Opened in 2003, this museum celebrates one of the most famous movies in American history, the Civil War drama "Gone with the Wind," which was released in 1939 and starred actors Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. The film was based on a novel of the same name by author Margaret Mitchell. The museum displays a collection memorabilia from the film including the original honeymoon gown Leigh wore (it is the only gown worn by Leigh on display in the country), costume pieces, original scripts, contracts, the personal volumes of the book owned by Mitchell, foreign editions of the book, and cast members' personal belongings. The museum is located in Brumby Hall, a historic antebellum house built in 1851 by Colonel Arnoldus Brumby, who served in Confederate army during the Civil War. The house is an excellent and well-preserved example of Greek Revival architecture, featuring a large front porch with Doric columns, large front windows, and interior doorway mouldings designed in the Egyptian-style.
Named after its first residents Hannah and William Root, the Root House is a historic house museum that depicts middle-class life in Marietta in the 1850s. Operated by Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, it was built around 1845, making it one of the oldest structures in Marietta. It still has its original, "I-house" floor plan and interior features such as flushboard walls, mantels, and moldings. Period furnishings are also displayed throughout the house hosts. The property also includes a replica cookhouse with an 1850s stove as well as a garden. The house also offers a variety of events throughout the year and is available to rent for weddings and other gatherings. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2014.
The Northwest Marietta Historic District features a variety of homes and structures from the 19th and early 20th centuries. The district includes Kennesaw Ave, Polk St, Church St, Whitlock Ave, and sections along the L&N Railroad tracks. It includes an assortment of significant architectural types of the time, and gives an overall picture of life in early Marietta through the preservation and restoration of the homes and industrial structures that have survived through its rich history as a booming railroad town. The district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
Located across the street form Marietta Square, the Strand Theatre is a historic movie palace in downtown Marietta, Georgia. Built in 1935 by the Manning-Winks Theatre Company, it is a fine example of Art Deco architecture, featuring a decorative front facade and a large marquee. Officially called the Earl and Rachel Smith Strand Theatre, the Strand is a popular entertainment venue today, hosting a variety of events including concerts, musicals, lectures, and film showings. There is also the Lumiere Lounge, which offers live music, comedy, and silent film showings. Every year the Strand also produces their own cabarets that range from summer Motown hits to popular contemporary songs.
The Kennesaw House, also known as The Fletcher House, is located in Marietta, Georgia. Originally built in 1845, it first served as a cotton warehouse of John H. Glover, the first mayor of Marietta. In 1855, it was purchased by Dix Fletcher, which is why it is sometimes referred to as “The Fletcher House.” Fletcher, a Mason, remodeled and turned the old cotton warehouse into a hotel. The Kennesaw/Fletcher House sits west of the town square and next to the CSX railway, formally the Western and Atlantic Railroad and remains one of Marietta’s oldest buildings. The Kennesaw House, which now houses the Marietta Museum of History, has undergone several changes over the years. In the 1920s, it was renovated to be retail shows, and in the late 70’s the entire building was completely renovated, leaving little of the original pieces of the building save the staircase and a couple fireplaces, to be office space and a restaurant. The Kennesaw/Fletcher House is a theater for much folklore and ghost stories, perhaps the most intriguing part of the house’s history is it is where the “Great Locomotive Chase” began (see below).
The art museum was originally a postal office during the 1900s, which was replaced by the Main Branch of the Cobb County/ Marietta Public Library in October 1963. Furthermore, the building became the Fine Arts Club of Marietta, created by the Marietta Women's club. The building changed its name to Marietta Cobb Fine Arts Center and was approved to be a non-profit organization in 1986. Thus, officially becoming an art museum on April 5, 1990, containing artwork dating from the early 18th century to the present.
The Marietta National Cemetery is a historic military burial ground located near downtown Marietta, Georgia. It was founded in 1866 to inter Union soldiers who died in the "March to the sea campaign" in 1864. The property itself was donated by a local merchant and hotel owner, Henry Cole, who was and ardent and vocal supporter of the Union cause (he was also a Yankee spy). Located on the northwest corner of the cemetery is a large masonry archway; it is one of five such archways that once functioned as the main entrances to national cemeteries in the South. The cemetery also features monuments and memorials including a marble obelisk dedicated to the 20th Army Corps; the Wisconsin Monument, which commemorates 405 Wisconsin soldiers who died in Georgia during the war and are buried here; a Gold Star Mother's Monument; and a monument commemorating the attack on Pearl Harbor. Besides a few exceptions, the cemetery does not accept new burials. The cemetery was listed as a National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
This Tour is a Driving or Biking Tour.
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Begin at the Gone with the Wind Museum and drive to a handful of other museums and historical sites in Marietta. You'll end at the Marietta National Cemetery, an historic military burial ground.
