Historic Columbus

From our 1947 Industrial Index Tom's Roasted Peanuts, Famous for Flavor! For 96 years, the company has been a Columbus manufacturing staple, employer for our citizens, and economic engine for our community. In 2005, Lance Inc. won the bid to acquire Tom's Foods for $37.9 million plus certain liabilities and renamed it Tom's Snacks Co. In 2018, the company was purchased by Campbell Soup. Unfortunately, it was announced in January of this year that Campbell would be closing the Columbus plant. #waybackwednesday #historiccolumbusga

Country's Barbecue - Columbus was established in 1975 by Jim Morpeth on Mercury Drive. Join Justin at their Broadway location to learn more about this locally owned and loved business. Please visit our Stories or you can click here: https://buff.ly/3dZqfCH. #tuesdayswithjustin #historiccolumbusga

Named for William H. Spencer, the first Superintendent of Colored Schools, the school was established on November 29, 1930. The construction of this school (10th Avenue and 8th Street) was made possible by generous donations from the Rosenwald Foundation, Dr. George Foster Peabody, and the Board of Education. William H. Spencer was honored for his untiring efforts and persistence to persuade the Board of Education to provide an accredited high school for Black children. Pr...ior to this time, parents who wanted their children to advance beyond the ninth grade had to send their children out of Columbus. Initially it was grades 9-11, the twelfth grade was added later. It was the first African American High School in Columbus. Spencer High School moved from this location in 1953. The buildings then became home to Marshall Junior High School until they burned in 1978. Lummus Industries was located next to the school - the site is now the home of Waggoner Trucking. Spencer High School #historiccolumbusga #markermonday

Save the date! The Historic Zion Episcopal Church, c. 1848 was the recipient of Historic Columbus' second Public Participation Grant in 2019 for $100,000. It is one of America's most significant Gothic Revival structures. They are hosting a celebration of the recent exterior restoration on Saturday, April 24th,. You can visit the beautiful church in Talbotton, Georgia for live music, church tours, and more! They are selling tickets to assist with further restoration need...s. Buy tickets here: https://buff.ly/3cYelcU Zion Church Restoration Inc

Lieutenant Charles Stevens was born in 1931. He began serving scrambled dogs at Dinglewood Pharmacy in 1944. To natives, no name, face, or dish is better known than Lieutenant and his scrambled dogs. He was the master chef of Wynnton Road. His mentor was Sport Brown, who made the hot dogs before him. But it was Firm Roberts, a South Columbus restaurant owner, who created the dish. A scrambled dog at Dinglewood has become a rite of passage for many local families. Lieuten...ant was legendary. Over the past several months, we have been attempting to share fuller stories and more diverse stories that tell the history of our community in a more complete manner. The next part of this post is to do just that to explore a little further into how the restaurant and retail community in Columbus was desegregated. Up until the early 1960s in Columbus, restaurants and lunch counters like Dinglewood only served white patrons. Black customers typically ordered from the back door and would eat outside. In mid-December 1961, after negotiations by a group of Black and white Columbus citizens, the Chamber of Commerce announced plans for a lunch counter desegregation in early 1962. After careful planning, on January 24, 1962, five lunch counters downtown and two near Fort Benning served twenty-two Black patrons without incident. Plainclothes police at each location protected the African Americans, a stark contrast to other communities. Other downtown restaurants began serving African Americans over the next few months. Two years later, in October 1963, after more negotiations and a city commission, Columbus theaters peacefully desegregated. In July 1964, other retail establishments desegregated, as well as began hiring African American salesclerks. The sources of this post are 100 People to Remember (1999) for the Ledger-Enquirer by Richard Hyatt with artwork by Don Coker and Red Clay, White Water, and Blues by Virginia Causey. #historiccolumbusga #hcfcelebrates

