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.

Multi-colored pin buttons with various text about Georgia on blue background

Willie B.

Willie B. was a western lowland gorilla who delighted visitors to Zoo Atlanta for thirty-nine years from 1961 until his death in 2000.

Named for former mayor, William B. Hartsfield, Willie B. arrived in Atlanta as an infant and spent twenty-seven years isolated in an indoor enclosure with a television and a tire swing to keep him company.

Following the construction of an outdoor habitat in 1988, Willie B. moved outside and became the leader of a troop of gorillas, fathering several offspring. Today, a statue commemorating his life is placed near Zoo Atlanta’s gorilla environment, now home to the nation’s largest collection of gorillas.

Zoo Atlanta originated in 1889 when a circus train came to town and fell into financial trouble. A local businessman purchased the animals and donated them to the city, which placed them in Grant Park. In the 1930s, the zoo’s collection doubled when Asa Candler Jr. donated his private menagerie from his estate on Briarcliff Road. Now a public-private partnership, Zoo Atlanta has evolved into one of the top-rated zoos in the world, attracting almost 1 million visitors in 2016.

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