Gone With the Wind Trail: Central Library

The Central Library & Library System Headquarters of the Atlanta-Fulton Public Library System is home to an impressive Margaret Mitchell and Gone With the Wind collection. While the display isn't exactly museum quality, the artifacts totally are...a fantastic addition to the Gone With the Wind Trail.

Margaret Mitchell at Central Library

Among the attention-grabbing artifacts at the Central Library exhibition is the Remmington typewriter that Margaret Mitchell used to write Gone With the Wind. Even though I learned to type on a typewriter, it's ridiculously unfathomable that she type a novel as long as Gone With the Wind on a manual device! But then again, I suppose it was considerably quicker that writing it out by hand. We're so spoiled today!

Okay, so to give you an idea of how extensive the collection is, Central Library has nearly 1,500 artifacts, including 73 editions of 35 translations of Gone With the Wind, as well as more than 500 of Margaret's personal books, many of which she used for research. And there are many, many other artifacts, some of which I'll share with you now.

Margaret Mitchell at Central Library

Of all the artifacts on display, the one that made me gasp, literally, is Margaret Mitchell's library card...her actual library card! And it looks like it got a great deal of use, which historical accounts confirm as factual.

You'll see that the card says "Carnegie Library of Atlanta," which was the first public library in Atlanta opening in 1902. And it was a beautiful library. Unfortunately, it was demolished to make way for Central Library—this one—which opened in 1980. 

If you'd like to catch a glimpse of what's left of Margaret Mitchell's library—Carnegie Library of Atlanta—you won't have to go too far...it's walking distance for most.

At the other end of Peachtree Street in Downtown Atlanta, where Peachtree Street and West Peachtree Street converge, and across the street from the SunTrust Plaza, there stands a memorial constructed from the facade and columns of the Carnegie Library. 

It's the "Carnegie Education Pavilion," a monument to higher education in Atlanta, and it bears the emblems of eight local higher education institutions.

Margaret Mitchell at Central Library

While a lot of Margaret Mitchell attractions have paintings of her, you're not always looking at the originals. This one (above) at Central Library is in fact original and it's rather extraordinary. 

This particular portrait was painted by Constantin Chatov (1904-1993), a Russian immigrant and concert pianist-turned-artist. He also painted portraits of Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable.

One of the charming points of this painting is just behind her left shoulder, your right. Have a look. Yes...yes, that's Tara!

Margaret Mitchell at Central Library

Having served in the U.S. Navy, this next artifact I personally found ultra fascinating. Who else should commission the U.S.S. Atlanta (CL 104) other than the consummate Atlantan?! 

That's right, Margaret Mitchell christened the fourth ship to bear the name "USS Atlanta," and this is the christening bottle. That ship entered service in 1944 and served during World War II, and was eventually used for target practice and sunk in 1970. This whole display case features artifacts from that ceremony.

Margaret Mitchell at Central Library

Among the prestigious artifacts in the Central Library collection are Margaret Mitchell's 1936 National Book Award and her 1937 Pulitzer Prize (above). See, I told you this is an impressive collection! And how cool to see a real Pulitzer Prize.

Margaret Mitchell at Central Library

So, not only does Central Library have this brilliant Margaret Mitchell collection, it's across the street from Margaret Mitchell Square, which is modest, but features abstract sculptures of the Carnegie Library (which I just realized as I'm writing this—you'll see what I'm talking about when you see the Carnegie Education Pavilion) within water features.

It's been decades since I've been in an actual library. Visiting Central Library was a pleasant experience and quite refreshing to see so many people reading and researching...and reading...reading books! Real, paper books! 

When was the last time you saw that?! I love my technology—and would never give it up—but I do love cracking the cover of a paper book...there's no replacement for that. Does that make me sound nostalgic or just old?

So, we're halfway through my Gone With the Wind Trail series. Come back tomorrow and Friday for writings about the final two of the five main destinations (and see the last couple of days for the first two writings), and I'll cover some others over the weekend. I hope you're having as much fun with this as I had researching it.

