Marietta, Georgia

• 1. Founding And Early Growth

  ›

  The Georgia General Assembly legally recognized the community of Marietta on the 19th of December 1834. Early settlers had built homes near the Cherokee town of Big Shanty before that year. A square known as Marietta Square sat in the center with a courthouse nearby. The city was named for Mary Cobb, the wife of U.S. Senator Thomas Willis Cobb. Business boomed when officials selected Marietta as the hub for the new Western and Atlantic Railroad. By 1838, roadbed and trestles stretched north of the city limits. Political wrangling halted construction temporarily in 1840. New management moved the railroad hub to an area that became Atlanta in 1842. When the railroad began operation in 1850, Marietta shared in the resulting prosperity. John Glover arrived in 1848 and later became mayor when the city incorporated in 1852. Carey Cox promoted a water cure treatment that attracted tourists to the area. The Georgia Military Institute opened its doors in 1851. The first bank opened its doors in 1855. Fire destroyed much of the city on three separate occasions during the 1850s.

• 2. Civil War Destruction And Recovery

  ›

  James Andrews came to Marietta in April 1862 along with a small party of Union soldiers dressed in civilian clothing. They spent the night at the Fletcher House hotel located immediately in front of the Western and Atlantic Railroad. Andrews and his men planned to seize a train and proceed north toward Chattanooga. They hoped to isolate Chattanooga from Atlanta and bring about the downfall of the Confederate stronghold. The Raiders boarded a waiting train on the morning of the 12th of April 1862. Shortly after, the train made a scheduled stop in Big Shanty. Andrews and the Raiders stole the engine called The General and the car behind it. All were caught within two weeks including two men who had missed the hijacking. They were tried as spies, convicted and hanged. General William Tecumseh Sherman invaded the town during the Atlanta campaign in summer 1864. In November 1864, General Hugh Kilpatrick set the town ablaze. This was the first strike in Sherman's March to the Sea. Sherman's troops crossed the Chattahoochee River at a shallow section known as the Palisades. They burned the Marietta Paper Mills near the mouth of Sope Creek. The Marietta Confederate Cemetery holds the graves of over 3,000 Confederate soldiers killed during the Battle of Atlanta.

• 3. The Leo Frank Tragedy

  ›

  Leo Frank was lynched at 1200 Roswell Road just east of Marietta on the 17th of August 1915. Frank, a Jewish-American superintendent of the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, had been convicted on the 25th of August 1913. He was found guilty of murdering one of his factory workers, 13-year-old Mary Phagan. The murder and trial captured public attention after being sensationalized in the local press. An eleventh-hour commutation by Governor John Slaton changed Frank's death sentence to life imprisonment. Problems with the case against him prompted this decision. A mob threatened the governor so severely that the Georgia National Guard had to be called to defend him. He left the state immediately with his political career over. Another mob systematically organized for the purpose abducted Frank from prison. They drove him to Marietta and hanged him. The leaders of the abduction included past, current and future elected local officials. Two state legislators, the mayor, a former governor, a clergyman, two former Superior Court justices and an ex-sheriff led the group. In reaction, Jewish activists created the Anti-Defamation League. This organization worked to educate Americans about Jewish life and culture. It also aimed to prevent anti-Semitism.

• 4. Modern Infrastructure And Economy

  ›

  Dobbins Air Reserve Base sits on the south side of town as a major industry. A Lockheed Martin manufacturing plant operates within the city limits. The median household income reached $67,589 in 2022. About 12.8% of the population lived below the poverty line. WellStar Kennestone Hospital employed 5,055 people according to Marietta's 2021 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report. Dobbins Air Reserve Base employed 2,000 workers. Cobb County Public Safety hired 1,600 staff members. Tip Top Poultry employed 1,400 people. Cobb County Board of Education had 1,368 employees. Marietta City Schools employed 1,266 staff members. Cobb County Government hired 1,171 workers. XPO, Inc. Last Mile employed 750 people. Interstate 75 runs through the eastern part of the city. U.S. Route 41 and State Route 3 run through the city northeast of downtown as Cobb Parkway. CobbLinc serves as Marietta/Cobb County's Transit System. CSX freight trains between Atlanta and Chattanooga still run a block west of the town square.

• 5. Cultural Landmarks And Arts

  ›

  The Big Chicken sits on top of a KFC restaurant on U.S. 41 and Roswell Road since 1963. It is considered a landmark of Marietta. The historic Strand Theatre features live theatre, concerts, classic films, and other events after renovation back to its original design. The Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art occupies the old Post Office building. The Marietta History Center exhibits thousands of artifacts from Marietta residents and businesses. The William Root House Museum and Garden stands as the oldest wood-frame house still standing in Marietta. Downtown is the town square and former location of the county courthouse. A weekly farmers' market takes place at the square site. The Marietta Players perform semi-professional theater year-round. Miramax Films and Disney filmed scenes of the 1995 movie Gordy here. The 2014 film Dumb and Dumber To filmed a scene in the Marietta Square. The city includes six historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places. Northwest Marietta, Whitlock Avenue, Washington Avenue, and Church-Cherokee Streets are among them. The Kennesaw House remains one of only four commercial buildings not burned to the ground in Sherman's March to the Sea.