While the celebrations of Black History Month may be wrapping up, the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. continue to reverberate throughout the world. King's birth home, part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Site, is open year-round for those times you want to reflect on the impact of his works or need inspiration to forge forward with your own.
The MLK Birth Home, managed and operated by the National Park Service, was built in 1895 and purchased by King's paternal grandfather in 1909. Martin Luther, "ML," was born in the residence on the second floor on January 15, 1929.
Tours are limited to a certain number, so be sure to plan ahead.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
I'm constantly amazed at the significant historical stories I hear that took place in Georgia...the Wren's Nest being one of the places to provide quite a few.
Interestingly, Harris turned down the President's initial attempts to extend the hand of friendship. Well, Presidents being the persistent type that they often are, Roosevelt was not one to take no for an answer. As it worked out, the two of them, Harris and Roosevelt, became quite good friends...evident by the photos and other artifacts on display at the Wren's Nest, including the owl overlooking the music room.
Personally, I'm very much looking forward to a return visit to the Wren's Nest for their Saturday afternoon storytelling. Depending on the weather, storytelling may take place inside the house (near the porch where Harris wrote many of the stories) or in the garden.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
"The Southern Trilogy: The Historic Homes of Roswell" tells the tale of the founding of Roswell, Georgia. Three historic homes share with us a lot about the first families and how they lived. While there are technically six founders of Roswell, there are three homes on the Southern Trilogy tour.
This post, the second of three, is about Bulloch Hall.
I'll cover the logistics that are common to all three houses first and then move on to the house that is the topic of this particular post.
Roswell, Georgia, was founded by six families headed by James S. Bulloch (of Bulloch Hall); Barrington King (of Barrington Hall); Archibald Smith (of Smith Plantation); John Dunwoody; Nathan A. Pratt; and Elizabeth King Hand.
First, each home has a strict photography policy. You may make photographs of the exterior of the home only if they are for personal use. Photos of the interior are not permitted. Photos for commercial use require a permit (paperwork may be obtained at any of the homes), which costs $100. NOTE: Please do not use photos in this post for publication, anywhere…thank you (for keeping me policy-compliant).
Bulloch Hall
Guided tours are offered for each home. Self-guided tours are not available. Tours at each home start on the hour between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., with the last tour beginning at 3:00 p.m.
A rather unique feature offered at each of the Trilogy homes, one that I like very much, is self-guided "cell phone audio tours" of the homes' grounds. If you arrive after a guided tour starts, this is a wonderful option for exploring the grounds while waiting for the on-the-hour guided tour.
Signs are posted around the property with the dail-in number and location code. If you explore the grounds after your guided tour of the home, you can pick up a map of the audio tour stops inside the home. NOTE: the audio tour is free, but your applicable personal telephone plan charges will apply (great news for those with unlimited plans).
The audio tour includes information about the tour stop, as well as "letter readings" (letters to and from house residents from years past) at many of the stops.
Want a preview of the audio tour? You can listen to them, or a sampling of them, online.
The Arrival
Bulloch Hall
I arrived at Bulloch Hall after a brief stop at the Roswell Visitors Center where I met Florence Ann, a most charming and helpful person. She answered the last few questions I had so that I could continue my tours of the Southern Trilogy, sending me on my way with full confidence that I'd see everything I should and wanted to see.
Entering the Bulloch Hall estate is a little different from the others. You first go to an out building where ticketing and the gift shop are located, immediately adjacent to their ample parking lot. If this is your first stop on the Southern Trilogy tour, you can get your ticket for all three homes here.
You can purchase a ticket for a Bulloch Hall-only tour as well, but you save money by buying a Trilogy "Pass," and it does not expire. A docent at each home will sign the Pass to indicate that that portion of the Pass has been redeemed.
Slaves Quarters
With signed pass in hand, I headed up to Bulloch Hall just in time for the 12:00 p.m. tour.
The Families
One of the founding families of Roswell, Georgia, led by James Stephens Bulloch, a decorated Major in the Texas War for Independence, and his wife Martha Stewart (no relation to today's popular lifestyle guru) were the original habitants of Bulloch Hall.
Traveling with them from Savannah to Roswell was their three year old daughter, Martha "Mittie" Bulloch. In adulthood, Mittie met Theodore "Thee" Roosevelt in 1850 and again in 1853.
