A young man from Carrollton, GA, comes to the big city hoping to pursue a career in medicine. He walks the streets of Atlanta, knocking on the door of every drug store in town. As the sun is setting, he is hired on the spot by one of the best-known druggists in Georgia and his […]
Author Archives: Lance Russell
Lance Russell is an Atlanta-based filmmaker and media communicator who, for over three decades, has been entrusted by clients to tell their stories. A seasoned producer with an innate ability to cut to the heart of the matter, Lance’s instincts are tailor-made for today’s “media bite” culture. Brief, poignant and always entertaining, Lance’s current passion is bringing Atlanta’s colorful and inspiring past to life with his “rest of the story” style video series, Stories of Atlanta. “History’s best communicators,” says Lance, “have always been storytellers. It’s in our DNA. ‘Once upon a time’ is how we got to where we are now.”
Posted inMedia, Stories of Atlanta
You Be The Judge
When the Hyatt Regency on Peachtree Street opened as the Regency Hyatt House in 1967, it immediately became one of Atlanta’s biggest tourist attractions. It was, in fact, completely unique in the history of modern hotels and people came from near and far to experience architect John Portman’s newest creation. Part of that experience involved […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Show Did Go On
The founding of the City of Atlanta may have been an unforeseen result of Atlanta’s railroads, but the rapid growth of the city by the train tracks did not happen by accident. Nor did the city’s recovery from the devastation of the Civil War. Throughout Atlanta’s history there have always been those who paved the […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Proper Depot
Continuing our march through the history of the City of Atlanta, the population triples in 5-years, there is a recognition of the need for a proper rail connecting point, and the little town by the railroad tracks continues to change. It’s an ongoing story of Iron and Ambition on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Three-Dimensional Thinking
When the State of Georgia greenlit the Western and Atlantic railroad line and marked its terminus point just south of the Chattahoochee River, most observers recognized the impact that the new technology would have on Georgia’s commercial trade. It seems quaint by today’s standards, but almost no one at the time recognized that a world […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Home Away from Home
At the intersection of Ponce de Leon Avenue and Oakdale Road sits a grand old home, one of many along that stretch of Ponce. Built for well-heeled Atlantans, many of the homes, including this one, are no longer residences but, unlike most of the grand homes that once lined Ponce, this home is memorialized in […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Hedging His Bet
As automobile fever began to sweep across America, not everyone was enthralled with the new type of transportation. Among those said to be less than thrilled with the new-fangled form of conveyance was the founder of the Coca-Cola company, Asa Candler. A passing fad thought Atlanta’s best-known businessman, which makes one wonder why, then, did […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Five and Dime
This week we take a look at a city that no longer exists…Atlanta. To be more accurate, South Downtown Atlanta. Once the retail capital below the Mason Dixon Line, everybody who was anybody shopped south of Atlanta’s railroad tracks. Today, it is hard to imagine the amount of two legged, four legged and wheeled traffic […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Atlanta in a Flash
Georgia State’s extensive digital collections library contains visual gems of Atlanta life through the years. Some of those are thanks to the efforts of a man by the name of Tracy O’Neal. For decades, O’Neal captured the rich tapestry of Atlanta. Trade shows . . . Promotional events. . . New Products . . . […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Future Market
Having examined its origin and lived through 100-years of its ups and downs, in episode three of our series on the Municipal Market of Atlanta we contemplate the next century for the Sweet Auburn Curb Market. Having dodged the bullets and defied the odds, we ask “What’s Next?” on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Market’s Ups and Downs
In our last episode we put out the Great Fire, built the market and filled it with food. Who knew that would be the easy part? It turns out that lasting 100-years in the same building in Atlanta is just as hard as one might think it would be. Part two of our story takes […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Building that Survived
What is it with Atlanta and fire? Our city’s motto is Resurgens, a self-congratulatory reference to Atlanta’s rebirth after surviving the fires of war. Five decades after Sherman’s incendiary exit from the city, Atlantans were once again tested by the crucible of fire, and once again, the city was knocked to its knees and got […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
An Unsolved Mystery
As we have so often observed, there is a reason for everything…you just have to know the story. That is not true, at least, when it comes to Martin and Susan DeFoor. You may recognize the name, the Defoors gave rise to one of Atlanta’s many streets named after ferry proprietors. Unfortunately, Atlanta history remembers […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Love ’em and Leave ’em
Atlanta hooked its star to the burgeoning railroad industry and, as a result, became the first great inland city of America. The railroads and Atlanta grew together as rail travel came to dominate the American landscape. But it turns out that Atlanta’s love affair wasn’t so much with the railroads as it was with transportation. […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
A Moral Degeneration
It is illegal in Mobile, Alabama to spray Silly String. In West Virginia, if you’ve ever fought a duel with a deadly weapon, you can forget about running for office, that would be illegal…as would entering a mine in Wyoming should you be intoxicated. And, if you’re under the age of 18 in the State […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Atlanta Bricks
If you could leave a message, knowing that it would be seen for years to come, what would you say? Thousands of people took just that opportunity before the 1996 Olympic Games came to Atlanta. What they chose to say – and how they said it – is the subject of this week’s Stories of […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
The Replica
Charles Lincoln Harper devoted his life to educating the youth of Atlanta. A graduate of Morris Brown College, Harper served as the founding principal of Booker T. Washington High School, the first secondary school in Atlanta for Black students. As principal, Charles Harper expanded the campus, started the student government, and instituted college preparatory and […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Why The Gate City?
If you’re going to throw a party, make it a memorable party. The City of Atlanta did just that when railroad history came to town…the result? Atlanta got a free ride on a party train. It’s a tale about the benefits of sharing water, this week on Stories of Atlanta.
Posted inStories of Atlanta
You Know the Name
He was one of 22 under-equipped soldiers charged with building a fort on Georgia’s western frontier during the War of 1812. After the war, he returned to the area, bought 1,000 acres, and made a life for his family. The family business is long gone but the name is still around as told on this […]
Posted inStories of Atlanta
Bad Blood
Being a lawman in Atlanta during the Civil War was challenging enough. It was especially hard for Tom Shivers when he came face to face with the man who wanted his job. It’s a story with an ironic ending that culminates with a dubious first on this week’s Stories of Atlanta.
