Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society, Inc. was formed in the early 1970s by a group of civic-minded Cobb residents to help preserve and promote awareness of our Cobb County heritage. Since that beginning, the Society has grown and brought to the community a heightened sensibility to our past and to the physical reminders of our history. Cobb Landmarks hired their first part-time executive director in 1989. Currently, Cobb Landmarks has over
750 dues-paying members.
Cobb Landmarks has restored the c. 1845 William Root House, one of Marietta’s oldest residential structures. The house was donated to CLHS in 1989 with the stipulation that the building be moved to a different site. The current site of the Root House is leased by CLHS from the City of Marietta. The Society has developed the residence into a museum depicting middle-class urban life in Marietta in the 1850s. Many Cobb County residents and visitors now experience the Root House, and many of Cobb and Marietta Schools send their fourth grade students on fieldtrips to the museum each year.
In 1999, The Trust for Public Land gave Cobb Landmarks the Power Cabin in East Cobb. The c. 1845 structure is one of the few remaining log houses in Cobb County. Since that time, a preservation plan has been completed and the property has undergone a complete rehabilitation. The property is used for educational purposes.
The cabin has had the same tenant for over 30 years. As part of the donation agreement,
the tenant may remain in the cabin for as long as she wishes and is able to care for it. Cobb Landmarks members may visit the cabin
periodically during the year, on designated “Power Cabin Days”.
Cobb Landmarks and Historical Society has published several items relating to the history of the area. In 2003, Landmarks published
Cobb County, Georgia, and the Origins of the Suburban South: A Twentieth-Century
History by Thomas A. Scott. The First Hundred Years of Cobb County by Sarah Temple was first republished by CLHS in 1989 and again in 1997. The Society published
Sarah Freeman Clarke by Joan Kopp in 1993. Several pamphlets are published as well:
W&A promotional brochure; a historical map of Cobb County; The
General; The Texas; as well as a print of an 1864 watercolor of “Maryetta” by Horace Rawden, Jr. More recently, in 2001, CLHS republished
Historic Highlights in Cobb County, by Bowling C. Yates, which was first published in 1973.
The Landmarker is the Society’s newsletter that is published semi-monthly.
Cobb Landmarks has several fundraising events that contribute to the community’s awareness of heritage as well as provide financing for our organizational operations and historic properties. Our largest fundraiser is the Marietta Pilgrimage. Held the first week of December, Cobb Landmarks co-sponsors the Pilgrimage with the Marietta Welcome Center. The Pilgrimage is a tour of homes in one of the five National Register Districts in Marietta. The first weekend of May, Cobb Landmarks holds a series of Spring Garden Events, including a preview party, an heirloom plant sale, and a gardener’s flea market. All proceeds from these events go to our Root House Museum. Our fall fundraiser is entitled “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner…”. A series of themed dinner parties are held in private homes, hosted by CLHS members. The admission price for the event is donated to Cobb Landmarks and includes a one-year membership to the organization. This event has resulted in attracting many new members as well as being a successful fundraiser. In the past, Landmarks has hosted thirteen “Through the Garden Gate” Spring Garden Tours, two “Autumn Turns to Gold” Auctions; four annual “Ghostly Legends”, a Halloween walking tour in downtown Marietta; the 1992 Document A Quilt Project; Soul Food & Spirituals in conjunction with the Zion Baptist Church; and the 14th Annual State Conference on Historic Preservation in 1982.
Cobb Landmarks also works to expand preservation awareness to the public. Each year during our Annual Meeting, Cobb Landmarks recognizes outstanding citizens and organizations for their preservation efforts through our Annual Awards. In addition, CLHS has sponsored four of the five National Register Historic Districts in Marietta. Landmarks also provides technical preservation assistance to the public both on request and through planned events and activities.
