if he understood or appreciated the underlying mission behind the Poor People’s Campaign, but it’s obviously he felt the whole episode could have been handled without the taxpayers in Georgia and in Douglas County in particular “paying the cost.”

The editorial continued…..

Sheriff Claude Abercrombie and his entire department, along with Douglasville Police Chief Grady Traylor, his officers, and all state patrolmen are to be commended for the excellent job they did under very trying circumstances. Even the marchers and out-of-town newsmen complimented all three law enforcement branches very highly for their actions.

The thinly veiled effort to draw good publicity to the mule train and to put Douglasville and Georgia in a bad light fell flat on its face. It is apparent that  more and more people are beginning to see the civil rights movement and the so-called “poor people’s” campaign for what it is – an effort to further socialize the United States.

However, we are thankful no violence erupted in Douglasville and no one was injured as the mule train made its way to Atlanta in the early morning hours last Saturday.

This whole matter occurred in Douglasville not because the folks with Mule Train had an ax to grind with Sheriff Abercrombie or anyone else in Douglasville….it happened because it’s the spot where Interstate 20 began back in 1968. 

However, looking back on the entire event it’s easy to see the event for what it was.  An opportunity to get media attention for the Mule Train, and an effort for the Governor to be able to say he tried to enforce the law.

You really can’t blame either side….

Given the climate of the times I can’t help be proud of the people of Douglasville. The situation could have erupted into any of the other numerous situations across the nation where violence ruled during those times.

I'm wondering why there isn't a historical marker at the armory where the Mule Train participants were detained or at least on the school grounds where the marchers camped.

Seriously!  I think this is something that should be remembered.....

And the Poor People’s Campaign?  

This site sums it up well……

“For many of America's poor, there hasn't been much progress in the 40 years since the Poor People's Campaign. In 1968, 25 million people — nearly 13 percent of the population — were living below the poverty level, according to the Census Bureau. In 2006, 36 million people or more than 12 percent of the population, were living below the poverty level.”

The American society has so many issues to work on….and yet we continually allow ourselves to become distracted with the noise and static.

Why are we complacent with numbers like those above?

It’s not about bullying your way down the interstate when there ARE other routes…..it’s about what you do to help someone.

Start with one...

Lockerly Hall

Even though we finally got a few days of sun here in the Atlanta area, it’s cold.

It’s freezing cold.

It…is…brutal....damn…cold.

I could blame my age for my aches and pains that seem to like to scream in the worst possible ways during bitter cold weather, but in the end I think it’s just my desire for warmer climates.

I just seem to be in a better mood at seventy degrees or higher.

So, I’m looking forward to April and May…..

I’m so anxious for it I’m already planning a few places I want to go and explore.

Places like Lockerby Hall in the Milledgeville area.

Lockerby Hall serves middle Georgia as a public garden and educational resource with a pond and nature trails.

The site of the home was first used by Richard J. Nichols as his home site in 1839. The home was the centerpiece of Nichol’s plantation, Midway.

The home was known as Rose Hill then due to the roses that covered the banks around the house. When Nichols died in 1849, Daniel R. Tucker, pictured below, served as one of the appraisers for the estate.

Tucker purchased Rose Hill in 1851, but a year later the home was tragically consumed by fire. Tucker built a new home on the same site using the Rose Hill name.

Rose Hill changed hands several times after Tucker died in 1879.

Reginald R. Hatcher bought the property in 1928 and renamed the home Lockerly Hall after an estate in Hampshire, England.

The next owner, Edward J. Grassman established the Arboretum Foundation in 1965.

Today, hundreds of visitors including high school biology students from Baldwin, Putnam and Hancock Counties visit the Arboretum to enjoy the grounds, and later they get to tour a “haunted” house.

There are tales of the heavy wooden pocket doors slamming shut by themselves, ashtrays hurling themselves across rooms and ghostly figures of a man and a young girl have been seen…….mainly during periods of disruption such as renovations.

