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.
Georgia Tech
Founded in October 1885, the Georgia School of Technology utilized $65,000 in state appropriations to establish a 400-acre campus on the northern edge of the city.
In 1948, the school’s name was changed to the Georgia Institute of Technology to reflect a growing focus on advanced technological and scientific research. Female students were admitted in 1952 and in 1961 Georgia Tech became the first university in the Deep South to admit African American students without a court order.
Today, degrees are offered through the colleges of Architecture, Computing, Engineering, Sciences, Scheller College of Business, and Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts. Georgia Tech is recognized internationally for managing the global transition from an industrial to an information economy.
The best-known of Georgia Tech traditions is the Ramblin’ Wreck, a 1930 Model A Ford donated to Georgia Tech in 1961, which appears on the football field at all home games. A second Model A was purchased and restored by the Alumni Association in the 1980s, and is used at alumni events.
The first two building construction on the campus of the Georgia Institute of Technology, ca. 1890. Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center
The Tech Tower and Grant Field, 2015. Courtesy of Georgia Institute of Technology