Archive Atlanta

The Dixie Hills Riot, a days-long community uprising, born out of the frustrations of a whole host of issues that we’ll cover, happened exactly 55 years ago today. 
In 1950, Dixie Hills residents were without running water, paved roads and proper sewers. By the 1960s, 45% of the city’s population was Black, yet were only legally allowed to live in 22% of it’s housing. There was overcrowding, segregation, income inequality, unemployment, poverty - so many of the exact same issues we have today.
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Hey everyone! I am currently taking my yearly podcast summer break and using this time to finish new episodes, work on new ideas and record some amazing interviews. In the meantime, catch up on previous episodes and we'll be back on June 17th!
 

Forward Atlanta was a multi-million dollar marketing campaign launched by the City of Atlanta in the 1920s that is still influencing the city in 2022. I hope by the end of this short episode you can understand how important this campaign was, how it ties into the reason that Atlanta today is so quick to forget and suppress its past, and how we are still in the big business of selling our city to outside industry.
 
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While convict leasing, as a system, was abolished in Georgia in 1908, the chain gang era immediately followed and operated through 1955. Chain gangs installed water and sewer systems and smoothed and paved every. single. road you drive, bike, run or walk on today.
This week we’re covering the history of the chain gang, the Fulton County chain gang, the projects they worked on, the men and women they chained, beat and killed and the lasting legacy it left for us today.
 
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In September of 1896, Thomas finished dinner, told his wife not to wait up, and rode the streetcar to Lakewood Park. There, he rented a bathing suit and a row boat and ventured out onto the lake. That's the last time anyone would see him alive.
Was it an accident? Was it a suicide? Listen to find out all the Victorian-era true crime drama. 
 
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This week, I am covering the fascinating history of the Atlanta Humane Society, from the formation of the Atlanta Branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in 1871, to its reorganization as the Atlanta Humane Society in 1890.
 
The early AHS fought for the better treatment of hack and dray horses and mules, banishment of rooster and dog fighting, care for chickens being sold in markets, ending the practice of gifting chicks for Easter, humane euthanization methods for dogs, and ended the sale of chameleons, which were a fashionable hair accessory in the 1920s.
 
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With one of the most recognized mausoleums at Oakland Cemetery, Jasper Newton Smith spends eternity cast in stone looking over the cemetery. He purchased the plot 25 years before his death, and the casket 12 years prior, but those are the quirkiest part of his life story. Listen to this week's mini episode to learn about The House That Jack Built, the Bachelor's Domain and the failed Smith's House.
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This month, 105 years ago, the Great Fire of 1917 swept through Atlanta. Over the course of 10 hours, we lost 73 square blocks, more than 300 acres, 1938 buildings and 1900 homes. 10,000 Atlantans were homeless, which was 5% of the city’s population. 
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"Atlanta's Petticoated Sherlock Holmes" - that's how the newspaper's described Hattie Barnett, the city's first licensed female detective. With very little information to be found, I took the mentions of Hattie and pieced together a small snapshot of her life here in Atlanta.
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World War I was the first conflict where American women were allowed to enlist in the armed forces and 100K men and women from around the State of Georgia contributed to the war effort. This week, I'm talking about the Atlanta women and their roles in WWI. From those who sewed in their homes to those that gave the ultimate sacrifice.
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