Thank you for reading. Please enjoy the other installments in my Gone With the Wind Trail series (July 1-5, 2013)…

Gone With the Wind Trail: Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum

Gone With the Wind Trail: Margaret Mitchell House

Gone With the Wind Trail: Central Library

Gone With the Wind Trail: Oakland Cemetery

Gone With the Wind Trail: Road to Tara Museum

Gone With the Wind Trail: Oakland Cemetery

To be a final resting place, Historic Oakland Cemetery is beaming with life. I recently visited for the second time, specifically to see the grave site of the world famous Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone With the Wind. The first time I went, there was a film crew in the area and I couldn't get so close.

What a gratifying experience...as much as I've been studying her, being at her grave site gave me an odd sense of connection—more so than through some of the artifacts I've had the great pleasure of seeing up close.

Margaret Mitchell's grave site, Historic Oakland Cemetery

Margaret Mitchell's final resting place is fairly modest, especially compared to some of the other ornately sculpted and gargantuan grave markers. But actually, of all who are buried at Oakland Cemetery, I would venture to say that Margaret Mitchell has the greatest global celebrity—not that it's a competition. 

She is, however, in some great company, including golf legend Bobby Jones, Atlanta's first African-American major Maynard Jackson, six Georgia governors, and 3,000 unknown Confederate soldiers...and thousands more.

Historic Oakland Cemetery, final resting place of Margaret Mitchell

One of the very cool aspects of where Margaret Mitchell is buried—which is a family plot where her husband was later laid to rest next to her—is that you can also see the Georgia-Pacific Building (above photo, building on the left), which is where the Loew's Grand Theatre once stood—home of the premier of Gone With the Wind.

Historic Oakland Cemetery

Historic Oakland Cemetery is a beautiful Victorian garden cemetery, and so much more—and I highly recommend exploring it, fully—but right now I'd like to talk a bit about Margaret's life.

Historic Oakland Cemetery

So many people connect with Margaret Mitchell through Gone With the Wind the book or the movie, but she was a fairly complex person, well beyond the complexities of being a 1937 Pulitzer Prize winning author alone.

Hers is a wonderful story. 

Gone With the Wind very likely would not have come about had it not been for multiple injuries, beginning with a horse riding injury Margaret sustained as a child.

Historic Oakland Cemetery

But, before I go further, let me clarify the various names Margaret went by throughout her life. She was baptized Margaret Munnerlyn Mitchell, which is what her family and friends knew her as up until the time she went to college.

Not too long after returning to Atlanta after a year a Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts, she secured a writing job at the Atlanta Journal and went by the pen name "Peggy Mitchell." She later married John Marsh and was then known as Margaret Mitchell Marsh, although it's said by her friends that she really preferred to be called Mrs. John Marsh.

Historic Oakland Cemetery

Although a prolific writer—she'd been writing since she could hold a pencil, known for her plays and poetry at a very early age—and a voracious reader—she read practically everything at her nearby public library—she was a far cry from an introvert. 

As a matter of fact, she loved to entertain and she loved adventure...she was fearless as far as I can figure. For example, when she took the job at the Atlanta Journal, she once let herself be swung out of a window in a sling to see how the workmen would feel who were carving the Confederate Memorial on the face of Stone Mountain. Now that's gumption!

Historic Oakland Cemetery

Even more importantly, and probably the thing that I admire most about her, Margaret Mitchell was a very caring and compassionate person. She cared for all kinds of people—particularly people in distress—and not just with her words. Actually, a lot of her generosity and charity went unknown until well after her death.

For the longest time, a local federal prison held an annual Margaret Mitchell Memorial Contest, for prose and poetry—she obviously had an impact on the inmates' lives. Another count of her generosity was funding scholarships for African-American medical students at Morehouse College—with the stipulation that they practice medicine here in Atlanta. She never met any of the recipients, but again, made a significant contribution. These stories go on and on!

Historic Oakland Cemetery

Margaret was very modest about her celebrity...she always wanted to be just a regular Atlanta citizen. As starstruck as I would be if I had met her, I know I would have loved her even more upon discovering that she was just a regular citizen. What an amazing feat that was to have achieved when Hollywood was at its height of celebrity fanfare!