Well
Mittie and Thee were married in December of 1853 and moved to New York where they raised their four children, Anna, Elliott, Theodore, and Corrine. Their child Theodore Roosevelt would grow up to be the 26th President of the United States.
As it turns out, not one, but two American Presidents have roots traceable to Bulloch Hall. Elliott, another of Mittie's children, was father of Anna Eleanor Roosevelt who married Franklin Delano Roosevelt, her fifth cousin, who went on to become the 32nd President of the United States.
The Home (the tour)
I and a young lady I'd seen going into the 11:00 a.m. tour at Barrington Hall were to be tour mates at Bulloch Hall.
Bulloch Hall, side
Pat, our tour guide, told us a little about the families who resided in Bulloch Hall and outlined what we should expect during the tour.
Designed by Willis Ball, construction on the Greek Revival home was completed in 1839. Huge, thick white columns welcome visitors into the "lofty center entrance hall." There are an equal number of rooms on each side of the house, typical for the era.
The tour started in the entry hallway where Pat explained that the majority of the artifacts in Bulloch Hall are not original to the home, but that the furnishings are authentic to the period.
In the Library and the women's parlor there are, instead of doors, windows, stacked three-high from the floor, that work kind of like doors allowing family and guests out onto the piazza (they didn’t call it a porch).
Bulloch Hall, rear
While in the Library, Pat showed us an historic inventory of the furnishings in the home, with valuations. Interestingly, books were among the most valuable possession in the home, and there were quite a few on display, indicating that the Bulloch's had an impressive collection.
Pat showed us the dining room where Mittie (President Roosevelt's mother) and Theodore ("Thee") were married. Bulloch Hall today reenacts the wedding in a public event every year during the holidays, close to their December 22 anniversary.
We were told by Pat about the house bringing in a designer who specializes in furniture placement of the Bulloch's era. In one of the parlors facing the front of the house, there is a card table that had been placed in a corner near the hallway. The placement was corrected by the expert who put the table next to the front window…for its natural light. The Trilogy management has gone to great lengths to make each of the homes as authentic as possible.
On the tour we were shown a technological marvel…a "mechanical" flyswatter. This is the South and flies can be quite the pests at times. The mechanical flyswatter belonging to the Bulloch's would be used to keep the pests off of food during meals served in the summer months when the doors and windows were often open to allow breezes to cool the house. It was pretty ingenious, really!
Another interesting factoid…children were not allow to dine at the dining room table until they had come of age. Before that, they were fed in another room in the home.
Many of the beds in Bulloch Hall had built-in trundles, so that they could accommodate visitors. Common to the period, visitors would stay for weeks or sometimes months. Having accommodations for said visitors was a sign of welcoming guests and generosity.
On the upper floor is the relatively recently added Museum Room.
Replica of the
original "Teddy" bear
Remember to collect your free souvenir while there, an over-sized copy on parchment color paper of an article written by Peggy Mitchell, Margaret Mitchell’s penname while working at the Atlanta Journal.
The article, "Bridesmaid of 87 Recalls Mittie Roosevelt’s Wedding," is an interview with Mrs. William Baker who was Mittie Roosevelt's (mother of President Teddy Roosevelt) best friend and a bridesmaid at her wedding. The article was published June 10, 1923.
President Roosevelt, in 1905, visited Bulloch Hall, his mother’s childhood home. The towns folk were present to hear Teddy speak at multiple locations throughout the day, some of which you can hear on the audio tour.
The Grounds
When visiting, be sure to walk the entire perimeter of the house to see the various stops on the grounds tour.
Bulloch Hall Gardens
The gardens at Bulloch Hall are formal and diverse. In the formal garden there are different sections, including the Butterfly & Hummingbird Garden; the Rose & Perennial Garden; the Children's Garden; and an Herb Garden.
The reconstructed Slave Quarters, which had been destroyed by fire, are certainly worth a visit. And while you're milling around, a stroll down the Charlie Cothran Memorial Walking Trail will make for a nice distraction, especially during the moderate weather of spring and autumn visits.
The Return
Do I think I'll return to Bulloch Hall anytime soon? I have many friends who are history buffs who have not been and I would welcome another opportunity to explore Bulloch Hall. The tour is one of those that you know there's so much more history than can be told in a single tour, so each tour promises to teach you something new.
