There are approximately 197 historical markers in Cobb County alone. This marker in located in…read morehistorical downtown of Kennesaw just off of North Main Street in the Kennesaw Veteran Memorial Park. The marker reads as the following In 1838-41, a construction camp of laborers, grading & building the State R. R., was located at the spring approximately 250 yds. W. of here, where temporary structures (shanties) housed the workmen. Track level here, being some 345 ft. above the level at Cartersville, 19 mi. N., the grade was 18 ft. per mi. at time of construction. In railroad parlance, this was known as "the big grade to the shanties" - later shortened to "big shanty grade", finally to "Big Shanty", which was changed to Kennesaw about 1870. In June, 1864, Federal forces on the Kennesaw Mtn. front, drew supplies at this point. 033-40 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1954

I recently visited the Town of Cartersville, GA and came across a number of important sites…read morehighlighting African-American History. I was pleased to discover my 2nd Bench By The Road after recently (and quite accidentally) finding my first one on Hilton Head Island inside Historic Mitchelville Freedom Park. SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SITE To commemorate the role of African-Americans in building the historic W&A railroad and the Carterville Train Depot. Starting in the 1840's, enslaved men, women, and children toiled in the construction of the railroad and the depot. After the Civil War, African-American convict lease laborers repaired and expanded the tracks. During the GREAT MIGRATION, these same railroads provided the first steps to freedom for blacks in Cartersville who were seeking a better way of life in the north and the west. Throughout the South, rail lines and the train depots that facilitated their use are important sites of memory in African-American history, as they document the labor of those who were enslaved and the pathways of freedom & return for their descendants. [quoted from plaque below bench] *** The Bench by the Road Project is a memorial history and community outreach initiative of the Toni Morrison Society. The Project was launched on February 18, 2006, on the occasion of Toni Morrison's 75th Birthday. The name "Bench by the Road" is taken from Morrison's remarks in a 1989 interview with World Magazine where she spoke of the absences of historical markers that help remember the lives of Africans who were enslaved and of how her fifth novel, Beloved, served this symbolic role: "There is no place you or I can go, to think about or not think about, to summon the presences of, or recollect the absences of slaves . . . There is no suitable memorial, or plaque, or wreath, or wall, or park, or skyscraper lobby. There's no 300-foot tower, there's no small bench by the road. There is not even a tree scored, an initial that I can visit or you can visit in Charleston or Savannah or New York or Providence or better still on the banks of the Mississippi. And because such a place doesn't exist . . . the book had to". Because the Toni Morrison Society wanted to be a place where scholars and readers could, through their engagement with Morrison's novels, remember not only slavery but also many of the forgotten moments in African American history, the Society chose, when it was founded in 1993, "A Bench by the Road" as its motto. The Bench by the Road Project extends the Society's mission. While there have been several notable African American history and slavery museums built since 1989, as well as a number of outstanding state and federal initiatives honoring the stories of the African American past, the goal of the Bench by the Road Project is to address the lament that Toni Morrison expressed in her interview by placing Benches and plaques at sites commemorating significant moments, individuals, and locations within the history of the African Diaspora. [quoted from TMS website] *** OTHER BENCH SITES 1st - African Slave Trade Point of Entry Sullivan's Island, SC 2nd - Site on Underground Railroad Oberlin, OH 3rd - Mississippi Freedom School Hattiesburg, MS 4th - The 20th Arrondissement Paris, France 5th - In Memory of Caesar Robbins Concord, MA 6th - Lisner Theater, GW University Washington, D.C. 7th - First Congregational Church Atlanta, GA 8th - Freedom Park Mitchellville, SC 9th - Walden Woods Lincoln, MA 10th - In Honor of Aime Cesaire Fort-de-France, Martinique 11th - Eden Cemetery Collingdale, PA 12th - Margaret Walker Center, JS University Jackson, MS 13th & 14th Bench Placements Middletown, DE 15th - In honor of Cynthia Hesdra Nyack, NY 16th - Hosanna A.U.M.P. Church Lincoln University, PA 17th - Baton Rouge Bus Boycott Baton Rouge, LA 18th - Inquirers Book Club - Woodruff Library Atlanta, GA 19th - Cozad-Bates House Cleveland, OH 20th - Schomburg Center for Research on Black Culture Harlem, NYC 21st - Library of Congress Washington, DC 22nd - Site on Underground Railroad Adrian, MI 23rd - South View Cemetery Atlanta, GA 24th - Home of Frederick Douglass New Bedford, MA 25th - Howard University Washington, DC 26th - Lincoln University Pennsylvania 27th - Cartersville Train Depot Cartersville, GA *** Morrison passed away 8/5/19 at the age of 88. She was the first African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. The idea and thought behind the Bench by the Road Project touched my heart and I look forward to seeing where they will place future benches and subsequently learn of the story behind the placement. 2021 / 10 Black History Series