Historic Oakland Cemetery

Small in stature—she was all of 5-feet tall (My grandmother was 4'9", so I know just how tiny Margaret was!)—she is even this many decades after her passing one of the biggest celebrities the world has ever known...I wonder if she knew just how famous she was. Certainly, selling more than a million copies of her book in the first 1.5 years was an indicator, and that had not been done before, so...her modesty was truly admirable.

Margaret Mitchell's grave site, Historic Oakland Cemetery

You know, Margaret Mitchell totally sounds like someone I would have loved to have known. Her kindness, her modesty, her sense of adventure—in life and in writing...what a great friend she must have been. 

Margaret's remains may be at rest, but she is alive and well in the hearts of millions of fans around the world. 

Now, back to reading Gone With the Wind...

Thank you for reading. Please enjoy the other installments in my Gone With the Wind Trail series (July 1-5, 2013)…

Gone With the Wind Trail: Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum

Gone With the Wind Trail: Margaret Mitchell House

Gone With the Wind Trail: Central Library

Gone With the Wind Trail: Oakland Cemetery

Gone With the Wind Trail: Road to Tara Museum

Gone With the Wind Trail: Road to Tara Museum

On my drive to the Road to Tara Museum, the closer I drew to my destination, the more frequently I saw the word "Tara" on business signs, street signs, residential complexes... seriously, I think I saw "Tara" more times on a single spoke of road leading to the Museum than is mentioned in the book. It seemed that way, at least.

Road to Tara Museum

Why Jonesboro and not Atlanta, you ask? In Gone With the Wind, the Tara Plantation was set in Clayton County...specifically in Jonesboro, Georgia. And in 1969, Stephens Mitchell, brother of the Pulitzer Prize winning Margaret Mitchell, proclaimed Clayton County "the Official Home of Gone With the Wind."  You can imagine how proud Jonesboro citizen are.

The model above was built by Gone With the Wind enthusiast Dorothy Friedenreich. It took three years to build and lights in every room work and there's a cutaway on the back so you can see into each room. This is one of the best Tara models I've ever seen!

Road to Tara Museum

Alright, let me back up. The Road to Tara Museum is housed in an 1867 historic train depot, which is deceptively larger inside than you would think. Originally, the Road to Tara Museum opened in 1993, then moved to the depot in 2000. The Museum's collection today is a combination of the Museum's and Gone With the Wind aficionado Herb Bridges' collections.

Road to Tara Museum

The Museum is flanked by Civil War artifacts and displays. The artifact in the above photo particularly fascinated me. "Sherman's neckties" were named for General Sherman whose soldiers would heat sections of rail until they could be bent and twisted around trees, rendering the sections useless.

Road to Tara Museum

One of the more fun artifacts in the Museum—and it's not a replica—is the pantalettes that Vivien Leigh wore in the movie. Arguably one of the most memorable scenes of the film, Mammy, rather forcefully, pulls taught the pantalettes on Scarlett O'Hara, who is holding on to a bedpost for dear life. The things women go through to look attractive!

Road to Tara Museum

Surely you've figured out by now that I'm only giving you highlights of the Museum...there's way, way too much to tell about all of it. I'd say there's so much you could write a book about it, but that's the reason we're here, right? I know, I know...I couldn't resist.

The above 16' by 8' Road to Tara mural is an original oil by Atlanta artist Del Nichols. In the upper corners there are portraits of Margaret Mitchell and David O. Selznick, and somewhere in the painting is also rendering of Elvis Presley! Nichols is known to be something of a fun sort.

Road to Tara Museum

Among the Museum's impressive collection are a lot of different dresses from the movie, many created by the Road to Tara Costume Guild, some even crafted from original plans. 

Some of the dresses include the famous Green Drapery Dress, the Burgundy Dress, the Fur-trimmed Dressing Gown, Bonnie Blue's Riding Habit, and several others. So, in addition to being a destination that pleases Windies, Civil War buffs, and history fans, it's also great for fashion enthusiasts.

