Where Atlanta Began
In 1839 "Cousin John" Thrasher built a settlement called Thrasherville at this then forested site near the peg marking the planned terminus of the Western & Atlantic R. R. This railroad was later built by the State of Georgia to provide a link to the north for other Georgia railroads. While building northward near Griffin, the Monroe RR accepted John Thrasher's bid to build an embankment to enable a future junction of the Monroe RR with the W&A RR. The Monroe Embankment, at $25,000 project, required about two years to complete. To fulfill his contract John Thrasher brought in many laborers, built rough shelters to house them and opened Atlanta's first store. Atlanta's first religious service, labor trouble, social event and baby are associated with this settlement. In 1847, the terminus was changed to the place now marked by the Zero Mile Post. Thrasherville, Terminus and Marthasville were the names given to the railroad generated settlement activity which preceded Atlanta. Thrasherville and Terminus were unofficial names; Marthasville was incorporated in 1843 and was reincorporated as Atlanta in 1845 and 1847. "Cousin John's" settlement at this location is where Atlanta began.| HM Number | HM14J3 |
|---|---|
| Series | This marker is part of the Georgia: Georgia Historical Society/Commission series |
| Tags | |
| Marker Number | 060-173 |
| Year Placed | 1992 |
| Placed By | Georgia Department of Natural Resources |
| Marker Condition | No reports yet |
| Date Added | Tuesday, September 2nd, 2014 at 2:52pm PDT -07:00 |
| UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 16S E 741522 N 3738255 |
|---|---|
| Decimal Degrees | 33.75688333, -84.39240000 |
| Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 33° 45.413', W 84° 23.544' |
| Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 33° 45' 24.78" N, 84° 23' 32.64" W |
| Driving Directions | Google Maps |
| Area Code(s) | 404, 678, 770 |
| Closest Postal Address | At or near 10385 Ford Ave, Atlanta GA 30303, US |
| Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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