A Visit to 979 Crescent Ave NE, Atlanta!

Atlanta traffic is never fun.

I approached the busy city right about noon, and figuring I was going to need lunch, gas, a restroom break and a leg stretch….I set the GPS to take me to 979 Crescent Ave NE, the home of Margaret Mitchell.

I have been a huge fan of Gone with the Wind since I was 14 and in the 8th grade.

To have the opportunity to stand in these very small rooms in a rented apartment where Gone with the Wind came to life was just amazing to me.

Even more wonderful was the opportunity to learn more about the woman behind the novel.

As I was driving these crazy big city freeways and dealing with tall modern buildings, I was really struck by the “Old meets New” within the area.

Crossing Peachtree Street.

If only these buildings could talk!

Just up the street from Margaret’s abode..

The house was known as the Crescent Apartments when Mitchell and her husband lived in Apt. 1 on the ground floor from 1925 to 1932.

Can you imagine what she would think of the skyscraper behind it?

Our guide!

We are sitting here in Margaret’s living room, small and cozy, while our guide told us of her life and how Gone with the Wind finally came to be published.  It almost wasn’t! 

Small writing desk with typewriter.

Was it furnished like this?

Though the furnishings are not original, they used photographs to locate pieces that closely resembled what the apartment looked like during the time that Margaret lived here.

Tiny kitchenette!

There was a treadle in the kitchen!

The longings of a young girl from her journal.

Visitor’s handwritten notes on the wall.

I added my own!

Margaret’s reporting desk from the newspaper where she worked.

Her story touched so many of us so greatly!

Margaret Mitchell was struck by a speeding automobile as she crossed Peachtree Street at 13th Street in Atlanta with her husband, John Marsh, while on her way to see the movie A Canterbury Tale on the evening of August 11, 1949. She died at Grady Hospital five days later without fully regaining consciousness.

What made yesterday really meaningful for me was the fact that June 30th was the anniversary of the printing of Gone with the Wind.  I happened to just be there on the 75th anniversary of it’s publication!

From Atlanta to Smyrna TN was another several hours drive, and my heart soared as soon as I saw the north Georgia mountains.

A few of us girls went next door to Ruby Tuesday’s for dinner, and you’ll never guess what we saw pull into the parking lot and stay in our hotel!

A video posted by Bonnie K Hunter (@quiltville_bonnie) on Jun 30, 2016 at 6:29pm PDT

What a fun way to end an evening!

We just met the two drivers down in the breakfast area at the hotel and asked how this whole thing works.  They accept applications from college graduates with degrees in communication, etc.  I’m not sure how long the job lasts, but there are SIX wiener mobiles driving around the USA, with the headquarters in Madison Wisconsin.  I showed them the little video I did and they were tickled.  So fun to meet the drivers from inside!

Today is a 1/2 day boxy stars workshop that starts at 1pm, followed by a lecture tonight.  If you are anywhere near Smyrna, TN – come on by!

Quiltville Quote of the Day!

Tied nine patch quilt/comforter found in North Carolina.

Little steps add up to a whole lot of progress as long as we don't stop moving forward!

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