Whitfield-Murray Historical Society

05/27/2026

05/23/2026

Tours, Trains and More in Downtown Chatsworth-Second Saturdays This Summer

The Chatsworth Depot and The Wright Hotel, located on First Avenue and Market Street in downtown Chatsworth, have been important local gathering places since the City was founded early in the 20th Century.

The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society continues that tradition with its annual “Second Saturday” events at these historic venues.
The 2026 “Second Saturday” season gets underway on June 13 with the return of the popular “Singing at the Depot”. Highlights include group singing favorite selections from the well-known “red back” Church Hymnal used in area churches for decades. There is no admission charged for the event. The Depot and the caboose which will be open from 1-4 p.m. with the singing getting underway at 2:00.
For many years travelers on the original Louisville and Nashville Railroad through Chatsworth could spend the night at The Wright Hotel. This National Register Historic Site was constructed in 1909 and operated into the 1960’s. This three-story structure will be open for tours as well. The building features period furnishings along with exhibits about early Murray County history.
Since both the United States and the Historical Society are celebrating special birthdays this year, the Hotel will offer special displays highlighting the U.S. Presidents who have ties to Murray County as well as photographs, clippings, publications, and artifacts from the 50 years the WMHS has worked to preserve our rich Murray County heritage. Hotel tours are also free and begin at 1 p.m.
Second Saturdays are sponsored by area businesses including Bradley Ace Hardware, Peeples Funeral Home, Krystal/Bojangles/Captain D’s, First National Community Bank, Modern Woodmen, and Murray County’s elected officials. Donations are always encouraged to assist with the preservation of these historic buildings.

For more information check both the Wright Hotel and Chatsworth Depot pages as well as the historical society website. Second Saturday events will continue on July 11 and August 8.

04/28/2026

Tea with Mom Returns to Historic Wright Hotel on May 9

The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society will host "Tea with Mom" at the Wright Hotel in Chatsworth on Saturday, May 9. The first seating is at noon with a second to follow at 2 p.m.

Now a Chatsworth tradition, Tea with Mom features an assortment of tasty refreshments served in the dining and living rooms of the historic Hotel. North Murray High School students will be on hand to assist with hats, hair, and make-up as well as serving the tables. There will also be brief lessons on tea party etiquette, photos, and tours of the building which was constructed in 1909. Plan to arrive 15 minutes before your seating.

Tickets for the Tea are $25 for mom and a guest with additional guests up to four at $5 each extra. Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased at the Clerk's Office in the Murray County Courthouse or at Pat's Antiques on Market Street in Chatsworth. Seating is limited so reservations should be made early. The deadline is Thursday, May 7.

Proceeds from the Tea go toward the continued preservation of the Wright Hotel, a property of the historical society that is twice listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is located on the corner of Market Street and Second Avenue in historic downtown Chatsworth. For more information contact clerk of Court Donna Flood at 706-695-2932 or Ralph Ausmus at the antique store at 706-695-9808. The event is hosted by members of the Society's Wright Hotel Committee.

04/15/2026

CALLING ALL COLLECTIBLE, ANTIQUE AND YARD SALE ENTHUSIASTS!
Porch Sale April 17-18! 8 am to 2 pm

(Interested in touring the Wright Hotel? It will be open during the Model Train Expo on April 25!)

The Wright Hotel, located on the corner of Market Street and Second Avenue in downtown Chatsworth, is one of our area's most unique pieces of history. Owned by the Whitfield-Murray historical Society for the last four decades, the Hotel is twice listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1909 by Tom and Laura Holbrook Wright using local produced bricks and lumber, the three story structure was operated as a hotel for six decades.

One of the Wright's daughters, Katherine Raine, left the Hotel and its collection of furnishings and artifacts to the Historical Society, charging the group with maintaining the structure as nearly as possible as it was during her and her mother's lifetimes--that would be from the later 1800's to the 1980's! Naturally, money is always needed to meet her request and preserve this one-of-a-kind building so closely connected to Chatsworth's earliest days as a new railroad town.

