Hello again! This time we're going to look at a block that is wholly unremarkable today, but was once quite remarkable indeed. It consists mainly of a parking deck and is just a stone's throw from the State Capitol building downtown.
The block is bordered by Jesse Hill Jr Drive (formerly Butler Street), MLK Drive (formerly Hunter Street), the Downtown Connector (formerly a lot of things including Terry Street), and the CSX Railroad (formerly the Georgia Railroad).
The block initially developed as a collection of dwellings, as you can see from the 1871 birds eye view below (there may be some commercial properties sprinkled in there). Its proximity to the railroad, however, quickly led to some significant commercial and industrial development.
1871 |
Swift Specific Company, 1890 Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
Charles Thomas Swift, 1890 |
Charles Swift's House at Capitol and Crumley, 1887 Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
1886 Constitution |
1888 Constitution |
The company had a Medical Consultation Department that provided information and advice on skin and blood conditions. They also had a free mail-order book that detailed a variety of these conditions in addition to offering helpful information like weight/measurement conversions, home remedies, birth stones, recipes, and first aid.
According to the book, S.S.S. could be used for the following:
Unsightly Blemishes
Blotches
Eruptions on Limbs
Clear Skin (a Business Asset)
Nose Eruptions
Disfiguring Pimples
Bodily Fatigue
Listlessness
Weak Blood
Lost Weight
Loss of Energy
That Tired Feeling
Youthful Vigor
Plump Well Rounded Flesh
Vitality
The Joy of Living
"Feel Fit" Every Day
Body Strength
Growing Old Gracefully
Making You Feel Like Yourself Again
S.S.S. is still sold today as an iron/B-vitamin supplement. I skimmed some reviews online and found that a lot of people who take it now were given doses as children by their parents (and their parents were no doubt given doses by their parents' parents).
1890 Constitution |
Getting back to this photograph for a moment...
1890 Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
Note the two structures directly to the left of Swift Specific Co. The one to the immediate left is the Georgia College of Eclectic Medicine and Surgery. To the far left is Woodward Lumber Company.
The Georgia College of Eclectic Medicine and Surgery opened sometime around 1880. Eclectic medicine was a popular turn-of-the-century practice involving herbal remedies and physical therapy. Since eclectic medicine was considered an alternative practice, graduates of the college were not admitted to Grady Hospital staff.
From Atlanta Illustrated , 1881 |
Next door, Woodward Lumber Company opened around the same time and quickly grew to encompass the majority of the block. In the 1892 birds eye view below, this row of buildings is seen from the back. Swift Specific is numbered 52, the Eclectic College is to its right, and Woodward Lumber is at the far right against the railroad tracks. You can also see the numerous stacks of lumber taking up the middle portion of the lot, as well as the smattering of dwellings that still remained on the block.
1892 - Certainly nothing could go wrong with all those stacks of dry wood on a crowded city block... |
A disaster waiting to happen became a disaster that actually did happen when all the lumber caught on fire in 1895, destroying the mill and many of the cottages along Hunter and Terry St. The Eclectic College also caught fire, and although it was not totally destroyed, the college moved to a new location in 1896.
The vacancies left by the destruction of Woodward Lumber and the Eclectic College allowed for some significant new additions to the block. The new Fulton County Jail took the place of the Eclectic College in 1898 and the Atlanta Milling Company replaced Woodward Lumber in 1899.
Fulton County Jail ("The Tower"), 1898 Constitution |
1930s Courtesy of AJC |
1898 Constitution |
1930s Courtesy of AJC |
1914 Constitution |
Two days after Eugene was shot, Daisy was ordered to report to the Tower. She had been entertaining the press from a room in the Kimball House, Atlanta's most famous hotel. She walked the six blocks from the hotel to the Tower. She was the only woman in the Tower at the time and gave interviews to the press during her stay. Reports indicated that as a rich socialite, Daisy had a difficult time adjusting to jail, complaining about the quality of the air and meals. Some of her fellow inmates on the above floor sent her a letter offering their support and belief in her innocence.
She spent 13 days in the Tower before being released on bail. Circumstances of the trial sent her back into the Tower for three more weeks about a month later. News of her return to the Tower was huge in Atlanta, and the only thing that could bump it from front-page headlines was the news that the Titanic had sunk (Daisy read all about the ocean liner's tragic demise from her cell). She was ultimately acquitted, though her now estranged husband continued to claim she tried to kill him. Eugene was paralyzed for the rest of his short life and died from his injury in Newnan in 1914.
Daisy Grace, 1912 Courtesy of Library of Congress |
Mary Phagan & Leo Frank |
Leo Frank entering Fulton Tower, 1913 |
The story captivated Atlanta so much that on the day of his hanging in 1922, an enormous crowd gathered on Butler Street to witness it. A window from the gallows allowed the crowd below to watch as DuPre saw the world outside one last time. Some even watched from the dome of the State Capitol nearby. DuPre was apparently pleased with the number of people that turned out for his final moments. A year later, Howard Wright, an inmate in DuPre's old cell, claimed to see his ghost.
