The Atlanta History Center is a campus of historic houses and half a dozen historic gardens in Atlanta, Georgia. The center, which sits on 33 acres in the Buckhead district, also includes the Centennial Olympic Games Museum and the Atlanta History Museum. Off-campus in another part of the city, the Atlanta History Center also oversees the Margaret Mitchell House, the home of the author who wrote Gone With the Wind.
Margaret Mitchell’s house is located on two midtown acres. Visitors can tour the rooms where the author wrote her classic novel and view a pair of exhibits. One exhibit includes information about the making of the film version of Gone With the Wind, and the other is about Margaret Mitchell. This historic home, along with two others — the Swan House and the Tullie Smith Farm — has been recognized by inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. The sites provide a glimpse of Atlanta and its people from approximately 1860 to the end of the 1930s.
The Atlanta History Museum is one of the largest American museums that focus on history, and its exhibits feature the history of the region and its inhabitants. The Centennial Olympic Games Museum presents displays, artifacts, and photos related to the Olympic games. Also available for view is a social history collection of 10,000 items that showcase the city's textiles, personal possessions, accessories and clothing. Other items of interest at the Atlanta History Center include a Civil War exhibit and a collection of military artifacts, with many of the items possessing a local connection. A collection of 7,000 items from the decorative arts focuses on the 1800s and 1900s in Atlanta.
The Swan House at the Atlanta History Center, constructed in 1928 by a wealthy cotton broker, gives visitors a taste of the lifestyle of prosperous Atlantans in the early 20th century. The Tullie Smith Farm, which survived the burning of Atlanta during the Civil War, features costumed guides who lead tours of the plantation house. During special presentations, living history interpreters perform tasks typical of the period, such as working in the plantation’s kitchen. The site also includes period flower, herb and vegetable gardens.