04/13/2026

04/09/2026

Porch/Book Sale Fundraiser Planned for Historic Wright Hotel, April 17-18

The Wright Hotel, located on the corner of Market Street and Second Avenue in downtown Chatsworth, is one of our area's most unique pieces of history. Owned by the Whitfield-Murray historical Society for the last four decades, the Hotel is twice listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1909 by Tom and Laura Holbrook Wright using local produced bricks and lumber, the three story structure was operated as a hotel for six decades.

One of the Wright's daughters, Katherine Raine, left the Hotel and its collection of furnishings and artifacts to the Historical Society, charging the group with maintaining the structure as nearly as possible as it was during her and her mother's lifetimes--that would be from the later 1800's to the 1980's! Naturally, money is always needed to meet her request and preserve this one-of-a-kind building so closely connected to Chatsworth's earliest days as a new railroad town.

The main fundraiser to the Hotel is a twice-a-year Porch and Book Sale which features a wide variety of collectibles, glassware, tools, decorative items, artwork, household items and used books at good prices. The Spring Sale will be Friday and Saturday, April 17 & 18 from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m. both days. All items are donated for the cause and all proceeds from the sale will go toward repairs needed at the building, a new roof for the porch, restoration of furniture, replacing rotten boards on the columns and regular maintenance. Everything will be priced to sell!

All are welcome to shop during the sale or send a donation to the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, Wright Hotel Committee, c/o Melissa Burchfield, Treasurer, 59 Coffey Church Road, Crandall, GA 30711.

01/24/2026

Local Historic Sites Open on Super Museum Sunday

Once again the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society's properties will be participating in "Super Museum Sunday" sponsored by the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah. The date is February 8 and the local times are 1-4 p.m. Admission is free but donations are welcome and encouraged as the group works to maintain multiple museums in the two counties.

In Dalton, the Blunt House on South Thornton Avenue will feature a new display of shoes--from many eras spanning parts of three centuries. The Huff House on Selvedge Street will feature comprehensive tours of the House as well as highlights of the adjoining Davis House Civil War Museum which boasts a fabulous collection of artifacts, relics, and books about this unique part of Whitfield County's history.
On Chattanooga Avenue at the Society's headquarters complex is the Hamilton House Museum & Carriage House--Dalton's oldest home that is full of artifacts of Dalton's cultural and industrial history from the local authors book collection to handmade bedspreads.

In Murray County, the Old Spring Place Methodist Church, 237 Elm Street, will feature a display of family Bibles from the historical society's archival collection. Among them are 1800's treasures from the O.D. Keith, the D.D. Kemp, the W.F. Langston and the W.J. E. Long Families as well as others. This will also be the final day for the Spring Place Ruritan Club 75th Anniversary display. County Historian Tim Howard and other volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and assist researchers.

Also at Spring Place, the Chief Vann House Historic Site will also have free admission on Super Museum Sunday which makes it an ideal time to visit this timeless local treasure, the oldest museum in the area. Friends of the Vann House volunteers and staff will offer complete tours of the Cherokee mansion, museum, and farmstead.

In Chatsworth, the historic Wright Hotel at the corner of Market Street and Second Avenue and the adjacent Chatsworth Depot on First Avenue will also be open. Members of the committees who care for these one-of-a-kind museums will provide specific information during tours as well as show off some unique artifacts from the archives. The Chatsworth Depot is the only place in Georgia you can learn about talc, a locally mined mineral since Indian days. Because 2026 marks the 250th anniversary of our country and the 50th anniversary of the reactivated Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, the Hotel will show open a special display highlighting those commemorations that will be expanded as the year progresses.

For more information contact the Historical Society at 706-278-0217 or [email protected] or visit Facebook or the Society's website.

12/30/2025

Genealogy workshops are coming up this January and February! Please see the attached flyer for info and call the archives to pay and reserve your space.