Some think the apparitions are those of Daniel J. Tucker and one of his daughters….

Yes, this is one destination that is going on my list!

Taking a Little Time for Hiram

Today ,when most people living in the Paulding, Cobb, and Douglas County area mention they are heading to Hiram, they are referring to the long strip of box stores and chain restaurants along Highway 278 that have sprung up in recent years.

They aren't wrong. Those businesses...Walmart, Target, Kirklands, Jim n Nicks BBQ, Longhorn's, etc....are all located in Hiram, but the original "town" part of Hiram is located a little south of that and is found along Highway 92.

Folks zoom by the old part of Hiram...the original town site....since the main road doesn't actually go through. It's easy to zoom by as you have your sights set on your destination along Highway 278.

I've done that for years. Every time I blew by the site sitting down in a little depression by the railroad tracks I thought....gee, I really should drive through there and see what the old town part of Hiram has to offer, but I never felt I had enough time. The picture below is taken down in the old town part of Hiram looking up at the Highway 92 bridge.

 

 

The few old buildings...the old church with the rounded brick walls looked interesting enough, but for some reason we tend to zoom by those interesting areas that are the closest to us and instead focus on history that is far away when we happen to have the time to investigate....when we happen to be on vacation or something.

Shame on me....shame on you if you are guilty of that as well. 

I decided to drive through the old town part of Hiram and give it a good look-see, and have decided it's a nice little destination for a good lunch at the Olive Tree Restaurant and then explore the antique stores located there.

The area hasn't always been known as Hiram, however. Going back to the 1830s the area soon became known as Gray's Mill. After I came home I accessed the city of Hiram's website for their history.

The history section is based on a book by Kathryn Bookout called Hiram, the Little Town by the Tracks. An apt title, right?  Ms. Bookout owns Main Street Antiques found there along the tracks. Her book can be purchased there.

 

Gray's Mill referred to a mill located a little above where the old town site sits today and was owned by Garrett Gray. Like many settlers to the western area of Georgia his roots began in South Carolina.

Garrett Gray was the son of Isaac Gray, a Revolutionary War soldier and was born on September 23, 1801. The Gray family moved to Georgia in 1825 settling in Franklin County. There Garrett Gray eventually met up with Jane Jenkins. Jane had been orphaned as a small child and raised by her older brother. They had moved to Franklin County in 1825.

Garrett Gray and Jane Jenkins married January 1, 1828. They farmed in Franklin County until 1835 when they moved to Paulding County. Gray became well known and prominent because of several contributions to the area.

According to the history listed at the city of Hiram's website regarding Garrett Gray:

*He had a contract to deliver the first locomotive on the first Georgia railroad

*He built the first cotton gin in Paulding County around 1836

*He served as state representative for the area which for a time was Cobb County and then Paulding in the Georgia General Assembly

*There was even talk for a time about Gray running for Governor of Georgia.

When the Civil War broke out Garret Gray enlisted as a private with Company D of the First Regiment Georgia Calvary in 1862. He was released later to due to his age.

Gray also built a grist mill near the town site where other settlers could get their wheat an corn ground.

Gray's obituary from the Paulding News Era dated April 29, 1887 reads...."Died, Mr. Garrett Gray, an old and very highly respected citizen of this county died yesterday and was interred at the old family burial ground."

 

Gray's son, William Jackson Gray is mentioned in an edition of Memoirs of Georgia which verifies most of the information here, but it does need to be remembered that most of those entries were submitted by the gentlemen themselves.

At the time of Gray's death the name of Gray's Mill had not been in use as the formal name of the area for a few years. In 1881, a post office designation was given to the area and the name Hiram began to be used. Hiram was used because of Hiram Baggett, a man who lived in the area and served as the first postmaster.

