Kennesaw Historical Society, Inc.
c/o Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History
2829 Cherokee St.
Kennesaw, GA 30144
Looking for a guest speaker on North Georgia historical topics? Click here.
To contact us by e-mail: khsociety@earthlink.net
To access the January 2010 Newsletter (.pdf 200kb)
Civil War locomotive General, of "Great Locomotive Chase" fame
On March 13, 2010, the Southern Museum and the Kennesaw Historical Society are sponsoring a Railroad Music Show. The live performance will feature songs ranging from the 19th century to the 1960s, and includes favorites such as "Casey Jones", "The Midnight Special", the "Rock Island Line" and others. The show will start at 2:00 at the Southern Museum. There is no charge to attend the performance.
Some of the performers at the upcoming Railroad Music Show
| Coming Events - 2010 | ||
Date |
Location/Time |
Event |
| March 13, 2010 | Southern Museum Education Center/2:00 | Railroad Music Show |
| April 10, 2010 | Southern Museum Education Center/2:00 | History of the Western & Atlantic Railroad, with author Robert Jones |
| May 8, 2010 | Southern Museum Education Center/2:00 | The Kennesaw City Cemetery, with author Joe Bozeman |
| June 12, 2010 | Southern Museum Education Center/2:00 | The Story of Georgia’s Boundaries: A Meeting of History and Geography, with author Dr. William J. Morton |
| July 10, 2010 | Southern Museum Education Center/2:00 | The Great Locomotive Dispute, with author Joe Head |
| August 14, 2010 | Southern Museum Education Center/2:00 | Confederate General John B. Gordon, with John Gordon Morrow III, MD |
| September 11, 2010 | Bus tour - 9:00-5:00 | Retracing the "Great Locomotive Chase" route (fee) |
All events are FREE to the public, except where otherwise noted
Helen Odom has been awarded the 2009 Kennesaw Historical Society award for historic preservation. Helen is a native of Kennesaw - she was born in a railroad section house in Kennesaw. She served for many years as postmaster of Kennesaw. In 2006, she was a contributor to the book Images of America: Kennesaw.
She received the 2009 award for her “continuing contribution to the preservation of the history of Kennesaw, Georgia".
Helen Odom (l) receives the 2009 Preservation Award from Kennesaw Historical Society President Robert Jones
Bob Ferris, an employee at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, has been awarded the 2008 Kennesaw Historical Society award for historic preservation. Bob Ferris spent many years performing free maintenance on the General, and even spent several nights sleeping in the cab of the General after the back wall of the museum burned down in the 1990s.
He received the 2008 award for his “continuing contribution to the preservation of the history of Kennesaw, Georgia and the General.”
Bob Ferris (r) receives the 2008 Preservation Award from Kennesaw Historical Society President Robert Jones
Click here for a 6 megapixel version (2.53mb)
Sallie Loy, senior archivist for the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History Archives and Library, has been awarded the 2007 Kennesaw Historical Society award for historic preservation. Sallie was the co-author of the 2006 book from Arcadia entitled Images of America: Kennesaw. She also helped collect content for a similar book about Acworth.
She received the 2007 award for her “continuing contribution to the preservation of the history of Kennesaw, Georgia.”
Sallie Loy receives award from Kennesaw Historical Society President Robert Jones
The winner of the 2006 Kennesaw Historical Society award for historic preservation is Mrs. Billie Frey. The award is given each year to the person or persons best “preserving the history of Kennesaw and the General”. Mrs. Frey contributed over half of the photos that appeared in the recent book Images of America: Kennesaw from Arcadia Publishers.
The award was presented at a ceremony in the Kennesaw Depot.
Mrs. Billie Frey (l) receives the 2006 Kennesaw Historical Society award for historic preservation, from Historical Society President Robert Jones
Authors Joe Bozeman, Robert Jones and Sallie Loy have collected over 200 old photos of Kennesaw, ranging from the 1880s to the 1980s and published them in the book Images of America: Kennesaw from Arcadia Publishing. The book is also available from Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other online outlets and stores.
Interesting WWW links
City of Kennesaw Web site: http://www.kennesaw.ga.us/
http://www.locomotivegeneral.com/
The Kennesaw Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation and presentation of the ongoing history and heritage of the city of Kennesaw (Big Shanty), Georgia. The society collects, preserves and promotes historical information on Kennesaw such as photographs, artifacts, interviews with local residents, and magazine/newspaper articles. The Society presents historical information on Kennesaw to the public through meetings and seminars, through organized field trips to local historical sites, through the publication of pamphlets and books, and through the production of videos. All proceeds from the sale of such items go toward the continued preservation and presentation of historical information about Kennesaw.
Membership in the Society is open to anyone. Yearly membership is free. To join, send an e-mail to khsociety@earthlink.net. Please include your name, address, and e-mail address. The Society maintains a close relationship with the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, but is not a part of the museum operations. The Kennesaw Historical Society meets on the second Saturday of each month from March-October from 2:00-3:00p, at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History theater. All meetings are open to the public. Note: If you'd like to attend the meeting, but not pay museum admission fees, please come in the back door of the museum.
