Stone Mountain, Georgia
Stone Mountain, Georgia | ||
---|---|---|
City | ||
FIPS code 13-73816[4] | | |
GNIS feature ID | 0326087[2] | |
Website | stonemountaincity |
Stone Mountain is a city in
History
Stone Mountain's history began long before European settlers and the
The Treaty of Indian Springs in 1821 opened a large swath of Georgia for settlement by non-Native Americans on former Creek Indian land, including present-day Stone Mountain Village. In 1822, the area that now makes up the city was made a part of the newly formed DeKalb County.
Settlement
By the 1820s, Rock Mountain, as it was then called, was "a major travel center", with an inn for travelers. A stagecoach line linking the village with Georgia's capital,
A post office was created in 1834 on the old Augusta Road, and Andrew Johnson, called the founder of New Gibraltar and first mayor,[7] around whose house the city limits were drawn,[6]: 32 built a hotel along the road in 1836. ("An 1843 amendment to the act of incorporation extended the town limits to 600 yards (550 m) in every direction from the house of Andrew Johnson."[6]: 31 ) About 1839 Aaron Cloud, who also had a hotel,[6]: 33 built a wooden observation tower, octagonal like a lighthouse and 150 feet (46 m) high, along with a restaurant and club, at the mountain's summit. A storm destroyed the tower in 1849; in 1851, Thomas Henry built a smaller, 80 feet (24 m) tower, with telescopes so it could serve as an observatory.[6]: 29 Visitors to the mountain traveled by rail and road, then hiked up the 1.3-mile (2.1 km) mountaintop trail to the top. By 1850, Stone Mountain had become a popular destination for Atlanta urbanites who endured the four-hour round trip by rail just to experience its natural beauty, lodging, and attractions.[8][5]
Industry
Granite quarrying at the mountain was the area's lifeblood for decades, employing many thousands. The excellent grade of building stone from the mountain was used in many notable structures, including the locks of the
In August 1846, New Gibraltar hosted Georgia's first state fair, then known as the Agriculture Fair and Internal Improvement Jubilee. The fair had just one exhibit—three horses and two cows, both belonging to the event's organizer, John Graves. The next year, the village again hosted the event, which featured caskets, marble, embroidery, brooms, bedspreads, vegetables, blooded stock, wheat, farm tools, and a magnetic telegraph. Stone Mountain hosted the event until 1850, when it moved to Macon.[7]
Civil War
Though DeKalb County voted against secession from the United States, it was not spared the devastation of the Civil War. Stone Mountain Village went unscathed until the Battle of Atlanta,[10] when it was destroyed by men under the command of General James B. McPherson on July 19, 1864. Several antebellum homes were spared as they were used as hospitals. The railroad depot's roof burned, but the building stood, owing to its 2-foot-thick granite walls.[11]
From the village’s destruction in July 1864 until November, Union forces scavenged Stone Mountain and the surrounding area, taking corn, wheat, cotton, cattle, and other goods. On November 15, 1864, between 12,000 and 15,000 Union troops marched through Stone Mountain and further destroyed the rail lines. The rails were rendered useless by heating them over burning railroad ties, then twisting them around trees. The term
Birth of Shermantown
After the Civil War ended, housing in the area was rebuilt as Stone Mountain granite was again in demand for construction across the nation. A significant portion of the quarry's work force were African Americans, but they were generally excluded from areas where white families lived, so a shantytown, Shermantown, came into being at the southeast side of the village; its name was a reference to Union General
In 1868, Reverend R. M. Burson organized Bethsaida Baptist Church to serve Shermantown. A church building was then built under Reverend F. M. Simons at what is now 853 Fourth Street. Simons was among a delegation of southern African American pastors to meet with Sherman in Washington, D.C. after the war to discuss the treatment of the freedmen. Bethsaida Baptist is still an active part of the Stone Mountain Village.[11]
By the 20th century, much of Shermantown’s original structures had been replaced. Bethsaida’s original wooden structure was replaced by stone in 1920. Though Shermantown has mostly integrated into the growing Stone Mountain Village, it retains its own distinct community.
Rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan
1915 was the year of the
Civil Rights Movement
During the
Many names
The mountain has been known by countless names throughout the centuries. It was called Crystal Mountain by 16th-century Spanish explorer
Cemetery
The Stone Mountain Cemetery, established around 1850, is a microcosm of the village’s past. It is the final resting place for roughly 200 unknown Confederate soldiers. 71 known Confederate soldiers are buried there, along with James Sprayberry, a Union soldier. Another notable site is the grave of George Pressley Trout, who is buried there with his wife and his horse.[7] James B. Rivers, the village’s first African American police chief, is at rest there on a hillside facing the mountain. The cemetery is still in use.
Government
Stone Mountain is governed by a
The city also has standing commissions for historic preservation, downtown development, and planning & zoning. The city holds a City of Ethics designation from the Georgia Municipal Association[16] and is a member of Main Street America.
Geography
Stone Mountain is at the western base of the quartz monzonite dome monadnock of the same name. While Stone Mountain city proper is completely within DeKalb County, the postal regions designated and traditionally considered as Stone Mountain include portions of DeKalb and Gwinnett Counties.
According to the State of Georgia,[17] the city has an area of 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2), of which 0.62% is water.
Demographics
Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1870 | 690 | — | |
1880 | 799 | 15.8% | |
1890 | 929 | 16.3% | |
1900 | 835 | −10.1% | |
1910 | 1,062 | 27.2% | |
1920 | 1,266 | 19.2% | |
1930 | 1,335 | 5.5% | |
1940 | 1,408 | 5.5% | |
1950 | 1,899 | 34.9% | |
1960 | 1,976 | 4.1% | |
1970 | 1,899 | −3.9% | |
1980 | 4,867 | 156.3% | |
1990 | 6,494 | 33.4% | |
2000 | 7,145 | 10.0% | |
2010 | 5,802 | −18.8% | |
2020 | 6,703 | 15.5% | |
U.S. Decennial Census[18] |
2020 census
Race | Num. | Perc. |
---|---|---|
White (non-Hispanic)
|
847 | 12.64% |
Black or African American (non-Hispanic)
|
4,847 | 72.31% |
Native American
|
22 | 0.33% |
Asian
|
206 | 3.07% |
Pacific Islander
|
2 | 0.03% |
Other/Mixed
|
251 | 3.74% |
Latino
|
528 | 7.88% |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 6,703 people, 2,351 households, and 1,578 families residing in the city.
2017
According to 2017 US Census Bureau estimates,[20] Stone Mountain has 6,368 residents, a 9.0% increase since 2010. There are 2,519 households, with an average of 2.42 persons per household. 8.9% of Stone Mountain residents are foreign-born. Estimates of the racial makeup of the city are 73% African-American/Black, 22.1% White, 1% Asian, 0.9% Native American/Alaskan, and 1.1% of two or more races.
Of persons 25 years or older, 87.3% are high school graduates or higher, while 30.8% have attained a bachelor's degree or higher. The median income is $35,964, with a per capita income of $21,134.
Arts, culture and leisure
- ART Station Contemporary Arts Center and Theatre Company, a multi-disciplinary arts center, is in the Trolley Car Barn (5384 Manor Drive), built by the Georgia Railway and Power Company in 1913. ART Station hosts shows and gallery events throughout the year, including the Tour of Southern Ghosts each year in October.[21]
- Wells-Brown House (1036 Ridge Avenue) is an elegant early 1870s neoclassical residence that is home of the Stone Mountain Historical Society. The Wells-Brown House houses a growing artifact collection and research library.
- Cart-Friendly Community: Stone Mountain is one of a handful of Georgia communities that permit golf carts on city streets with a city-issued inspection permit. Carts are also permitted within adjacent Stone Mountain Park, giving the community an added leisure activity.