At that time it was very common for areas to take on the name of the postmaster. Some areas even changed names over time as the postmasters changed. Hiram did not. The town incorporated in 1891, and the name Hiram became legal.

The wording to the original Hiram town charter can be found here.

Hiram Baggett was born in 1846 and was eventually married to Julia Ward. During the Civil War, he served in the 2nd Company F, First Confederate Regiment of the Volunteer Infantry of Tennessee. After the war Baggett moved to the area then known as Gray's Mill not knowing that his name would be given to the town that would eventually spread beyond the few frame buildings along the railroad tracks.

The Case of Harold (Willie) Walls - Favoritism in Henry County?

The morning of June 11th started off like many others. I was trying to get various things done in the house including a few writing projects. It was a little past lunchtime, and I was feeling accomplished since I had already marked several things off my list, and then....my cell phone rang.

I glanced at it and saw it was the Mister calling.

There was nothing unusual about the call since we often exchange texts, Facebook messages or calls during the day as most married people do, but this was going to be one of those life-changing calls.

I just didn't know it.

I answered and the Mister didn't say anything for a second or two, but the minute he did I knew something was wrong.

"Where.....where are you?"

I was taken aback by that question and instantly bristled a little. I snapped, "Well, I'm at home. I'm up in the middle of the bed trying to get some writing done. Why?"

As the Mister answered me and continued to talk I could hear the fear and concern in his voice. He said, "I just had to know where you were......"

"What's wrong?" At this point my mind was racing. Were we under a terror attack, had one of our parents passed, was one of our children hurt? Oh no.....the kids.

"Sam's been in a wreck. We don't know anything yet." I could hear loud voices and crying in the background at the Mister's office.

Sam was Samantha Kirby. She was the wife of the Mister's business partner, Blaine Kirby. She was a very lovely and vibrant woman. Sam's day had started normally that morning just like mine. She conversed with her husband before he went to work, dressed, did a little around the house, and then made plans to meet her son for lunch.

Sam did her normal everyday activities.

She didn't know it was her last day of life.

She never made that lunch, and when her son waited and she didn't show and she didn't answer her phone, he went looking for her.

Yes, sadly he found the accident scene.......and the long nightmare for the Kirby family had begun.

At the time the Mister called me everyone was still hoping that Sam was being extricated from the car and would be rushed to the hospital, but there was no need to rush.

Our Sam was gone.....

Last night Channel 46 here in Atlanta aired a story titled "Tough Questions After Hampton Councilman Kills Woman in Crash". You can see it at this link.

Many thanks to Wendy Salzman for airing what is so obviously a flawed accident investigation and flawed presentment to the grand jury with lots of different ties to Hampton City government and the government of Henry County as well.

Here it is November....five months after the horrible accident and the person responsible has not been issued a single ticket or been required to pay a dime of any fine.

Please click through to see the video, but parts of the text story state:

Hampton City Councilman Harold Walls was driving a dump truck that hadn't been properly inspected in years at the time of the accident on June 11. When his brakes malfunctioned, he collided with another car and killed Samantha Kirby.

The article continues....

Records obtained by CBS Atlanta News showed that Walls' commercial truck hadn't been properly inspected in accordance with motor carrier safety regulations since 2003. A Georgia State Patrol inspection after the accident found the truck had multiple deficiencies, including the brakes being out of service.

.....In a legal response, Walls admitted he was the only person who inspected the truck over the last five years, which means the government inspection sticker on the dump truck is fake.

Walls uses the truck for his business, D & J Hauling. The business has no business license and hasn't had one for three years.

The article also states Walls walked away from the scene without taking a drug or alcohol test and without a single citation. The first responder to the accident was the Henry County Fire Department where Walls retired as an EMT in 2010.

While this matter was presented to a grand jury, there are too many details here that beg for further investigation including HOW THE MATTER WAS INVESTIGATED BY AUTHORITIES.

The Kirby family screams for it....her friends scream for it....and any citizen of Henry County and Georgia should scream for it.

