Heritage Sandy Springs

07/10/2022

Tonight's Concert by the Springs has been postponed due to inclement weather.

Given the inclement weather forecasted for this afternoon with heavy rain, out of an abundance of caution, we are postponing this evening‘s Concerts by the Springs. We will announce the new date next week!

04/24/2020

It's another !

Many Sandy Springers don't know about the history of prisoner leasing and chain gangs in the Sandy Springs community. This 1946 image shows Pauline Long, age 14 (left) and Mildred Long, age 45 (right) outside of the prison camp that used to be located on Hammond Drive and Roswell Road. Formerly located roughly where the Whole Foods shopping center now sits, the Sandy Springs convict camp was likely established in the years following the Civil War. At that time, the practice of “leasing” incarcerated people out as workers was very common, and they were housed in camps similar to the ones in Sandy Springs. After the practice of leasing prisoners became illegal in 1908, the state of Georgia used “chain gangs,” or groups of convicts chained together, to complete roadwork and quarry rock, among other projects. Howard Hardeman, who shared memories of the prison camp with us in 1993, described it as having whitewashed walls and bloodhounds to seek out any escapees.

This image was taken after the camp was shut down in the late 1930s and shows a very different life that the harsh realities incarcerated person would have experienced. According to Brad Douglas, who donated the image, the Long family lived at the abandoned former guards’ home for a period when money was tight.

04/23/2020

Have you submitted to our community journal yet? Submissions have started to trickle in from all around the Sandy Springs community, and we're excited to be sharing one for the very first time!

This submission comes from Krista Fancher's 9th graders at the Mount Vernon School in Sandy Springs. Ms. Fancher said: "I wanted to share some work by my freshman students at Mount Vernon. They conducted to sets of interviews to preserve history of the pandemic."

In the first episode of their COVID-19 podcast, the students interviewed upperclassmen about digital learning, missing out on milestone experiences, and remembering one of their teachers, Coach Ron Hill, who lost his life to COVID-19. We encourage you to listen to what these teens have to say. You can listen here: https://idiploma.buzzsprout.com/712914/3179911-covid19-how-students-are-adjusting-to-distance-learning
You can submit your story to our community journal by visiting our submission form: https://forms.gle/tiw7TG2Q6XUWk7GCA

Be sure to listen to our Companion Episode: HOW TEACHERS ARE ADJUSTING to distance learning. We, the freshmen podcasters of the Innovation Diploma program, planned, wrote, recorded, and edited, this podcast episode about distance learning from our...

04/23/2020

The Chattahoochee River is a landmark of our community, but it used to have a much larger impact in Sandy Springs. In the early 20th century, the river flooded frequently, significantly affecting life at that time. Read Joseph Ambrose Alexander Martin account of living in a flooded Sandy Springs: https://bit.ly/34Crzqh

04/21/2020

Does anyone know what this gadget is for?
This wooden cutout would have been a common household item in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is called a 'sock stretcher.' When socks were primarily made of wool, laundering them would often cause the socks to severely shrink. By pulling the wet sock over this wooden foot, it can retain its shape while drying. Some sock stretchers are solid, but the holes in the one pictured here help air circulate through the sock and allow it to dry faster.

This particular sock stretcher was donated by Maria Payne when the Heritage Sandy Springs Museum first opened. Maria was a previous owner of the Williams-Payne House where our museum is now located, and was an avid collector of Southern antiques - so it is unlikely that she was the original owner of this item. While the specific date of this sock stretcher is unknown, similar items suggest that it is likely from the early 1900s.

Check back next week for another highlight from our collection!

04/20/2020

Do you remember when some of the Sandy Springs neighborhoods still had dirt roads? Check out today's Sandy Springs Gazette article to read Laura Snipes' remembrances of the early Mount Vernon Woods neighborhood: https://bit.ly/34pC14h

04/18/2020

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04/18/2020

Going Live in ten for American Girl and Boy Club!

04/17/2020

Don’t forget to tune in tomorrow on Heritage Sandy Springs’ Facebook Live from 10:30am- 11:30 am EST for the American Girl and Boy Club! Learn about early Georgia and Sandy Springs settlers, westward expansion, manifest destiny, and other aspects of pioneer life. Follow along as we make our own hardtack, dip our own candles, and more! This lesson is inspired by American Girl Kirsten Larson, who traveled west with her family, like this pioneer family on the Oregon Trail.

04/17/2020

Looking for something creative to do today? Check out this tutorial from the Marietta Cobb Museum of Art on how to draw birds like artist Athos Menaboni, a former resident of Sandy Springs!

Learn how to draw small birds inspired by the work of Athos Menaboni. This step-by-step tutorial is best for ages 6+. To participate, you'll need the followi...

04/17/2020

Happy !

This image was taken by Rusty Fields in the 1960s, and shows Bull Sluice Lake near Morgan Falls Dam. Rusty spent a lot of time by this lake in the 1950s and 60s while working at Riva Ridge Fish Camp selling RC Cola and Moonpies at their snack bar. The lake in this picture is now less than 10% of its original size and is called Orkin Lake.

Morgan Falls Dam was built across the Chattahoochee in 1904 with the goal of providing more electricity to Atlanta. When it was first completed, the entire output of the dam was used to power the Atlanta streetcar system. Constriction of the dam also flooded the river, creating Morgan Falls Reservoir (also called Bull Sluice Lake).

As of 2016, Morgan Falls Dam can create enough energy to power 10,000 homes a year. The lake it created is now, in part, a popular waterfront Sandy Springs Park know as Overlook Park. This waterfront site was also part of an early pioneer settlement and contains the remains from a Powers family cabin built roughly 200 years ago.

What is one of your favorite vistas in Sandy Springs?