Touring The Southern Trilogy: Bulloch Hall
Date toured: Wednesday, February 16, 2011 Location: 180 Bulloch Avenue (directions and map) Parking: Free onsite parking Cost: $8 Adults; $6 Children (or $18 for all three homes) Hours: Monday-Saturday 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Sunday 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. The last tour is at 3:00 p.m. Events: Magnolia Ball, Saturday, June 11, 2011, and more. Website: http://www.roswellgov.com/index.aspx?NID=219
Any first-time visit to Marietta, Georgia, should begin with a stop by the Marietta Welcome Center. I went there early last month when I visited the Gone With the Wind Museum, next door, and I'm so glad I did.
As much online research as you may conduct before visiting a place, there's much more about a destination to be discovered by visiting its Welcome Center. The "city docents" can tell you so much about the city, about the current hot spots, and they're often very forthcoming, with little provocation, of tales of local lore or history...which always greatly enhance a visit for me.
The Marietta Welcome Center is charming, centrally located on Historic Marietta Square, and is jam-packed with information.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
I've been an enthusiast of Ancient Egypt since I was a young child. As a matter of fact, when I was a teenager, I worked on a jumbo size chess set made of 12-inch-plus clay playing pieces for an art project. And then when the movie Stargate came out, mixing Sci-Fi and Egyptian lore into a single experience, I just couldn't get enough.
The Carlos Museum is one of Atlanta's best kept secrets, and for no good reason...it definitely should be listed as one of the city's major tourist destinations—its collections, Egyptian and otherwise, are just that incredible.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
The Phillips Arena building is unique in Atlanta in that it actually bears the name "ATLANTA" within its facade, in the biggest letters I've seen in any other building in the city.
When I lived in Washington, D.C., I heard the city called by visitors as "the city where everything is carved in stone." An accurate observation where architecture is concerned...many of the city's buildings do indeed have names and quotes engraved into them (fortunately because of our democratic voting system, not 'everything' is carved in stone). But I do not recall a building with such a prominent namesake incorporated into a D.C. structure, as it is at Phillips Arena.
Phillips Arena is home of the city's hockey team the Atlanta Thrashers, named for the Georgia State Bird, the Brown Thrasher, as well as concerts and special events. And the Thrashers have what I think is one of the coolest uniforms in the NHL, but maybe that's a biased opinion. Not at all biased, hockey is one of the most exciting sports to watch live and Phillips is the place in Atlanta to catch that action.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
The 26-floor, 32-story, Terminus 100 high-rise is a unique, ultra-modern structure in the Buckhead skyline in Atlanta, Georgia. It's part of the mixed-use Terminus complex offering office space, residences, and retail, including restaurants (Brick Top's, Flying Biscuit, William David Salon, Brides by Demetrios). Terminus 100 is primarily office space with some retail on the ground floor.
Of interest, the first official name of the settlement that would become Atlanta was "Terminus" (1837), named so for the railroad trade route that would be built.
At the intersection of Peachtree Road and Piedmont Road, the upper levels offer spectacular views of Buckhead and the downtown Atlanta skyline.
I arrived on opening day in the afternoon. The parking lot was full, but there were a number of folks who had been there a while and were leaving, so was able to relatively easily get parking.
I noticed, even in the parking lot, the diverse nationalities who were interested in seeing Mythic Creatures, which translated inside as well. The visitors' cultural and national diversity was as well represented as the origins of the many mythical creatures, from all over the globe, in the exhibition…an encouraging sign.
Getting in and obtaining a ticket was as easy as usual…no wait, very nice. The ticket-taking volunteers provided a brochure with a listing of Opening Day Celebration events, which I didn't even know about, but enjoyed immensely.
The Events
Chinese Lion Dance
I walked into the Great Hall just in time for the start of a Chinese Lion Dance by the Chien Hong School of Kung Fu, believed to bring luck and fortune to all those who see it (I should have played the lottery that night!).
If you've not been to an Opening Day Celebration at Fernbank, and to encourage you to attend the next one, some of the events that day were a Kidsville News Guest Appearance by Truman, the green dragon mascot from Kidsville News.
There were also stations for (mythic-themed) temporary tattoos, a game and coloring corner, a Griffin hat craft station, B98.5 games and giveaway, and storytelling sponsored by Medieval Times Dinner & Tournament.
