Georgia - Atlanta

Atlanta History Center

Set in nine hectares (23 acres) of beautiful gardens, the Atlanta History Center is the ideal place to soak up some Georgian history. The main attractions are two historic homes, open to the public offering informative guided tours. The Tullie Smith House originally stood outside the city limits but has been relocated to the History Center, along with its outbuildings. The house was built in the 1840s and survived the near-total destruction of Atlanta in 1864 when General William Sherman burned almost every business and more than two thirds of the city’s homes during his infamous ‘March to the Sea’. It was once the home of yeoman farmer Robert Smith and his family, who owned 11 slaves and farmed on about 324 hectares (800 acres). The farmhouse is typical of most in Georgia at the time, despite popular belief that not all Georgians owned large plantations and mansions. The Swan House, built in 1928, is a grand Italianate mansion that is an Atlanta landmark, once the home of Edward and Emily Inman, heirs to a cotton brokerage fortune. The History Center also features several other historic buildings and exhibitions.

Address: West Paces Ferry Road;

Website: www.atlhist.org;

Opening time: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5.30pm; Sundays 12pm to 5.30pm

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