This historic marker located on the front lawns of the Cherokee Historic Court house is a sad…read morereminder of why the Cherokee Indians were driven off their land: The discovery of 6 gold mines. The trail of tears actually begins in Cherokee county about 2 miles from where the gold mine is located. The gold mines were worked on originally by the Cherokee Indians themselves near a town the called Sixes...Probably named after the 6 gold mines. Then after they were forced off their lands a lottery system was put in place giving the lucky winner 40 acres of land for them to do as they chose.It came to be known as Gold lottery of 1832. The marker itself reads as the following: Cherokee County, located along Georgia's gold belt, figured prominently in the gold rush of the 1830's and 40's. Several mines operated along a five mile area near the Etowah River in the northeastern part of the county, including the Franklin-Creighton, Sandow, and latham mines. More than 30 other small placer mines extended southwesterly across the county and included the Sixes Mine, worked earlier by the Cherokees. After the 1860's, most gold mining operations in the county either slowed or ceased. The most successful and the most sophisticated, the Franklin-Creighton, continued operations until 1913, when a shaft collapsed and the mine was flooded. 028-4 GEORGIA HISTORICAL MARKER 1988

I really like this bridge…read more When I'm walking in the area, I almost always take the stairs up to the bridge and enjoy the views of Acworth. I think it is a good looking bridge and adds a nice element to the city. From the bridge you can get a nice view of Historic Acworth & Main Street. I believe the bridge was built for safety. So that pedestrians can safely cross the train tracks, especially if/when freight trains stop in the area. Now instead of being tempted to slip in between train cars to cross the tracks, there is an easy & safe alternate route. The grand opening of this bridge was held on October 3, 2019 at 8pm.

This historical marker is located in front of The Kennesaw Veteran Memorial Park in historic…read moreDowntown Kennesaw. There are about 5 parking spots in front of this park but you have to know how to parallel park if you want to park up front here. Since I live in the burgs and only parallel parked once (when I took my driver's test) I parked over by The Depot and walked on over here...both places have free parking. This is Downtown Kennesaw...you can guess what this historical marker is about? You guess right...The General....it says.... About 6 A.M., April 12, 1862, a Federal spy & contraband merchant, James J. Andrews, of Ky., together with 18 soldiers & one civilian of Ohio, seized the locomotive "General", & three box cars while the train-crew & passengers were breakfasting at the Lacy Hotel. Intending to sabotage the State R. R. between Atlanta & Chattanooga, the raiders steamed N. to destroy track & burn bridges.They were foiled in this attempt by the persistent pursuit of Capt. W. A. Fuller, Conductor of the train; Jeff Cain, Fireman; & Anthony Murphy, of the Atlanta R. R. shops, after a chase of eight-seven miles. 033-42 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1954

Yup, you read that right! You are looking at the very first outdoor wall advertisement for…read moreCoca-Cola!!! The plaque says it was placed on this wall in 1894 and restored in 1989... although I suspect it has been refreshed many times since then because it looks amazingly new! According to the Carterville-Bartow County visitors Bureau, it was authenticated by the Coca-Cola Company itself as the first sign of its kind to advertise for the company. That makes this sign 127 years old. How cool is that! Oh, and if you didn't know, Dr. John Pemberton (a local Atlanta Pharmacist) sold the first glass of Coca-Cola at Jacobs' Pharmacy in downtown Atlanta on May 8, 1886. It is said Pemberton's recipe contained cocaine in the form of an extract of the coca leaf, thus the "Coca" and the "Cola" comes from the kola nut. It is also said that back in those days, cocaine was legal and a common ingredient in medicines. Makes you wonder how many old school medicines may have inspired inventions... LOL 2021 / 5

This historical marker located off of N Main Street and Cherokee Street NW in Downtown Historical…read moreKennesaw. It's by the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History which houses the famous locomotive the General.... The marker reads as the following: After the wide flanking movement W. & S. of Allatoona Mtns., Sherman's forces regained the State R. R., at Acworth, June 6, 1864. June 9. Minty's & Wilder's brigades, Garrard's Cav., with Bennett's section, Chicago Board of Trade Battery, moved S. from Acworth. At Morgan's Hill, they encountered Martin's div. of Wheeler's cav. & Benton's brigade. Hood's A.C. Benton & Martin withdrew S. E. to Johnston's 1st defensive line on the Kennesaw Mtn. front. Big Shanty was occupied & Sherman maintained h'dqr's. here, June 10-24. The 17th A. C. joined McPherson's forces at Acworth, June 6.

It's unfortunate that there's so much controversy over a beautiful artwork. Considered by some a…read moresymbol of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, there are some calling for this sculpture to be removed. And let's remember, Atlanta removed the famous "Lion of the Confederacy" from Oakland Cemetery recently. So maybe this is next. I hope not. The Gate City Guard was formally established in 1857 as an Atlanta-based militia. The organization's primary goal was to uphold law and order in Atlanta, also known as the "Gate City." The militia supported the Confederate States Army with soldiers during the American Civil War, but it was disbanded after the conflict. In 1910, as part of their ongoing efforts to promote reconciliation between northern states and southern states, the Old Guard decided to erect a monument in Piedmont Park. In 1911, they commissioned New York City-based sculptor Allen George Newman. It features the angel of peace holding an olive branch, standing over a Confederate soldier and telling him that peace has been proclaimed. The monument was defaced in 2017 and there was an attempt by a mob to tear it down. As a response to that, a "context" marker was erected nearby. It reads, "This monument should no longer stand as a memorial to white brotherhood; rather, it should be seen as an artifact representing a shared history in which millions of Americans were denied civil and human rights." Stop by and check it out. Hopefully it stays. [Review 19544 overall - round number 600 in Georgia - 514 of 2023.]