"living and prehistoric animals inspired dragons, unicorns, mermaids and more as you learn how cultures throughout time have created legends of mythic creatures to explain the natural world."
Fernbank has created an exhibit that tells the tales behind many mythical creatures from around the world that roam(ed) the earth, air, and water…creatures that have given hope, that have terrified, that have inspired dreams of what may be. This exhibit is an experience of imagining, learning, and contemplating.
Walking into the exhibit you see a placard, adorned with gargoyles, telling you what to expect, but it doesn't quite set you up for the wonders awaiting you inside.
Travis and the Dragon
Rounding the corner entering the exhibition, the first creature you meet is a "life-size" dragon. The winged-beast's head is close to the floor (an excellent photo opportunity), but is big enough that he/she could easily fit a grown human in its mouth, were it carnivorous like some of its dinosaur neighbors instead of the fire-breathing sort of creature its more commonly known as.
While there at the big dragon I met Cooper and his daughters who a friend and I had just seen at the bowling alley where we were practicing. He and his girls were participating in a daddy/daughter outing. The girls were really excited to have their photo made with the dragon. Atlanta is the smallest big city I've ever known!
Fernbank Visitors
The total exhibit contains relics, artifacts, works of art, and models of various mediums including sculpture, paintings, model animal parts, fossils, costumes, photographs, glass art, masks, statues, pottery, books, carvings, and videos. Suffice it to say that you're going to need ample time to fully explore the marvels of this exhibition.
After the dragon, the next largest "specimen" I encountered was the Kraken. Being a sea creature, its head and multiple tentacles are protruding through the (sea) floor. The tentacles are considerably taller than I am at 6'2"…an impressive red-eyed monster, to say the least.
Pegasus
Mixed between the upcoming Unicorns and Dragons are a multitude of other mythical creatures each coupled with placards explaining the cultures that told, or tell, their stories, as well as the evolution of some of them.
Among the creatures in the exhibit are: the Cyclops (Greece), Nessie (Scotland), Yawkyawk (Australia), Ahuizotl (Aztec), Kappa (Japan), Sedna (Arctic), Big Foot (Canada), Barong Ket (Bali), Son of an Almas (Mongolia),and Chupacabra (Puerto Rico), to name only a few.
Giant Squid tentacle
Coupled with several mythical creatures are real artifacts or specimens to help facilitate the truth about what people have seen, such as Jules Verne's Giant Squid from the book 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
To explain what he wrote about there is a six-foot section of tentacle modeled from a 25-foot Giant Squid caught in New Zealand, now in the American Museum of Natural History in New York City. The Giant Squid, a real species, can grow up to 70 feet long…so Jules was not totally exaggerating.
Gigantopithecus
Another interesting point convey by the exhibit is that some mythical creatures were based on fossil remains. The Gigantopithecus, a huge ape-ish creature that went extinct about 300,000 years ago (so we don’t know if humans ever actually saw one), was a habitant of certain parts of Asia.
The ancient Greeks created the Monster of Troy based on a fossil skull found protruding from a mountainside (believed). The skull is likely the remains of an ancestor of the modern giraffe, called Samotherium. Cultures' histories around the world are peppered with stories similar to this (and there are a lot more examples in the exhibit).
Another method of perpetuation of the existence of mythic creatures has been commerce or entrepreneurial…or to be more accurate, false advertising.
For example, northern merchants sold the tusks of a small arctic whale called narwhal claiming them to be Unicorn horns that held magical powers. They actually look very much like a Unicorn horn.
Feejee Mermaid
Another example is the Feejee Mermaid, called such for a hoax masterminded by P.T. Barnum (the famous circus showman), which is a "manufactured" mermaid created by sewing the head and torso of a monkey to the body of a fish…a practice more than 400 years old.
From personal experience, I recall living in Wyoming as a teenager, never having been out West and still relatively gullible, being shown and told stories about the "Jackalope," a cross between a Jack Rabbit and an Antelope, and shown specimens of the anomalous creature.
Griffin
It took only moments to reconcile the impossibility of such a creature (but weirder things do exist, right?), but the folklore of the Jackalope remains alive and well. As I would learn during my time in Wyoming, westerners love their practical jokes…which actually are lots of fun!
The Griffin, a personal favorite among mythical creatures, is represented in the exhibit…a tall golden one perched on hind legs, at that. A guard of gold, this particular model is actually gold in color…a remarkable representation.
