MDJ Time Capsule: The Week of Aug. 12

This week’s Time Capsule looks at the Confederate veterans reunion, free radios, a gold rush and Roswell Street Baptist Church.

100 years ago ...

The Thursday, Aug. 17, 1922, edition of The Cobb County Times reported that Marietta was seeing a flurry of new home construction. Among the new homes that had been recently completed were M.D. Hodges on Forest Avenue; R.M. Wade and W.P. Stephens on Church Street; W.S. Tomlinson, Charles DeFoor and C.E. Hedges in the Freyer subdivision; and J.D. Garriss on Atlanta Street.

Workmen were busy constructing the foundation for a home next door to Mrs. W.B. Tate on Cherokee Street, which Mrs. D.W. Dorman was building to present to her daughter, Mrs. Otis A. Brumby. This home, which would be finished in brick veneer, was expected to be "the prettiest house in Marietta."

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In the "News From Our Correspondents" column, the following was reported:

♦The Olive Springs section reported that former resident D.E. Crowe suffered a painful accident while working in a steel plant that cost him three fingers and also bruised and burned his shoulder and back.

♦The Kennesaw section reported that on Wednesday, the Phillip Legion Confederate veterans held their annual reunion in the grove near where the spring was that supplied them with water in 1862. Only a few veterans were able to attend. Lamar Lewis made the welcome address and H.J. McCormick, president, made remarks. John Tate brought with him the flag of the Cherokee dragoons. Dinner was spread under the large oak trees. In the afternoon, Fort McPherson and Kennesaw played ball, with Kennesaw winning. The soldiers were said to have eaten so much chicken that they couldn't play ball.

The correspondent also noted that Annie Fowler's cow was killed by lightning on the previous Monday and that several weeks before that, lightning killed Roy Scrogg's cow.

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The Thursday, Aug. 17, 1922, edition of The Marietta Daily Journal reported that the newspaper was offering free radio sets. The newspaper, which was believed to be the first paper to do so in the state, knew that few boys in the county had $15 to invest in a radio set. Therefore, every boy or girl in the county, under 100 years of age, who secured 25 new or renewal subscriptions to the paper would get a Marvel Junior Radio Receiving Set. The sets had a guaranteed hearing radius of 50 miles.

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Sparking talk of a modern day gold rush, H.E. Kerley brought a gold nugget up to the newspaper's office. It weighed 11 penny weight and by what Kerley called "simple figuring" it was worth $10. The nugget was found by an unnamed party on a farm near the Blackwells section above Kennesaw.

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Cobb County native John F. Chestnut, 54, who was a conductor for the Southern Railway for over 30 years and a prominent Mason, died from a heart attack at about midnight the Sunday before at his home. Known to the railroad fraternity and hundreds of travelers as "Captain" Chestnut, he made the run from Atlanta to Chattanooga, Tennessee for several years.

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The following blurbs from other newspapers were printed by the editors:

♦"The Literary Digest's Prohibition poll would indicate that many are voting as they drink." - Washington Post

♦"The inventor of the ukulele has just died in Hawaii. As he reached the age of almost 80, he seems nearly to have lived down his crime." - Manchester Union

♦"Ambassador (Auckland) Geddes says that the English do not understand America, and it may be added that, in view of some of the things that are happening here, it is becoming increasingly difficult for Americans to understand it." - Boston Transcript

75 years ago ...

In the Tuesday, Aug. 12, 1947, edition of the Marietta Daily Journal it was reported that three Marietta policemen charged with assaulting a prisoner the week before were exonerated by Judge E.T. Lance, justice of the peace. The prisoner, whose wife swore warrants against the officers, admitted to resisting arrest, but his story differed from the arresting officers. He also admitted that he was "high" but he and his attorney claimed officers used "more force than was necessary" in getting him to jail.

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Roswell Street Baptist Church was reported in the Monday, Aug. 18, 1947, paper as having begun an addition to the church, which was converted four years ago from the old Robinson home — an antebellum house built in 1853. A brief ceremony was held at the laying of the cornerstone by the pastor, Rev. Jimmy Garrett, when the new building was dedicated to God. Rev. Garrett had been pastor since March 1947 and was preceded by Rev. Hoyt G. Farr, who served three years as the first pastor of the church. Since its organization in 1943, with 33 members, Sunday School attendance had doubled, a recreation field had been constructed and 64 members had been added to the church since April 1947, bringing the total membership to about 250.