The Georgia Women of Achievement (GWA) is an honor bestowed on the accomplished women of Georgia, both natives to the state as well as longtime residents. The GWA was originally proposed 1988 by a notable Georgian, first lady Rosalynn Carter.…
After Helen Elizabeth Nash graduated from Spelman College, she told her family that she wanted to become a doctor. Her father, Dr. Homer Nash, didn’t think that his third child had the physical stamina to get through medical school. Young…
“Why do not more young colored men and women take up photography as a career? The average white photographer does not know how to deal with colored skins and having neither sense of the delicate beauty or tone nor will…
For a month in early 1893, a series of crimes occurred in Atlanta that shocked citizens and confounded authorities. Dubbed a “carnival of crimes,” this crime wave included suicides, a double murder, and an embezzlement scandal. Although these tragic events…
Rev. Rufus H. Houston's grave marker, found in Oakland's historic African American burial grounds, resembles a lectern like those found in the pulpit of a church. It bears the following epitaph: “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright: for…
Last week the PRO Team tackled some long-overdue critical projects across the cemetery. One such project was re-setting the tombstone of Elizabeth (Betsy) Pilgrim, wife of Oakland’s second sexton, Green Pilgrim. Although the preservation work was straightforward and probably not…
by Sarah Zureick-Brown, Historic Oakland Foundation volunteer Ambling through Oakland Cemetery is a great way to connect with past citizens of Atlanta. From the vast array of gravestones honoring the dead, we can learn the names of those who came…
The first tavern in the area that would become Atlanta was Whitehall Tavern. Located near the present-day intersection of Lee Street and Ralph David Abernathy Boulevard, the tavern served food and drinks to travelers and settlers. Whitehall Tavern was also…
Born in Jackson County, Georgia in 1873, Charles L. Chosewood was a longtime city council member and Grant Park neighborhood resident. He was a colorful and controversial character with a lasting legacy in Atlanta. Charles L. Chosewood moved to Atlanta…
Oakland Cemetery is the final resting place for many Atlantans who shaped their communities, Atlanta, and the region. These men and women founded schools, established places of worship, opened businesses, and created community groups. They confronted discrimination and worked to…