- Museum of Miniature Chairs (994 Main Street): a three-room gallery and shop featuring over 3000 miniature chairs.
- PATH: the Atlanta Regional Trail of the PATH off-road trails, which serves walkers, runners, cyclists, and skaters, enters the village on East Ponce de Leon Avenue, goes south on Main Street, and continues into Stone Mountain Park via a trail built atop the old railroad spur that once connected the CSX tracks to the Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad.[22]
In film
The Stone Mountain area has been a beneficiary of Georgia's flourishing
Most of the shops and buildings on Main Street were built right after the turn of the 20th century and maintain many of the original facades. This has provided an appropriate backdrop for a number of filming projects, ranging from period pieces to those requiring a quaint village setting.
Parts of motion pictures like Footloose (2011) and Need for Speed (2014) were filmed in the village. The growing number of television show credits include The Vampire Diaries, Kevin (Probably) Saves the World, MacGyver, and the Netflix science fiction/horror series Stranger Things.
Organizations
Stone Mountain Village is home to a number of community, civic, and outreach organizations:
- Stone Mountain Historical Society, 1036 Ridge Avenue
- GFWC Stone Mountain Woman's Club, 5513 East Mountain Street
- Stone Mountain Masonic Lodge No. 449, F&AM, 840 VFW Drive
- DeKalb Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 10, 1238 Ridge Avenue
- Side by Side Brain Injury Clubhouse, 1001 Main Street
- Stone Mountain Cooperative Ecumenical Ministry (Food Bank), 5324 West Mountain Street
Education
The children of Stone Mountain are served by the
Stone Mountain Elementary School and Champion Theme Middle School are within the city limits.Most residents in the city limits are zoned to Stone Mountain Elementary School. Some areas are zoned to Rockbridge Elementary School, outside of the city limits.[26] All residents of Stone Mountain are zoned to: Stone Mountain Middle School,[27] and Stone Mountain High School;[28] the middle school and the high school are outside the city limits.
Georgia Military College (GMC) has a satellite campus in Stone Mountain Village at 5325 Manor Drive.
DeKalb County Public Library operates the Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg Library (952 Leon Street).[29]
Notable people
- Rick Beato, YouTube personality, musician, songwriter, music producer and educator, resides and runs Black Dog Sound Studios in Stone Mountain.
- Jerry Blackwell, late AWA professional wrestler, nicknamed the "Mountain from Stone Mountain"
- MarShon Brooks, NBA basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies, grew up in Stone Mountain
- Domonic Brown, professional baseball player for the Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos of the Mexican League, attended high school in Stone Mountain
- Morty Buckles, racing driver, born in Stone Mountain
- Kevin Cone, retired NFL football player from Stone Mountain
- Violet Chachki, drag queen, lived in Stone Mountain
- Apollo Crews, professional WWE wrestler billed as from Stone Mountain
- Noureen DeWulf, actress; grew up in Stone Mountain
- Donald Glover, actor, writer, comedian, and rapper; grew up in Stone Mountain
- Fast Life Youngstaz, American hip hop group
- Jim Goad, author and publisher; resides in Stone Mountain
- Phil Gordon, professional poker player, grew up in Stone Mountain
- Shandong Golden Stars of the Chinese Basketball Association(CBA).