Something is very, very wrong in Henry County!!!!!

The Hampton mayor and councilmember information can be found here.

.....and yes, you can find Mr. Walls' number and e-mail address there, too since he is councilmember.

Henry County Commission information can be found here.

I understand that Henry County has a new District Attorney. Perhaps he needs to know that he has a case that requires another look regarding favoritism, perhaps he needs to know there is a business owner in his jurisdiction thumbing his nose at laws regarding licensing and commercial vehicle inspections.

The Henry County District Attorney's number is 770.288.6400.

The evidence in this case was presented to a grand jury, who dismissed the charges. That leaves Walls free to drive a commercial vehicle.

The Election of 1884

Well, the long road to the Election of 2012 is over, and tomorrow evening we should know who the next occupant of the White House will be.  

I spent some time yesterday wondering how Atlanta reacted to past elections, and I found an interesting account from the Election of 1884 including revelry that lasted all day and night as well as citizens bursting into the General Assembly while in session and a river of fire ran through the city's streets.

Read on...it's not what you think.

You may rely absolutely on Cleveland's election....

Once those words were sent out to cities all over the United States via telegraph the Election of 1884 was over.

Grover Cleveland would be heading to the White House.

Franklin Garrett, Atlanta's premier historian advised in his book Atlanta and Its Environs......In ten minutes 1000 democrats were in consultation as to how best to celebrate. Mr. Henry W. Grady was elected marshal of the day. Committees on music, bloody shirts, bonfires and parade were appointed and at 10:30 there were over 3000 men in line.

The Constitution for November 8, 1884 stated the following:

In front of the procession were two volunteer drummers, Gresham and Brown. Following them, leading the line of march came Mr. Grady, his hat wrapped with a new silk flag, and Alderman Lowery bearing an immense flag, which was greeted with resounding cheers.....

Next came the bloody shirt brigade....bearing red shirts stretched on crossed poles.  Affixed to each shirt was a placard reading, 'We are going to burn this!'

The bloody shirt made reference to instances during the campaigns where reference had been made to martyrs in exchange for political points.

The newspaper account continues:

Behind the bloody shirts came about a thousand men bearing small flags. Next to these was a huge United States flag stretched as a canopy over 50 men in charge of Jim Iverson, Hoke Smith and Dr. [Clinton T.] Brockett......

As the procession marched up Broad Street it was met by Hon. E.P. Howell and Major John Fitten with a brass band they had picked up in a jiffy. They had gathered perhaps 500 people, who at once fell into the column, the band taking its place in the center. As the march proceeded up Broad it was greeted by cheers from the crowd that lined each side of the way and filled all of the windows. Up Marietta Street it was the same.

On reaching the capitol the line of march was turned into the side steps and up into the corridor it poured like a torrent.  When they reached the door of the house, the drummer started in. The doorkeeper made some show at holding the doors, but Mr. Evan Howell bracing against the brass drum pushed in and the crowd followed with a rush.

The house was in session. The drums were stilled, and the members in surprise rose to their feet.

Mr. Grady with beaming face announced:

'Mr. Speaker! A message from the American people:'

The house rose as one man this time, and the column marched onto the speaker's stand, with drums beating and colors flying. Hon. Lucius Lamar was in the speaker's desk. Mr. Grady siezed him in his arms, and took gavel from his hands, and rapping for order said:

'in the name of, and by the authority of Grover Cleveland, President of the United States, I now declare this house adjourned until tomorrow morning at 10 o'clock!"

The house took the point like a flash. Most of the members were on their desks, the uproar and cheering were terrific. The speaker took the stand and tried to restore order, but the thing was over. A resolution was offered by Mr. Flint of Spalding congratulating Cleveland and Hendricks. It was voted on by 2000 people, who filled every nook and corner of the house. There were calls for 'Grady' for several minutes but he had left to adjourn the senate and the governor.....

