​​Juneteenth marks the end of slavery in the United States. Although the Emancipation Proclamation had declared “all persons held as slaves” would be “forever free” on January 1, 1863, it wasn’t until U.S. Major General Gordon Granger read General Order #3 at Ashton Villa in Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865, that the last enslaved people in America were finally set free. Juneteenth, a combination of “June” and “nineteenth,” commemorates that day.

In 1860 Marietta had 297 households and a population of approximately 2,600. Of the 297 households, 137 (46%) held slaves. The same census shows that there were four enslaved people at the William Root House property: two men and two women, ages 35 to 73. Recently discovered Root family papers and new research into public documents are helping to tell the story of the lives of these individuals. At the Root House Museum, an 1830s log cabin is used to help tell the stories of the enslaved individuals who labored at the Root House property and would have lived in a similar cabin. A garden sculpture erected next to the cabin is dedicated to the 1,200+ enslaved individuals living in Marietta prior to 1860 whose names were not recorded and are now lost to time.    

The William Root House Museum invites the community to learn about Juneteenth during a special event on June 10, 2023. The day will include guided museum tours, living history demonstrations, crafts, storytelling, and more. The museum is pleased to offer free admission during the event.

WHAT: Juneteenth
WHEN: June 10, 2023   10:00am-4:00pm
WHERE: William Root House | 80 N Marietta Parkway, NW | Marietta, GA 30060
COST: FREE
INFO: WilliamRootHouse.com
 
ABOUT THE WILLIAM ROOT HOUSE: The Root House Museum is the first house museum in the U.S. to offer a fully self-guided touchscreen tour. One of the oldest homes in the Atlanta area, the Root House is more typical of its time and place than the columned mansions popularized by Gone With the Wind. While the home and grounds have been meticulously restored to their 1860 appearance, interactive electronic displays have been added to tell the story of the Root family and their enslaved house servants.

On December 7th Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Inc. joined members of the Carter family and distinguished guests, including Marietta Mayor Steve "Thunder" Tumlin, to dedicate a historic marker at the Carter Family House. The Cole Street house is significant in that it is among the oldest remaining historic Black residences in what was once one of Marietta’s largest historically Black neighborhoods. Over time, the Marietta Housing Authority acquired all of the property south of the Carter House, and the Cole Street Missionary Baptist Church acquired all of the property to the north. At one point, the Marietta Housing Authority tried to buy the Carter property, but the family resisted. Today the 1909 house is the only private residence remaining on the block.

Sarah Young and Oscar Carter purchased the house in 1944. The couple raised four children in the house: Donald, Oscar, Jr., Alphonse, and Kenneth. Oscar, Sr. worked as a custodian for Bell Aircraft Company during WWII, and later for the City of Marietta. Sarah worked as a "washer woman” according to the 1930 Census, as a "house maid” according to the 1950 Census, and, later in life, as a Practical Nurse at Dr. Remer Clark's office. She was an active education advocate and served as President of the Lemon Street PTA. Oscar, Sr. died in 1980, and Sarah died in 1991. Their son, Kenneth Carter, was executor of Sarah's will and purchased the Carter House at that time.

Kenneth graduated from Lemon Street High School in 1952. He enlisted in the US Marine Corps during the Korean War. After completing his military duty, Kenneth pursued education, earning a degree from Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, and a Master's degree from the University of Indiana. Kenneth married Jeanie Martin in 1955. In 1962 and went to work as an educator, administrator, and coach in the Marietta City School System. He worked at Lemon Street School, Wright Street Middle School, Park Street Middle School, Lockheed Elementary School, Woods/Wilkins, Marietta Middle School, and Marietta High School. “Coach Carter,” as he was known, worked a total of 48 years in the Marietta school system.

Jeanie, who still lives on nearby Lemon Street, helped to integrate the Marietta City School system as an educator during the 1960s. After teaching at Lemon Street Elementary and Wright Street Elementary, she began working at Hickory Hills Elementary. She taught in the system for 32 years, retiring at Marietta Middle School. After retiring from the classroom, she went on to become the first Black woman to be elected to the Marietta City School Board. She held that office for 16 years.

Today the Carter House stands as a reminder of the legacy of the Carter family and as a symbol of the vibrant Black community which once surrounded it. The historic marker was erected through a partnership between Cobb Landmarks and the Marietta History Center’s Diverse Cobb Committee. The committee manages a grant fund created to erect historic markers in Marietta’s historically Black neighborhoods. The fund was established by Marietta residents Jo-Evelyn and Jim Morris. To nominate a site, or to contribute to the fund, please contact Cobb Landmarks at 678.594.4994.

Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Inc. (Cobb Landmarks) is partnering with the Marietta History Center’s Diverse Cobb Committee to manage a grant fund established to help erect historic markers in Marietta’s historically Black neighborhoods. Initial funding for the project has been provided by Jo-Evelyn and Jim Morris. A Diverse Cobb Committee member, Jim asked the committee to identify homes of significance within the Black community.

The first home to receive a marker through the grant program was the home once owned by Katie and Charlie Hunter, Sr. Mr. Hunter was a successful restaurant owner and entrepreneur, and owned several businesses near the corner of Montgomery and Hunt Streets in Marietta. The marker was unveiled on July 11, 2022. Members of the Hunter family were joined by Marietta History Center Director Amy Reed, Cobb Landmarks Executive Director Trevor Beemon, and donors Jo-Evelyn and Jim Morris. 

To nominate a site, or to contribute to the fund, please contact Cobb Landmarks at 678.594.4994.

In the early years of the 20th century, Julius Rosenwald, president of Sears Roebuck & Co., worked with famed Black educator Booker T. Washington and grassroots leaders across the South to build more than 5,000 schools for Black children. Acworth’s Rosenwald School was built in 1924 and served students until 1947. Saved from demolition in 1948, it was rebuilt on its current site and now operates as a community center. Join us as we explore the history and legacy of this Cobb County landmark. Presenters include Rosenwald school expert Dr. Becky Ryckeley, Marti Rosner and Frye Gaillard, authors of the book Ezra Wants to Know: The True Story of the Rosenwald Schools, and Acworth Alderman Tim Houston.
 
Admission is $10 per person. Tickets must be purchased online in advance. Space is limited. Admission includes a signed copy of the book “Ezra Wants to Know: The True Story of the Rosenwald Schools," a tour of the historic Acworth Rosenwald School and Doyal Hill Park, and entry into a raffle for a door prize awarded at the end of the night. Additional copies of the book will be available for purchase as well as an opportunity to have them signed by the authors.
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WHAT: A Nearer Approach to Justice: Rosenwald Schools in the Jim Crow South
WHEN: February 17, 2022    7:00pm
WHERE: Acworth Rosenwald School, 4410 Cherokee Street Acworth, GA 30101

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​ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKERS​

Becky Ryckeley, Ph.D. currently works as the Coordinator for Social Studies, Gifted, and Advanced Placement for Fayette County Public Schools. She has served as a county coordinator in two metro counties, and prior to that taught 5th grade, middle school, and high school social studies. In 2015, Becky successfully defended her dissertation, The Rural School Project of the Rosenwald Fund. Becky has been married to Rick and is the doting grandmother to Kendall and Caroline.

Marti S. Rosner has been an educator for forty-three years. She has worked as a classroom teacher, a District Academic Coach serving Title I schools in Cobb County, GA, and recently, taught Writing Workshop to teachers and students in her granddaughter’s elementary school. Now she serves as a school reading tutor. Through the years, Marti has enjoyed teaching a variety of professional development classes, presenting at state conferences, serving as a Teacher Consultant for the National Writing Project, and training teachers across the country as a curriculum consultant for Sundance Newbridge, an educational publishing company. With Frye Gaillard she is co-author of two children’s books, The Slave Who Went to Congress and Ezra Wants to Know: The True Story of the Rosenwald Schools. Her dog and two grandchildren keep her hopping, as they love spending time outdoors. She keeps herself hopping by reading, writing, and traveling. When she sits still, she enjoys her home in Marietta, GA.
 
Frye Gaillard was born and raised in Mobile, Alabama, coming of age during the civil rights movement in the South. Those historic events compelled a lifelong reckoning with the issue of race and its effects on the life of our country. Along the way, he became fascinated by the heroes of that struggle, not only the icons like John Lewis, Rosa Parks, or Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., but by the thousands of lesser-known people who committed their lives to the cause of justice. His award-winning works include Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement That Changed America, winner of the Lillian Smith Book Award; A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s, chosen by NPR as one of the best books of 2018, and the historical novel for young readers, Go South to Freedom, a Jefferson Cup Honor Book. With Marti Rosner, he is co-author of two other children’s books, The Slave Who Went to Congress and Ezra Wants to Know: The True Story of the Rosenwald Schools.
 
