For the Days I Spent with MLK Jr., Scarlett O'Hara, and Atlanta, Georgia on My Mind……Marietta, Georgia
The only
other town in Georgia that I ever heard before of was Macon. I have no idea why
but I like the way it sounds, very Southern.
Marietta
is about a half an hours drive outside of Atlanta. While I did not know what
awaited me there, I was blissfully enjoying the gorgeous drive we were taking.
Once
again I was starving so the first thing on the agenda was finding a place to
eat. That was a harder task than any of us realized it would be.
My first
reaction to this town was that it was identical to Stars Hallow, a fictional
town in Connecticut, as any Gilmore Girls fan would know. In the center of town
there is Glover Park, which is located in Marietta’s Historic Square, although
I do not remember seeing any signs saying such.
It was
Halloween weekend (not surprisingly on a another day we also happened upon one
of the coolest Halloween parades ever closer to our base in Atlanta) so there
were a ton of kids dressed in costumes trick or treating in all of the shops.
There was a fair in the Square and it appeared the entire community was out to
celebrate. Coming from a borough in New York City I am not use to this small
town feel but I find it adorable. It was truly like a movie set or as if we had
stepped back in a time machine. Everyone was so friendly and not in that
annoying way that we Yankees find irritating.
We were
trying to take in the whole scene while simultaneously checking out the many restaurants
trying to decide where to eat. It was during this walk around town that we
initially passed the Earl Smith Strand Theater.
Located
in a pivotal spot near Marietta Square, the legendary Earl Smith Strand Theater
opened in 1935 and was noted as a location to see major motion films. It
remained opened until 1976. Much like the Kings Theater right here in Brooklyn
(http://bit.ly/2jl7hbl) it fell into
disrepair while abandoned. After a campaign to raise funds an expansive
renovation took place during the 2000s. Today the Strand Theater is once again
for Marietta residents to enjoy.
Ok here
is what I find extra, super cool about this particular theater. It is a six
degrees of separation kind of moment.
Joanne
Woodward is a famed actress originally from Georgia played Dr. Cornelia Wilbur
in “Sybil”, one of my all time favorite movies. She was married to another
famous actor, Paul Newman who later on in life would become famous for another
reason, his salad dressing.
It is
not a coincidence then, that Woodward was from Marietta and had attended high
school there. Thus when the Strand Theater was undergoing renovations Newman’s
Own was there to extend a helping financial hand. This company owned by this
Hollywood power couple had formed the corporation that made numerous food
related items and established a foundation to support many charitable causes. A
pet project particularly close to the couple’s hearts was restoring and
supporting local theaters, as they were the foundations for their future
careers.
Talk
about a full circle moment for me as I walked passed The Strand.
After
walking around the Square more than once I was ready to eat just about
anywhere. We settled on Hemingway’s Bar & Grill. The weather was marvelous
so we elected to sit outside in the nearby alleyway that was filled with tables
and chairs. It would have been a shame to go indoors if needn’t be.
The
menu was plentiful but I went with cheese and chicken quesadillas, a mainstay
on my list of favorite meals. Lunch was plentiful and quite pleasurable. I
definitely ate way too fast but the tastiness mixed with the fun yet relaxing
atmosphere in the town made me want to swallow up as much of this cheery
feeling as I could. After relaxing we decided we had much to see and it was
time to get a move on it.
Next up
was another rendezvous with Ms. O’Hara and her associates at the Gone with the
Wind Museum.
This
exhibition has been in existence since 2003, the product of Dr. Christopher
Sullivan’s life long collecting as a man of wealth who also happened to be a
fan. He has passed on his impressive amount of wide-ranging Gone with the Wind
mementos to establish this museum for all fellow fans to enjoy.
When
you step inside the first thing I noticed was that the movie was playing. I
wanted to sit down and watch it in its entirety. I haven’t seen it in quit a
while. Right now it is in my DVD player awaiting my full attention.
After
passing that by I didn’t know where to look first. There were so many
intriguing items of various kinds. There were several books and movie posters
in foreign languages, there was a model of Tara, a table featuring the faces of
the four main characters, items from the movie’s opening day, and countless
souvenirs that were available for purchase when the movie and film became
popular. But by far the best of the best has to be the dress wore by Vivien
Leigh herself!!! The dress was the original Bengaline honeymoon gown from the
film. I couldn’t believe I was seeing it up close and personal. For me that was
the highlight of the collection and exhibit both. If I were the owner I
wouldn’t have been so generous and kept that for myself. Although there is a
ton of great stuff to see here it only accounts for about seventy-five percent
of Dr. Sullivan’s collection. The rest resides within his home in Akron, Ohio.
For more information you can check out the fourth link below to read a great
interview with the man himself from 2009.
In
addition to the places I have now visited that are Gone with the Wind related
there is a place online where support and interest is just as important. The
project is called “Saving Tara”. It has taken custody of the facade of Tara
from the studio that was housed her as a popular tourist attraction. Now in
Georgia this group seeks to preserve and restore this magnificent stage set for
future generations of film fans. They can use all of our support and as a
fellow fan I want them to succeed in this endeavor.
“Visit the oldest surviving house in downtown
Marietta and get a glimpse of life for an average family living in antebellum
Georgia. This modest house is more typical of its time and place than the grand
plantations and columned mansions popularized by Gone With the Wind.”
My
final stop on my day in Marietta was the historic William Root House Museum. By
this time it was late in the day and the Atlanta sun was burning a hole through
me. The Root House is off the beaten track a ways so it was a longer walk than
I was in the mood for at that moment but I forged ahead because my companions
were interested and I figured I would be too once I got there.
When I
got there I was sweating and stepping inside did not seem to make me any
cooler. This home dates back to 1845 so of course there was no AC. We were the
only tourists there and the guide seemed to have less experience with the house
than I did but I did manage to learn a thing or two. The owners were Hannah and
William Root. Mr. Root was a druggist and former resident of Philadelphia. The
location I was visiting was not the home’s original location. That would have
been the corner that is currently a church. The house managed to survive the
Civil War hosting the Roots until 1886. After which the lot was divided up and
a library was built on the land. During the 1940s apartments became the housing
model of choice instead of the prior single-family residence. The 1980s took
the house from disrepair through renovations and reorganization as one of the
oldest buildings in Marietta. Subsequently the house was moved to this location
and opened as a museum.
While
being out of the sun was nice my heat sensitivity was still making it hard to
concentrate. Said heat and uncomfortability also made me avoid climbing up to
the second floor but rather to step outside and sit in the garden to catch my
breath and a breeze.
Even
though I only toured the first floor I did get a lot from my visit. What stuck
with me the most is what I learned about the funeral traditions of the late
1840s. After the wake was over each mourner would receive a token of thanks,
sort of like a favor we receive at parties today, to mark the occasion. I have
never ever heard that before and is a piece of a information that I will not
likely forget.
Once we
were all ready to leave the only thing on my mind was a cold drink. On the walk
back to the Square and thus our car I saw a sight so beautiful I thought it was
a hallucination. Luckily it was not. There was a Starbucks and I could not get
inside fast enough. From there my day was a blissful memory.
Marietta,
Georgia for me will always be the Stars Hallow of the South. A picturistic
small town that maintains a duel role as the protective keeper of history while
modern day life goes on. But anywhere you can cross a train track and hit up a Starbucks
is a town I can easily become infatuated with and clearly I did.
I still
have no idea what is in Macon, Georgia but it is certainly on my mind, just for
another time.
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