Atlanta in 50 Objects
A pink pig and a renegade cow. A movie prop and a Coke bottle. A Pulitzer Prize–winning book and a Nobel Prize–winning icon.
How do you tell the story of Atlanta in 50 objects? We decided the best experts were Atlantans themselves—residents who cheer the Braves and rue I–285 rush-hour traffic, who understand how Civil War losses and Civil Rights victories together helped forge the city’s unique identity. Atlanta History Center asked the public to submit what objects they think best represent their town. The parameters were broad: an object could also be a person, a place, an institution, or an idea. After receiving hundreds of submissions, History Center staff assembled a collection of fifty pieces that represent the themes identified by the public. In addition to items from our own collections, we have partnered with many local institutions and individuals to gather artifacts from around the city to tell this community–driven story.
Chattahoochee Raft Race
Larry Patrick never imagined the Ramblin’ Raft Race would grow to such mammoth proportions.
As a student at Georgia Tech, he thought it would be fun to stage a competition on the ’Hooch. WQXI radio agreed to help promote the “First Annual Great Chattahoochee River Raft Race.” On July 26, 1969, Patrick and his crew won the thirty-four-mile inaugural event in about thirty hours.
For the second event, the Coca-Cola Company offered free soda at the finish and a raft load of Cokes for the winner of each race class: battleships, tugboats, and rubber rafts. Spectators lined the Powers Ferry Road Bridge to watch 1,066 rafts compete. That year, the race course measured ten miles from Morgan Falls Dam to Paces Ferry Road.
Header Image: Participants of the Chattahoochee Raft Race have a blast on the river, 1971. Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center
Rafters compete in battleship, tugboat, commercial raft, and bikini classes, 1971.