Frank DuPre, "The Peachtree Bandit," 1921 |
Execution by hanging was falling out of favor with many Georgians at this time due in part to the prevalence of unlawful lynchings. In 1926, the state decided to control all executions from one location and had an electric chair constructed at the state prison farm in Milledgeville. Thus, in 1926, Mack Wooten was the last man hanged in the Tower. The gallows were dismantled a year later.
1959 - Where gallows once were |
But enough about murders and executions.
The Atlanta Milling Company was constructed next door to the Tower in 1899, on the location of the old Woodward Lumber Co. It was one of the largest plants in Atlanta, and almost 200 people turned out for its grand opening, including Georgia Governor Allen D. Candler.
1903 Constitution. View from the railroad tracks. You can see the Capitol dome in the background. |
Packing Room, 1899 Constitution |
Store Room, 1899 Constitution |
Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
1919 |
1920 Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
Grain elevator, 1920 Constitution |
1928 |
1946 Courtesy of Georgia State University |
1946 Courtesy of Georgia State University |
1946 Courtesy of Georgia State University |
1954 Courtesy of Georgia State University |
1959 Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
Early 1960s Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
This photograph from 1962 shows our block from afar (outlined), and if you can see it, the Tower and the grain elevator are gone. This photograph is also noteworthy for showing just how much the highway transformed the landscape.
1962 Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
ca. 1975 Courtesy of Atlanta History Center |
1980s |
A pedestrian bridge takes people from Butler Deck across Butler/Jesse Hill to the Sloppy Floyd Building. There's another bridge that connects the Butler Deck to the Pete Hackney Deck one block north.
The exit ramp from the Downtown Connector runs along the eastern side of the block, merging with MLK Drive on the southern side and Jesse Hill Jr Drive on the western side.
Here we are looking west from the Connector, a must-see stop on any driving tour of Atlanta.
The Georgia State MARTA station is attached to the Sloppy Floyd building and opened in 1979. The rail line going to and from that station was constructed during the late 1970s and extends across the northern edge of our block, just south of the railroad tracks. The MARTA line is elevated above street level, and at some point, the railroad tracks were elevated as well.
Railroad, MARTA, and pedestrian bridges. |
If you've ever taken the MARTA train westbound to the Georgia State station, you've probably (never) noticed a small structure in between the MARTA line and railroad tracks. Google Maps has two businesses listed there: Sinks N Tubs, a bathroom and kitchen remodeling service, and Dynamic Science Editing, a scientific proofreading and editing service. This seems like an absurd location for either of those companies, and I can't really find any more information on them. If I had to guess, I'd say this structure is actually either a subterranean laboratory for top-secret government experiments or a storage/mechanical shed. Anybody know?
Looking south toward Butler Deck. What secrets lurk within? |
Since I glossed over some interesting stuff when talking about Fulton Tower's most famous inmates, I thought I'd provide a list of books if anyone is interested in some further reading:
And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank, by Steve Oney
The Leo Frank Case, by Leonard Dinnerstein
"Rich Georgian Strangely Shot": Eugene Grace, "Daisy of the Leopard Spots" and the Great Atlanta Shooting of 1912, by Tom Hughes
Hanging the Peachtree Bandit: The True Tale of Atlanta's Infamous Frank DuPre, by Tom Hughes
Fin.
Dare I ask: why "sloppy floyd".
ReplyDeleteWhat a great twist! It is easy to be fascinated and imagine what took place before when viewing a beautiful building rich in architecture. But a parking garage? Now, I think the next time I park arrive at a MARTA station, I will be more inclined to wonder...what was here before?
ReplyDeleteI second Casey's question. At first I thought it was a joke, but I guess it's not? Inquiring minds want to know about Sloppy Floyd!
ReplyDeleteIt's named after James H. "Sloppy" Floyd, who was a representative in the Georgia House. There's also a state park named after him. I'm not sure where he got the name "Sloppy" but I'm sure somebody out there knows.
ReplyDeleteSSS Medicine still available on Broad Street at Millers Rexall Drugs https://flic.kr/p/fTfxhQ
ReplyDeleteGeoff, Tom Hughes here. Thanks for the shouts for my two books. Rich Georgian Strangely Shot and Hanging the Peachtree Bandit are available on Amazon & Kindle. The Bandit may still be in stores here including Eagle Eye and Acappella.
ReplyDeleteHi Tom, thanks for the great reads! The Atlanta History Center gift shop had copies of the Peachtree Bandit last time I checked as well.
DeleteIt's great to see how TLW fits into the history of this community. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteRenovating a house in East Point. I found a piece of furniture that was manufactured by Woodward Lumber Co. by a man with initials J.M.D.
ReplyDeleteor J.M.G.
Hi Barry, thanks for sharing! Would you happen to have photos of the piece you'd be willing to share? Either way, it's great to know that there are still tangible remnants of some of these places out there.
DeleteDoes the SSS building at Hunter & Butler go back as far as 1879? Sholes' Atlanta Directory of 1881 still lists Swift's Specific Co. as being headquartered in the Austell Building (20 Decatur St).
ReplyDeleteFantastic history! I've always been intrigued by those random industrial buildings along the railroads in old photos and often wondered what they were. You've answered a lot of questions. Great research. Thank you!
ReplyDelete