Peanuts became more important to Georgia and Alabama farmers when the dreaded boll weevil decimated the preferred crop, cotton, and a substitute source of income was needed. Young Tom Huston grew up on a farm in Henderson, Texas. Determined to develop a mechanical peanut sheller, by 1912 he had a hand operated model ready for production. The invention brought Huston to Columbus the Columbus Iron Works agreed to manufacture the new product according to his specifications. ... For more history on Tom's Foods, please go to: https://buff.ly/3dOOh38 Tom’s Snacks Amazing Columbus, GA Visit Columbus, GA

From our Columbus Centennial Number Industrial Index - Springer Hotel and Opera House. Francis Joseph Springer opened the theatre in 1871, which would help the city thrive after the Civil War by attracting the most famous actors of the time from all over America onto our stage. The Springer Opera House is not only the State Theatre of Georgia, it is also one of only seven theaters in the United States producing theatre in a National Historic Landmark. #waybackwednesday

For the first Tuesdays with Justin episode of 2021, Justin is at the first solid concrete structure built in Columbus, Georgia! This building has a fascinating history, so tune in to hear all about it. : https://buff.ly/2JMqsOF

Your Annual Fund donation helps save places that matter! On-going education programs, preservation grants, maintenance of the Rankin House and Walker-Peters-Langdon House, and membership events are all supported by the Annual Fund. We are very grateful to all who have attended our events and contributed to our organization. We hope you will consider giving a year-end gift to help Historic Columbus invest more resources in our community. You love Columbus, and so do we. Tha...nk you for all you do to make our community a better place! If you can help, please consider donating to our Annual Fund. Head to https://buff.ly/3mamTPs now.

This week, we cover more of the early history of the Columbus Fire Department - how the early water system worked, stations 3 - 5, the role of the Fire Department in the Civil War, and the Broadway Bell Tower. Please go to our blog to read the full story! https://www.historiccolumbus.com//columbus-fire-department #historiccolumbusga

From our 1947 Industrial Index - Yesterday and Today on St. Luke Church Site. The New St. Luke Methodist Church , Columbus, Georgia. Building, equipment, and furnishings will cost between $450,000 and $500,000. Weiner & Finke, Philadelphia, Pa., and Jas. J. W. Biggers, Columbus, Associate Architects. Williams Construction Co., Columbus General Contractor. The building was destroyed by fire on May 10, 1942. This was the fifth church building to be erected by the Saint Luke Columbus Methodist Church congregation. #waybackwednesday #historiccolumbusga

When Chero-Cola added Nehi to its soda line in 1924, the company produced numerous fruit-flavored sodas, including grape, orange and peach. These Nehi offerings became so successful that they outsold beverages in the Chero-Cola line completely, so the company changed its name in 1928 to reflect this new focus on the winning product. During the Great Depression, sales of Nehi dropped from the $3.7 million mark in 1929 to $1 million in 1930, and sales declined until 1932, which... marked the only year the company ever lost money. When RC Cola became the bestselling product offered by the company in 1955, the Nehi Corporation changed its name to the Royal Crown company. In April 2008, the Dr. Pepper Snapple Group purchased the Nehi cola brand. To learn more about Columbus' Soft Drink history and to see all of the markers, go to: https://www.historiccolumbus.com/columbus-soft-drink-herita #markermonday #historiccolumbus

Today, Justin has a story about the longest-running business in Columbus, Georgia! Tune in to learn about this company and its history in our community: https://buff.ly/3gntlBo. We'll see you next Tuesday!

What great news to start the New Year! Historic Columbus is excited about the proposed development of the historic school in Rose Hill. It will be a great, adaptive re-use as apartments and a hopeful catalyst for future revitalization efforts in this historic neighborhood. Early in 1888, the school system began to school children in Rose Hill and Northern Liberties, which had been recently annexed. By 1900, a new elementary school would be constructed and designed by Thom...as W. Smith. It is a two-story building over an English basement. The brick and stone structure was created on the Quincy Plan a new design concept in school arrangement developed in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1845, which allowed for maximum light and ventilation. For more history on Rose Hill and Northern Liberties, please visit our blog: https://buff.ly/3izH4W6 For more info on this project, please click on to the Ledger-Enquirer's story: https://buff.ly/3h8Aupq