Unicorn and Travis
A very, very popular photo spot in the exhibition is in front of the life-size Unicorn, a white horse with a single long horn growing from its forehead. The exhibit tells us that the Unicorn is a creature that exists in the history of many cultures, including the qilin, a Unicorn from China.
Even though there were mostly younger persons taking advantage of the opportunity to be photographed with a Unicorn, I myself couldn't resist…I mean, when is this opportunity going to present itself again?
Chupacabra
There is much, much more to see in this exhibition, but I've taken enough of your time. Go see the exhibition for yourself and be taken on a mythical adventure of epic proportions!
I'd like to applaud Fernbank Museum of Natural History for allowing photographs in this exhibit. They've made a lot of kids happy, adults too, by giving us special memories that we can revisit, and share, anytime we wish just by clicking through a photo album…thank you, Fernbank!
The Other Exhibits
The much-anticipated Fernbank NaturQuest exhibit is opening soon (Saturday, March 19, 2011). Created for kids, the exhibit will be a highly interactive fun and learning environment complete with a clubhouse, a tree fort or sorts, and state-of-the-art technology to engage kids in learning in several unique ways.
Lion Dance
And, for grownups, there is the Martinis & IMAX event on Friday evenings, which I'll be attending this coming Friday to catch up friends I knew in Washington, D.C. who live in Atlanta now…looking forward to meeting up with them in such an ultra-cool space.
There's a lot more to see at Fernbank. Some of the attractions that I like to revisit from time to time are the Star Gallery, Fernbank Forest, the rose garden, Reflections of Culture, World of Shells, and of course the dinosaurs! There's always something new at Fernbank whether a new special exhibit, a new IMAX film, or a fun exhibit-related event.
The Return
See an exhibit at Fernbank more than once? I totally want to go back and mingle with the dozens of mythical creatures at Fernbank, learn more about the similarities and differences among cultures when it comes to explaining the world we live in. So, yes, I will definitely go back to see "Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids."
Touring Fernbank Natural History Museum
Date toured: Saturday, February 19, 2011 Location: 767 Clifton Road, NE (directions and map) Parking: Free onsite parking Cost: $15 Adults; $14 Seniors and Students; $13 Children Hours: Monday-Saturday 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday noon-5:00 p.m. Website: http://www.fernbankmuseum.org/
The Marietta Museum of History sits immediately adjacent to the Gone With the Wind Museum, both on Historic Marietta Square. The Museum's building itself is historic, having been a cotton warehouse in 1845 and converted to a makeshift hospital and morgue in 1855.
Today, the Museum is home to numerous collections that share with visitors the history of Marietta and Cobb County, Georgia, in exhibits specific to local history, home life, and the military.
Immediately in front of the Museum is a working railroad (the original economic cornerstone of Atlanta) and it's only a few steps away from the Marietta Welcome Center.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
"Threshold" was part of a citywide beautification project the likes I saw only once in the decades I've known Atlanta. I've said it before and I'm sure I'll say it again..."the 1996 Olympic Games was one of the best things to happen to this city."
The follow-on of the beautification project is today managed by the Atlanta Public Arts Legacy Fund, which carries on the work of the former Corporation for Olympic Development in Atlanta (CODA).
The 12 foot tall, painted bronze Threshold was created by Robert Llimos of Barcelona, home of the 1992 Olympics. Threshold was part of an Olympic cultural exchange. It stands near Underground Atlanta and only a few steps from the Atlanta Visitor Center.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
You would think that Tower Place 100 is one of the newer skyscrapers in the Buckhead skyline, judging by its modern, octagon, glass design, but actually its construction was completed in 1974! Amazing, right?
The 29 floor (401 feet) building is primarily office space and is joined by a plethora of more recently erected also glass skyscrapers in Buckhead (one of the wealthiest zip codes in the nation according to Forbes Magazine), most of which are multi-use structures.
Just in case you're driving down Peachtree trying to spot Tower Place 100, although the building has a Peachtree Road address (3340 Peachtree Road, NE), it sits at least a block off of Peachtree on Tower Place Drive, NE. The Tower Place complex, home of several other skyscrapers and buildings, does in fact border Peachtree Road, thus the seemingly confusing address.
ATLANTApix of the tourATLANTA blog features a "photo-of-the-day" of Atlanta. Come back tomorrow for a new one!