The Kennesaw Historical Society, Inc. is officially registered as a nonprofit corporation within the State of Georgia, and is classified 501(c)(3) under the IRS code.
Yearly membership is free. To join, send an e-mail to khsociety@earthlink.net. Please include your name, address, and e-mail address.
The Kennesaw Historical Society meets on the second Saturday of each month from March-October from 2:00-3:00p, at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History theater. All meetings are open to the public. Note: If you'd like to attend the meeting, but not pay museum admission fees, please come in the back door of the museum.
From the Wade Green Rd. Exit of I-75, travel west on Cherokee St. for two miles. The museum is on the right, before the railroad tracks.
To order any of the following booklets (wholesale or retail) from the author, please click on this link
President - Robert C. Jones
Treasurer - Steve Hollingsworth
Secretary - Debra Kasson-Jones
The Historical Society has several 45-60 minute presentations available to church groups, school groups, social clubs, etc.:
Retracing the Route of the General
Retracing the Route of Sherman's Atlanta Campaign
Kennesaw in the 19th Century
Kennesaw in the 20th Century
Big Shanty During Sherman's Atlanta Campaign
Battle of Allatoona Pass
A Brief History of the Western & Atlantic Railroad
The Law Heard Round the World - The Kennesaw Gun Law
The Search for a Lost Death Valley Ghost Town
Christianity and the Civil War - From the book "A Brief History of Protestantism in the United States"
For more information on scheduling a speaker on these (and other) topics, click here.
Glimpses of Kennesaw history
Date |
Activity |
| c. 1830s | Railroad shanties built by spring |
1860 |
According to the 1860 Cobb County Census, over 60% of the population of Big Shanty was involved in agriculture. 12% worked in railroad-related jobs. |
| 1853 | First postmaster named, Wm. M. Elliot |
| June 11, 1861 | Camp McDonald established |
| April 12, 1862 | Great Locomotive Chase |
| June 6, 1864 | Big Shanty falls to Union troops; used as a supply base, hospital, and headquarters by the Union army |
| June 27, 1864 | Battle of Kennesaw Mountain |
| October 3, 1864 | Big Shanty briefly falls to Confederate troops under John Bell Hood |
| November 14, 1864 | The Lacy Hotel burned to the ground by Union troops |
1870 |
Big Shanty has three retail stores, one blacksmith shop, two house carpenters, two Methodist ministers, one doctor |
| 1877 | First Baptist Church dedicated |
| c. 1880s | Ben Hill store is built (now the Consignment Shop) |
| September 21, 1887 | City of Kennesaw is incorporated |
| c. 1890s | Sole City income was from the "street tax" - $.50 for the head of every household |
| 1891 |
|
| c. 1890s | Scarlet fever epidemic; smallpox scare (affected houses marked with red flannel flags) |
| c. 1902 | James Lewis builds the 3-story brick building on the corner of Main & Lewis Sts. (first use: dry goods) |
| c. 1905 | Kennesaw State Bank building erected (next to the brick building) |
| 1908 | Mayor and council order local census - 500 people counted |
| c. 1909 | Warehouse next to the modern day museum was built |
| c. 1910 | Kennesaw State Bank chartered; capitalized for $25,000 |
| 1911 | City starts charging Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railroad $100 a year for use of local spring water |
| c. 1911 | Southern Bell granted telephone franchise; auto speed limit is 8 mph |
| 1917 | First electrical generating plant created in basement Cherokee St. warehouse |
| c. 1920 | "Kennesaw Smokers" semi-pro baseball team |
| c. 1920 | Paving of the Dixie Highway; original Main St. is re-routed to present-day configuration |
| c. 1920 | Commuter trains to Atlanta - 6am, 9am, 10am; commuter books sell for $3.00/week |
| c. 1928 | Original cotton mill built on site of present day museum; burned down in 1945 |
| March, 1938 | The Kennesaw Consolidated School (1908) burns to the ground (In 1938, the school had 384 students, and 11 teachers) |
| 1952 | Kennesaw State Bank closes |
| April 14, 1962 | The General retraces its run from Big Shanty to Chattanooga, where it is again displayed |
| April 12, 1972 | The Big Shanty Museum (now the Kennesaw Civil War Museum) opens, home to the Civil War locomotive the General |
| May 1, 1982 | Gun ordinance passed |
| 1980s | Five historic districts in Kennesaw placed on National Register (Big Shanty Village, Camp McDonald, Cherokee Street, Summers Street, N. Main St.) |
| 1990s | Population of Kennesaw goes over 10,000 |
1995 |
Civic Design Commission (now Historical Preservation Commission) established to protect integrity of historical districts |
| 2003 | Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History opens |
Page last updated: 02/06/2010
