Community Corner

New Self-Guided Marietta Tour Explores Black Heritage

Marietta has a new brochure spotlighting black heritage tourism sites in the city.

A new brochure spotlighting black heritage tourism sites has been unveiled.  The tour, entitled “Marietta’s Black Heritage Walking Tour: Walk Together Children,” is a joint cooperative project of a group of black community leaders, the Marietta Visitors Bureau and the City of Marietta. 

The tour spotlights 13 sites of historic significance to the black community and Marietta’s history,. The sites date back to the Civil War and are all located within a mile radius of the Marietta Square.  

Sites highlighted on the tour include: Old Zion Baptist Church, Cole Street Baptist Church, the original site of Turner Chapel Church, the Blue Eagle Fire Company (a black fire company formed in 1881), Lemon Street Elementary School as well as sites of early black businesses and black leaders. 

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“What a wonderful gift for our community to be able to share with visitors and locals alike,” stated Bill Bruton, City Manager of Marietta. 

Theresa Jenkins, Executive Director of the Marietta Visitors Bureau added that several family reunion groups were already requesting the brochure.  “We’re thrilled to have this wonderful black heritage component to add to our tourism product.” 

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The committee’s next step is to put signs in place at the sites.  Once that is completed, the committee has plans to produce a driving tour of black heritage sites that will take visitors further afield. 

Other possibilities include an audio tour or a mobile app. 

The brochure is now available at the Marietta Visitors Bureau, City Hall, Old Zion Heritage Museum, the Marietta Museum of History and the Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum Scarlett on the Square. 

The project was an idea that originated with Marietta’s 175th Anniversary Committee.  The sub-committee was then formed which consisted of Josetta & Louis Walker, Pearl Freeman, Dr. Tom Scott, Deanne Bonner, Feliccia Taylor, Theresa Jenkins and Bill Bruton.

 

 

 


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