Tim Houston, a native of Acworth, is married to Janice. They have one son, two daughters and six grandchildren, whom they adore. Tim retired from Cobb EMC in Marietta, GA after 25 years of service. He currently serves on the Electric Cities of Georgia (ECG) Board of Directors as Chairman and serves as a member on the Municipal Electric Authority of Georgia (MEAG) Power Board. Tim is an avid supporter of the Acworth Football and Baseball Association and is a committed supporter of the Expanded Horizon and Achiever Program. Tim is an ordained Baptist Minister and has a Bachelor’s Degree in Christian Ministry. He is an alumnus of North Cobb High School and a graduate of North Metro Technical College. Tim was elected to the Acworth Board of Aldermen in 2004 and is currently serving his fourth term.  

MARIETTA, GA, June 16, 2021 - Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society dedicated a new sculpture at the William Root House on June 12, 2021. The Root House was built circa 1845 for Hannah and William Root, early settlers of Marietta. Born in Philadelphia in 1815, William moved to Marietta in August 1839 to open a drug/mercantile store on the Marietta Square. During the 1990s, the Root House was meticulously restored to its original appearance and is now operated by Cobb Landmarks as a historic house museum. 

Situated on the Root House property is the circa 1830s Manning Family Cabin. Cobb Landmarks uses the cabin to help tell the stories of the enslaved individuals who labored at the Root House property and who would have lived in a similar cabin. The 1860 census shows that Marietta had 297 households and a population of approximately 2,600. Of the 297 households, 137 (46%) held slaves. According to the 1860 slave schedule (census), Marietta's slave population in 1860 was roughly 1,200, meaning that almost 45% of Marietta’s total population was enslaved at that time.

To honor and remember the the more than 1,200 enslaved people living in Marietta prior to the end of the Civil War, Cobb Landmarks partnered with Kennesaw State University’s (KSU) School of Art and Design to create a new garden sculpture. For the sculpture, KSU students used state-of-the-art scanning technology to 3D scan living history interpreter Misha Harp. This scan was used to print a maquette of the sculpture using a 3D printer, which helped inform sculptors as they crafted the full-size sculpture. The unveiling, which attracted a large crowd, included remarks by Executive Director Trevor Beemon, Living History Interpreter Misha Harp, Master Craftsman Page Burch, and a poetry reading by Sprayberry High School student Courtney Brown.

ABOUT THE WILLIAM ROOT HOUSE: Owned and operated by Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, the William Root House is one of the oldest homes remaining in the Atlanta area. Interactive touchscreens and comprehensive exhibits tell visitors about life in antebellum Georgia. Home to the Root family from 1845 to 1886, the house and property have been meticulously restored to their c. 1860 appearance.

​Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society is seeking funds for a new project at the William Root House. The Root House was built circa 1845 for Hannah and William Root, early settlers of Marietta. Born in Philadelphia in 1815, William moved to Marietta in August 1839 to open a drug/mercantile store on the Marietta Square. During the 1990s, the Root House was meticulously restored to its original appearance and is now operated by Cobb Landmarks as a historic house museum. 

A new garden project at the Root House is intended to transform the courtyard adjacent to the newly completed museum Visitor Center. “The Visitor Center is the first thing people see when they arrive at the museum. We want to make an impactful first impression, and also give the space purpose,” said Executive Director Trevor Beemon.

The courtyard is situated between the Root House and the circa 1830s Manning Family Cabin. Cobb Landmarks uses the cabin to help tell the stories of the enslaved individuals who labored at the Root House property and who would have lived in a similar cabin. The 1860 census shows that Marietta had 297 households and a population of approximately 2,600. Of the 297 households, 137 (46%) held slaves. According to the 1860 slave schedule (census), Marietta's slave population in 1860 was 1,175, meaning that almost 45% of Marietta’s total population was enslaved at that time.

To honor and remember the many enslaved people who lived in Marietta prior to the end of the Civil War whose names were not recorded and are now lost to time, Cobb Landmarks is partnering with Kennesaw State University’s (KSU) School of Art and Design to create a garden sculpture. For the sculpture, KSU students used state-of-the-art scanning technology to 3D scan living history interpreter Misha Harp. This scan was used to print a maquette of the sculpture using a 3D printer, which will help inform sculptors as they craft the full-size sculpture in the future. Other improvements to the courtyard include new plants, garden lights, and outdoor seating for museum guests.

Cobb Landmarks hopes to raise $10,000 for this project. Funds raised beyond that amount will be used to expand the scope of the project to include the addition of on-site interpretive signage and other site improvements. Readers are encouraged to visit RootHouseMuseum.com/Garden to donate.
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