Cobb Landmarks Receives Historic Gift

Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society is honored to be the recipient and guardian of two important and substantial collections of historical documents, correspondence, photographs, maps, and newspapers donated by the Marietta Daily Journal and the Bill Kinney family. These collections form a unique picture of the history of Marietta and Cobb County over the last century and will provide an invaluable tool to local history researchers in the future.
 
Bill Kinney, Jr., who died in 2016 after a lifetime in Cobb County, was longtime editor of first the Cobb County Times and then the Marietta Daily Journal when those papers merged. His obituary refers to him as "a living, breathing encyclopedia for everything Cobb County." He retired in 2013 after 75 years covering the people and politics of Marietta and Cobb. His "Around Town" column was the premier source of local news for many years, and his name still appeared on the masthead as Associate Editor Emeritus until his death.

The Kinney collection contains some personal items - including his typewriter - as well as personal papers and correspondence covering events ranging from the establishment of Kennesaw Battlefield Park, the Leo Frank case, the building of the Bell Bomber Plant, the founding of Kennesaw College, and much, much more.
 
The Marietta Daily Journal collection comprises a vast collection of reporter notebooks, film, photography, and audio recordings.
 
Cobb Landmarks thanks the MDJ and the Kinney family for entrusting us with this rich collection of local history materials. Cobb Landmarks' long-term plan is to digitize each collection. This project will be funded through grants and/or private donations. Cobb Landmarks is currently seeking funding. The vision is to provide access to these and similar files through a searchable database through the Cobb Landmarks website and to establish a research library located in Marietta.