....in front of the capitol the broad streets were packed with 10,000 people shouting themselves hoarse. The bands were playing 'Dixie' and the yelling was deafening. Governor McDaniel was brought down accompanied by General Lawton. They were received with cheers and encircled with United States flags. Mr. Grady then announced that Governor McDaniel would address the unterrified and jubilant democracy of Fulton County from the customhouse steps.

The bloody shirts, saturated with oil were fired in front of the capitol and burned amid the wildest demonstrations of joy and approval. When this interesting ceremony was over, Mr. Grady introduced Governor McDaniel......

Over a thousand torches were provided and at six o'clock a remarkable scene was presented about the Constitution building and for blocks around. Everywhere the weird light of the torches could be seen and the streets were filled with crackling bonfires, until the picture was like unto a view of the infernal region. Everywhere was one moving mass, while shouts rent the air and horns shrieked and drums beat and bands played. It was a wild scene and one that was calculated to fill the stoniest soul with patriotic enthusiasm.

At seven o'clock the procession started, led by a detachment of sixteen mounted policemen to clear the way. Following came young men from the Democratic League, about 300 strong, bearing [signs]. The greatest procession, to the music of 'Dixie', turned into Broad Street and proceeded toward Mitchell......Broad Street seemed like one mass of moving fire, and a wild pandemonium of exultant democratic noise.....Along Whitehall were brillant illuminations and thousands of flags fluttered gaily, while every few feet bonfires and colored lights made a scene that was as dazzling in its brilliance....

....As the procession passed along Whitehall, it was easy to see how imposing it was. Among the [signs that the people carried were the slogans]: Low tariff and reform, Paint the town Red, .....and Tell the Truth....

....At the Constitution office the procession was reinforced, and again they started out passing around Broad, Mitchell and Whitehall again.....Everywhere immense bonfires were burning, rockets and Roman candles were firing and the scene was a wild one....

....The procession turned into Peachtree, and then a scene of grandest brilliance occurred. The procession by this time was nearly a mile and half long and the thousands of torches looked like a river of fire that flowed along the ridge lined by the bank of trees. The residences were brightly illuminated. The Capital City Club was brilliant as a palace and the lawn of Leyden House was filled with a thousand Chinese lanterns, while the building was lighted by hundreds and hundreds of candles, making it a blaze of light.......

....By the time the procession turned into Peachtree there were fully 25,000 people on the streets. Never in the history of the city were there so many people out at one time. 

[At one point] the procession was joined by the Gate City Guard under command of Captain Jackson. The procession turned in Forsyth Street and proceeded to the customhouse, halting in front of the building and filling Marietta Street with a sea of fire for blocks each way.

For some time the horns tooted, the bands played, the drums beat, the populace shouted, the cannons boomed and there was a regular whoop-la time of it.  [When the quiet was restored Mr. Grady introduced Senator Brown who spoke. He was followed by several other  just as enthusiastic speeches.]

Then the crowd took to the streets. The procession started up, and the boys went ahead painting the town red. Until after midnight the exultant shouts were heard. At one everything was quiet, only here and there a stray shout. At two o'clock silence brooded over the sleeping city, and the greatest democratic demonstration was over.

The election of Grover Cleveland in 1884 was important because a losing streak for the Democratic Party that had lasted for over 25 years had been broken. After years of Reconstruction following the Civil War the South finally had a Democratic leader. This meant something as in those days Democrats were the majority in southern states.

It had also been a difficult and bitter election.  Accusations regarding an illegitimate child had been hurled at Cleveland and his opponent....James G. Blaine had some ethics issues as Speaker of the House.

Cities all over the state of Georgia.....all over the South celebrated the election of Cleveland that night including my own home of Douglas County.   I've shared a bit about their celebration which included a mule here.

No matter which candidate is deemed the winner tomorrow night......let us celebrate the fact we have the freedom to choose our leaders.