- Malcolm Harvey, former sheriff of Stone Mountain who has been implicated in the murders of two women in Zaragoza, Spain in 1992
- Bruce Irvin, professional football player for the Chicago Bears, briefly attended high school in Stone Mountain
- Connie Johnson, professional baseball player for Chicago White Sox and Baltimore Orioles and a star for the Negro league Kansas City Monarchs, born in Stone Mountain
- Hapoel Holon of the Israeli Premier League, originally from Stone Mountain
- Wally Joyner, retired professional baseball player, attended high school in Stone Mountain
- Kenny Ladler, NFL football player for the New York Giants, grew up in Stone Mountain
- professional wrestler, born in Stone Mountain
- Kenneth Parcell, fictional character in the television series 30 Rock, hails from Stone Mountain and frequently refers to it; the actor Jack McBrayer is actually from nearby Conyers
- Brandon Phillips, professional baseball player for the Boston Red Sox, attended school in Stone Mountain
- Cyhi the Prynce, rapper and songwriter from Stone Mountain
- Raury, singer, songwriter, and rapper; grew up in Stone Mountain
- Jake "The Snake" Roberts, pro wrestler, is billed from Stone Mountain
- Richard T. Scott, figurative painter and writer, is from Stone Mountain
- Silentó, rapper, singer, and songwriter, native of Stone Mountain
- My Lai Massacre, grew up in Stone Mountain
- Amira Unplugged, musician, grew up in Stone Mountain
- Theodore Van Kirk, late navigator of the Enola Gay when it dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, resided in Stone Mountain
- Jordan Walker, professional baseball player for the St. Louis Cardinals
- Kara Walker, painter, lived in Stone Mountain as a child
- Josh Wolff, Major League Soccer player, from Stone Mountain
- NFL wide receiver, born and raised in Stone Mountain
References
- ^ a b "City of Stone Mountain Georgia". Retrieved January 4, 2022.
- ^ a b c U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Stone Mountain, Georgia
- ^ "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved December 18, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Stone Mountain". About North Georgia. Archived from the original on October 19, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
- ^ ISBN 0865545472.
- ^ a b c Delaney, Kim (February 17, 2011). "A Look at Stone Mountain's Rich History". Patch Media. Retrieved January 7, 2019.
- ^ Stewart, Bruce E. (2004). "Stone Mountain". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Georgia Humanities.
- ^ "Big market supplied by local granite". The DeKalb New Era. Decatur, GA. December 21, 1939.
- ^ a b "About our Village". Stone Mountain Historical Society. 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ a b c Civil War Sesquicentennial 1861-1865. City of Stone Mountain. 2011.
- ^ Stokes, Stephannie (November 25, 2015). "Stone Mountain And The Rebirth Of The KKK, One Century Ago". WABE. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- Smithsonian Magazine.
- ^ Golden, Randy. "Stone Mountain Carving". About North Georgia. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ King, Martin Luther Jr. (August 28, 1963). "I have a Dream". Lillian Goldman Law Library. Retrieved October 8, 2011.
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
- ^ "Cities of Ethics". Georgia Municipal Association. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- ^ "Stone Mountain". State of Georgia. Archived from the original on November 29, 2018. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
- ^ "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
- ^ "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved December 13, 2021.
- ^ "US Census QuickFacts Stone Mountain city, Georgia". U.S. Census Bureau. 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ^ "About Us". ART Station. 2018. Retrieved November 18, 2018.
- ^ "PATH Trails". Path Foundation. Archived from the original on November 26, 2018. Retrieved November 25, 2018.
- ^ "Economic Development-Downtown Development Authority". City of Stone Mountain. 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
- U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- ^ "Zoning Map" (PDF). Stone Mountain. Retrieved February 18, 2023. - Compare to county school zoning maps.
- DeKalb County Public Schools. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- DeKalb County Public Schools. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
- DeKalb County School System. Retrieved on June 1, 2017.
- ^ "Stone Mountain-Sue Kellogg Library". DeKalb County Public Library. Retrieved November 22, 2018.
Further reading
- Stone Mountain Historical Society, Images of America: Stone Mountain (Arcadia Publishing, 2014)
- Coletti, Dr. George D.N., Stone Mountain: The Granite Sentinel (Granite Sentinel Press, 2012)
- Coletti, Dr. George D.N., The Red Spoke (Dragonfly Creek Books, 2015)
External links
- Stone Mountain travel guide from Wikivoyage
- City of Stone Mountain official website
- ART Station website
- Stone Mountain Historical Society website
- New Georgia Encyclopedia
- Golden Ink (1994–2003). About North Georgia: Stone Mountain Archived March 5, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- Stone Mountain at City-Data.com