@steeplechasin is almost here! Historic Columbus is proud to be a beneficiary of Steeplechase. We need your help to meet our goal for raffle ticket sales. So, we are giving away TWO prizes to the person who purchases the 35th and 45th raffle ticket. Visit the #linkinbio to secure your raffle ticket and a chance to win a prize. Prizes include a copy of This Place Matters by Virginia T. Peebles and, our Executive Director, Elizabeth K. Walden and a package of HCF goodies... like a tumbler, tea towel, trivet, and Springer Staffordshire Plate. DM us with any questions! *You do NOT have to be present at Steeplechase to win. Drawing to follow the last race on Saturday, November 7, 2020.* #historiccolumbusga #chaserace See more

This the final part of the Columbus Fire Department series and the final day of one crazy year! This post covers several more recent fires and stations 9 - 12. It also starts with a tribute - answering the question, what is a fireman? We hope you've enjoyed these History Spotlights over the past several months. We also hope you'll continue following them in the new year! To learn more, please click on our blog: https://buff.ly/39MAd9U #historiccolumbusga

The Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens is almost here! Historic Columbus is proud to be a beneficiary of Steeplechase. We need your help to meet our goal for raffle ticket sales. So, we are giving away TWO prizes to the person who purchases the 35th and 45th raffle ticket. Visit the #linkinbio to secure your raffle ticket and a chance to win a prize. Prizes include a copy of This Place Matters by Virginia T. Peebles and, our Executive Director, Elizabeth K. Walden and a pac...kage of HCF goodies like a tumbler, tea towel, trivet, and Springer Staffordshire Plate. DM us with any questions! *You do NOT have to be present at Steeplechase to win. Drawing to follow the last race on Saturday, November 7, 2020.* #historiccolumbusga #chaserace

Erected by the Historic Chattahoochee Commission, the Garrett and Sons historical marker is located at 11 9th Street. After the war, Colonel Joseph Simpson Garrett opened Garrett & Sons in Columbus which was a Tobacco, Whiskey, and grocery wholesale shop and was regarded as the first of its kind in Columbus. He was appointed to Postmaster of Columbus from 1897-1905 by President William McKinley and also owned Garrett-Williams Distillery in Baltimore, MD. He died December 19, 1923 in Midland, Georgia.

Historic Columbus celebrated its 54th Annual Meeting & Preservation Awards earlier this week. We were so excited to honor ten individuals and organizations for their incredible investment in preservation and to present the 37th Sarah Turner Butler Heritage Award to the Housing Authority of Columbus! You can watch our virtual meeting on our FB page and YouTube Channel. For the full list of the Preservation Award recipients: https://www.historiccolumbus.com//historic-columbus-celebr

This has been a tough year for us all, but the work you love continues. Because of the support of our members and friends in 2020, $61,500 was invested in the continued maintenance and preservation of HCF's three historic house museums. The Walker-Peters-Langdon House and Slave Cabin, c. 1828 (716 Broadway), tells the story of the beginnings of Columbus. This coming year, HCF will develop a new outdoor exhibit at the WPL to better share the history of the oldest house in t...he city and the only urban slave cabin open to the public in Columbus. The house already has several outdoor panels that you can check out in person and there are short virtual tours on our website! Preservation can't happen without YOU! Thank you for supporting these efforts in our community. If you can help, please consider an end of the year gift. Head to our website at https://buff.ly/3mamTPs now. #historiccolumbusga #columbusgeorgia #columbusga

2020 has been a tough year for us all, but the work you love continues. It has been one of our most active in terms of great preservation projects, exciting advocacy efforts, and new education programming. We think you’ll be proud! Because of the support of our members and friends this past year, $132,400 in Façade and Rehab Loans was provided to help seven families repair their older and historic homes. Preservation can't happen without YOU! Thank you for supporting these efforts in our community. If you are able to help, please consider an end of the year gift. Head to https://buff.ly/36hKhpu.