Road to Tara Museum

There are quite a few remarkable artifacts in this Museum—every Gone With the Wind enthusiast will be grateful for having visited. One of my absolute favorites is what was one of only four 200-pound brass marquees that graced the front of the Loew's Grand Theatre where Gone With the Wind premiered on December 15, 1939. Today, the Georgia-Pacific Building stands where the Loew's stood until 1978.

From the Loew's there are also some theatre chairs, carpet panels, railing, and one of the remnant bricks from the demolition of the Theatre.

Road to Tara Museum

As the second best-selling book in the world and one of the most-viewed movies of all time, there is an incomprehensible amount of merchandising...some of it licensed, some of it not. The Road to Tara Museum has quite a bit on view, including more Gone With the Wind dolls than I've ever seen! It's a collector's cornucopia of themed dolls—featuring all the major personalities from the  book.

Road to Tara Museum

I totally enjoyed my visit to the Road to Tara Museum. The Museum staff were hospitable and welcoming and quite knowledgeable about the book, Jonesboro, and the Museum. That doesn't always happen. I totally recommend a visit...and check out the other nearby tourist destinations!

Thank you for reading. Please enjoy the other installments in my Gone With the Wind Trail series (July 1-5, 2013)…

Gone With the Wind Trail: Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum

Gone With the Wind Trail: Margaret Mitchell House

Gone With the Wind Trail: Central Library

Gone With the Wind Trail: Oakland Cemetery

Gone With the Wind Trail: Road to Tara Museum

Gone With the Wind Trail

Today, June 30, is the anniversary of the publication of Gone With the Wind, the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Atlanta-born Margaret Mitchell. 

To mark the occasion, I'm going to write about each of the five main attractions on the Gone With the Wind Trail—a brilliant collection of all things Gone With the Wind in or near Atlanta.

So, all you Windies, get ready for full week of some Gone With the Wind fun! Blog posts you can look forward this week, include: 

Road to Tara Museum
Jonesboro, Georgia

An amazing Gone With the Wind collection in a museum set in the area where Tara would have been located, Clayton County.

Historic Oakland Cemetery
Atlanta, Georgia (Southeast of Downtown)

Beautiful Oakland Cemetery, the final resting place of thousands of Confederate soldiers and many famous Atlantan's, including Gone With the Wind author, Margaret Mitchell.

Atlanta Fulton County Public Library 
Atlanta, Georgia (Downtown)

Central Library has on the 5th Floor a modest, but impressive exhibit featuring rare photographs and artifacts, many of which cannot be seen anywhere else.

Margaret Mitchell House
Atlanta, Georgia (Midtown)

This Midtown home was where Margaret Mitchell wrote approximately 90% of Gone With the Wind. She and her husband 'fondly' referred to their apartment as "The Dump."

Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum: Scarlett on the Square
Marietta, Georgia

Home of Scarlett's Bengaline honeymoon gown—the real dress, the one that Vivien Leigh wore in the film, the Marietta Gone With the Wind Musuem is phenomenal. I also had the great honor of interviewing the executive director of the Museum.


There are a few other recommendations, beyond the five main ones, noted by the Gone Wit the Wind Trail about which I'll also write, sometime soon. Those include: the Atlanta History Center, the Atlanta Cyclorama & Museum, Stately Oaks Plantation, and the Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park.

Update: Here are the links to my posts of the top five "Gone With the Wind Trail" destinations:

Gone With the Wind Trail: Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum

Gone With the Wind Trail: Margaret Mitchell House

Gone With the Wind Trail: Central Library

Gone With the Wind Trail: Oakland Cemetery

Gone With the Wind Trail: Road to Tara Museum

Enjoy!

The Confederate Lion of Atlanta

The Confederate Lion of Atlanta—often referred to as simply The Lion of Atlanta—stands at the resting place of approximately 3,000 unknown Confederate soldiers at Historic Oakland Cemetery, of which most were lost during the Atlanta Campaign.

Underneath the Lion itself are boxes containing amputated limbs of Confederate soldiers. I know it sounds morbid, but we are talking about war and we're talking about a cemetery, albeit a beautiful cemetery. 

The Confederate Lion of Atlanta, Historic Oakland Cemetery

This memorial to the "Unknown Confederate Dead" was sculpted in 1894 by T. M. Brady of nearby Canton, Georgia, and it was sculpted from the largest piece of quarried Georgia marble as of that time...not a small feat!

