HIDDEN HISTORIES
Join us for some fun tours to discover what makes Atlanta, and Georgia State University in particular, so amazing.
HIDDEN HISTORIES
Join us for some fun tours to discover what makes Atlanta, and Georgia State University in particular, so amazing.
Nearly 200 years ago, in the area just south of Georgia State's downtown campus, rail lines were built that would spur the growth of the city of Atlanta. In 1913, classes began downtown to train students for careers in commerce, marking the start of what would become GSU.
For over a century, GSU has been a part of the fabric of downtown. Students have navigated the streets of downtown Atlanta, a part of the history that has taken place on these streets and making their own history. The stops on this tour are a few examples of the “hidden histories” that reflect the rich stories of our campus and the areas where our students live, work and play.
For more information, links are provided below to digital walking tours and histories, many created by GSU students, that tell the stories of our campus and our city.
THROUGH THE YEARS: OUR CITY'S STORY
THE HISTORIES OF OUR STREETS
Classes to train students for careers in the world of commerce began meeting in downtown Atlanta in 1913, marking the start of the school that would grow to become Georgia State University. In the more than one hundred years since, GSU has grown to be an integral part of the fabric of Atlanta. Students navigate the streets of downtown, walking through time down the same historical streets they read about in class, making their own history. The tour below was created by students to virtually view some of the notable stops.
ATLANTA GEOLOGY TOUR
In a twenty-block area centered around the start of Peachtree Street, you can find building stones made of granite, limestone and marble. Students created a map of the area that highlights specific sites of geological interest throughout our downtown community. With this tour, you can learn why City Hall is made of different stones from various locations in Georgia or discover why the College of Business is made from seven different types of marble.
DOWNTOWN FOLK TOUR
Throughout Atlanta there are many sites that contribute to a larger history of folklore in the state of Georgia. This student project is a collection of many stories of folk music, pottery, legends, medicine and religious practices. This virtual walking tour will guide you through historically unique sites downtown, specifically around locations that now make up Georgia State’s Atlanta campus.
CIVIL RIGHTS SIT-INS TOUR
Beginning in 1960, the Atlanta sit-in movement took over the downtown area of the city. This virtual tour (created by Georgia State students) allows visitors to see where student activists conducted their peaceful protests and sat down to stand up for what they believed in. You'll learn about major players and events of the movement while visiting the actual sites where they happened. Historic photos and descriptions will help you see what the protestors saw and take you back to this time of energy and passion in Atlanta's past.
Photo courtesy of the Edwynn Houk Gallery - New York.
1906 RACE MASSACRE
This tour was put together by undergraduate students at Georgia State and tells the story of the 1906 Race Riot, a 3-day massacre that spread through Atlanta, starting downtown on Saturday, September 22 and ending with the arrest of hundreds of civilians on Tuesday, September 25. Learn about the history of the riot and the significance of several of the locations that are now pulse points of Georgia State’s Atlanta campus.
SWEET AUBURN TOUR
Sweet Auburn developed after the 1906 Atlanta Race Riot as black businesses moved out of the more integrated downtown area to avoid growing racial tensions during the rise of the Jim Crow era. For decades, the area was a prosperous foundation for African American business, culture and leadership. The neighborhood played a significant role in the Civil Rights Movement and is now home to many historic landmarks. Students curated this virtual tour to highlight some of the most popular.
VR ATLANTA CAMPUS 1927 TOUR
Created as part of a class project, this future peeking device, called The Chronolens, allows users to digitally stroll down the streets of 1920s Atlanta, GA while taking glimpses into the future to see what downtown Atlanta and Georgia State University would grow to become.
HIDDEN HARLOTS OF OLD ATLANTA
At the turn of the 19th century, Atlanta’s prostitution district lived in the shadow of the Georgia State Capitol building and in the surrounding streets that would grow to become Georgia State University. This digital scholarship project takes you on a tour of the rise and fall of the bawdy brothels that lined Downtown Atlanta’s Collins Street from the late 1800s to the early 1900s.