Tune in for a message from our Executive Director, Elizabeth Walden! Historic Columbus’ Executive Committee has decided not to host our major fundraiser, A Night In, as a precautionary health measure for our patrons. As you can imagine, this was a difficult decision and one that will impact funding for both educational programming and preservation efforts. Interested in giving? Donate here: https://buff.ly/34WQftZ. ... By selecting to donate a patron package or individual ticket, you can ensure scholarships for our community’s children to continue their dream of college or provide grants to help save our community's historic resources. You can choose to designate your gift for one of these great programs or both!

Thank you for joining us for our first virtual Annual Meeting! We are excited that you're here, so you can celebrate four new members to the Board of Directors, eight new members to the Board of Trustees, ten preservation awards, and the 37th Sarah Turner Butler Award, HCF's highest honor, with us! For more information about Historic Columbus, visit our website www.historiccolumbus.com.

Today, Justin takes us to a vacant home that was recently purchased by Historic Columbus. Turns out, it was buzzing with life! Tune in to learn more about today's episode of Tuesdays with Justin. Follow along here: https://buff.ly/3kvcOML. For more information about Historic Columbus and how you can work with us for historic preservation, visit our website at https://buff.ly/3ni4GB3.

Mark your calendars! We are going LIVE on our Facebook and Youtube TOMORROW, Tuesday, October 27th, at 5:30 PM for the 54th Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards. We hope you'll tune in and join us to celebrate another year of preservation within our community!

Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens ensures the continued success of Historic Columbus and the arts movement within our community. Because of the funding Historic Columbus receives, we can further develop our mission to revitalize, educate, advocate, and preserve. Buy a raffle ticket today for not only a chance to win the vacation of your dreams and to make a direct impact on the future of our community. Head to https://buff.ly/3dyZl3Z to buy your raffle ticket TODAY! *You do not have to be present to win! Drawing to follow the last race on Saturday, November 7, 2020.*

Like every profession, historic preservation evolves as new concepts are learned and tested. From wrecking balls to City Mills, a lot has changed over 54 years in the way our community views preservation and what it can bring to the table. We’re gearing up for a great (virtual) 54th Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards on Tuesday, October 27th with a little blast on the past of Historic Columbus. Please read our latest blog on the evolution of it all: https://www.historiccolumbus.com//from-wrecking-balls-to-c #deserve2preserve #historiccolumbusga

Construction of the Bartlett's Ferry Development by Stone and Webster, Inc., necessitated the relocation of certain parts of the Chattahoochee Valley Railroad and county highways and bridges. On April 28th, 1925, Stone and Webster, as agents for the Columbus Electric and Power Company, let a contract to the Hardaway Contracting Company for the work. The amount for this work totaled $137,810.19. #waybackwednesday #historiccolumbusga

Justin is excited to show you something regarded as "the rarest of the rare" in Columbus. On today's Tuesdays with Justin episode, we're learning about a tree you may not have noticed before. Follow along through the link below to learn more! #tuesdayswithjustin #historiccolumbusga #floridatorreya : https://buff.ly/2SUEr64

Historic Columbus cordially invites you to A Night In 2020! You have traveled with us to Monte Carlo and Singapore, but we must stay home this year. While we will not get together for a high-roller evening at the tables, we hope you will consider turning your patron package or individual ticket into a donation for Historic Columbus. For more information, visit our website at https://buff.ly/34WQftZ. We thank you for your continued support!

Historic Columbus is honored to be named as one of the beneficiaries of the Steeplechase at Callaway Gardens presented by Southern Living. This means that our project-related investments will be continued along the Second Avenue corridor, as well as in High Uptown and MidTown, because of your Steeplechase attendance or raffle ticket purchase. You are making a transformational difference and strengthening neighborhoods one house at a time. Want to make a difference by suppo...rting HCF and Steeplechase? Visit https://buff.ly/3nQUgZx today! *You do not have to be present to win! Drawing to follow the last race on Saturday, November 7, 2020.* #historiccolumbusga #chaserace