Brady was lauded for his beautiful work, save for a few who claimed it to seem too similar to the Lion of Lucerne, which also depicts a dying lion in a very similar position. Their lion monument was for the Swiss Guard who died protecting the French Monarchy—King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette—during the French Revolution.

The Confederate Lion of Atlanta, Historic Oakland Cemetery

The sculpture was unveiled on Confederate Memorial Day in 1894—April 26 to be exact. There has been much speculation on the symbolism of the sculpture...the bottom line, as fascinating as all the speculation is though, is that it signifies the end of an era. It was given by The Atlanta Ladies Memorial Association.

The Confederate Lion of Atlanta,
Historic Oakland Cemetery

The Confederate Lion of Atlanta at Historic Oakland Cemetery is a must-see for any and all tourists. While you can see it for free, I highly recommend taking one of the guided tours...they don't cost very much and are highly informative...you've have to read at least a dozen book to get all the information imparted during one of their docent-led tours!

Hydrangea, A Southern Landscaper's Staple

The hydrangea is synonymous with Southern landscapes, as are the magnolia, dogwood trees, azaleas, crepe myrtles, camellias,  and a very wide range of flowering bulbs. Truly, it seems that everyone I know has hydrangeas in their yards...they're in the backyard at my home.

Hydrangea at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Some of the most spectacular specimens are at the Atlanta Botanical Garden, with a breathtaking spring showing in the Southern Seasons Garden. You'll see them elsewhere in the Garden and you'll see a number of varieties.

Hydrangea at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Their color range is quite spectacular as well, ranging from white to more pinks than you've seen at every wedding ever put together, blues that often reflect the bright Georgia sky, and purples that delight the playful imaginations of kids of all ages.

Hydrangea at the Atlanta Botanical Garden

Hydrangeas at the Garden can be seen in their full blooming glory as late as August—one of the perks of having enough space to display numerous species. 

Recommendation: Always bring your camera to the Atlanta Botanical Garden (to any attraction, as far as that goes, but especially to the Garden). With our incredibly long growing season, things at the Garden can change a lot in merely a week...sometimes even within a single day! Having your camera ready will help ensure you get to keep the memories you know you'll cherish.

Naylor Hall

My travels and explorations take me to some really cool places where I make some great discoveries. Naylor Hall is one of those.

This 1840s antebellum home has ties to the founding of Roswell, Georgia. While Roswell has some wonderful tourist attractions, Naylor Hall isn't open to the public for tours, but feel welcome to view it from the street...it's quite a beautiful historic home, even from there.

Naylor Hall in Roswell, Georgia

Barrington King, son of Roswell King, one of the founders of Roswell, Georgia, built the original home for H. W. Proudfoot, who became the bookkeeper of King's mill.

Roswell Mills later became famous for its production of "Roswell Gray," fabric used in making uniforms for Confederate soldiers.

Naylor Hall in Roswell, Georgia

As the story goes, aware that Sherman was on the way to Atlanta, Confederate uniforms were taken from the Mill and secretly stored at Naylor Hall. In 1864, the home was heavily damaged by Federal troops. Later, Proudfoot rebuilt and stayed in the home until he passed away in June 1871. His family was there until the turn of the century.

Naylor Hall in Roswell, Georgia

In the late 1920s, Col. Harrison Broadwell bought the property and added the Greek columns in the front, the "handmade crafted interiors" and the portico encompassing the original structure. He also renamed the house Naylor Hall for his mother's family name.

Naylor Hall in Roswell, Georgia

A ballroom was added in the 1980s and today is owned by Sunny Bailey who runs it as a special events facility—and a stunning one at that! Sunny has been at Naylor Hall for more than 20 years and has done it all, from catering to bar tending, from setting up the ballroom to decorating...she's a very hands-on wedding planner/facility director.

So, all you history buffs, if you're of the engaged or party planning sort, check out what a gorgeous venue Naylor Hall is, and if you're the sightseeing sort, stop by and admire it from the street, or Facebook even!