A Storied Journey
Honoring Marietta’s Black History
Explore the Legacy of These Historic Sites
William Root House Museum & Garden
Step inside one of the area’s oldest residences and encounter everyday life in 19th-century Marietta. Through period rooms and thoughtfully curated exhibits, the Root House interprets the experiences of everyone who lived and labored on the property, including enslaved individuals whose lives and legacies anchor Marietta’s early narrative. In the heritage gardens, a sculpture is dedicated to the enslaved individuals living in Marietta prior to 1860 whose names were not recorded.
Why it matters: The site invites visitors to look beyond dates and décor to the people and stories that make a house a witness to history.
Marietta History Center
At the heart of downtown, the Marietta History Center offers rotating and permanent galleries that illuminate local life from early settlement through the modern era. Exhibits highlight the contributions of Black Mariettans in education, the arts, business, military service, and civic leadership.
Why it matters: By placing personal artifacts and oral histories front and center, the Center helps us see the city through the eyes of the people who built it.
Zion Baptist Church & Old Zion Heritage Museum
Founded by formerly enslaved people after the Civil War, Old Zion Baptist Church has a legacy as one of the first all Black congregations in the state of Georgia. It quickly became both a spiritual home and a hub for community life, education, and organizing. Generations of pastors, choirs, and lay leaders mentored families through change while preserving traditions that continue to define the Lemon Street community. The Old Zion Heritage Museum preserves the history and culture of Marietta and Cobb County’s Black community. Housed in the original 1888 church building, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the museum features artifacts and photographs that illuminate local African American stories across decades.
Why it matters: Old Zion embodies faith in action, reminding us that churches served as schools, meeting halls, and springboards for progress.
St. James Episcopal Church
Parish records note that on January 10, 1844, the first marriage here was Eli and Louise, both enslaved; in 1845, George and Lucy, also enslaved, were married. Six of the first 13 marriages recorded at St. James were Black couples.
Why it matters: St. James’s register offers rare, named documentation of Black family bonds in the 1840s, affirming dignity and continuity at a time when the law denied both, and providing vital threads for descendants and historians to follow.
Cole Street Community Church
Formed in 1887 by members of Zion Baptist Church, the congregation first met in a building purchased from Mrs. Lucy Ann Jones on the current church site. The present sanctuary was constructed 1889–1890 and named by Deacon Dennis Williams. Early membership numbered 32. Among the organizers was Rev. Thomas Milton Allen, one of the original Black representatives elected to the Georgia legislature in 1868.
Why it matters: Cole Street’s story shows how Black neighbors built something lasting, first securing a place of their own, then growing a church that nurtured learning and leadership. It gave the community stability, opened doors, and raised new leaders for generations.
Turner Chapel AME
In 1854, freed and enslaved Mariettans purchased a church and renamed it Trinity Church for Negroes and Indians. In 1865, Rev. Henry McNeal Turner reorganized the congregation under the AME Church; it was renamed in his honor in 1891. The original site was acquired by the City in 1971; the congregation now worships on North Marietta Parkway. Today, Turner Chapel continues strong ministries in preaching, education, entrepreneurship, and civic life.
Why it matters: Turner Chapel shows how a congregation can grow from a shared, early meeting place into a long-standing anchor for learning, leadership, and opportunity.
Lemon Street Schools – 350 Lemon Street
In 1894, Marietta’s Black community established Lemon Street Elementary. The city’s first Black high school, Marietta Industrial High School, opened in 1929 and was later renamed Lemon Street High School. Following integration, Lemon Street High School and the Lemon Street Grammar School closed; the high school building was demolished in 1967, while the grammar school served as storage for years. In 2021, the grammar school was rehabilitated and returned to classroom use, with outdoor interpretive panels now sharing the neighborhood’s story.
Why it matters: Lemon Street’s story shows how this community kept learning through big changes, from segregated schools to integration.
Marietta Slave Lot
Within Marietta City Cemetery is a burial lot for enslaved people. Most graves are unmarked, but four individuals have been identified by name: Clarissa, Hannah, Nancy, and Peggy. This is one of the few known burial grounds for enslaved people located inside a city cemetery in Georgia.
Why it matters: This place gives names and dignity to people whose lives were too often left out of the record. It offers a space to honor them, face our shared history, and teach future generations with honesty and respect.
Elizabeth Porter Park
Opened in 2018 at Allgood Road and North Marietta Parkway, Elizabeth Porter Park serves all Mariettans and holds special meaning for Baptist Town residents. The site began in the 1940s as the Cobb Cooperative Negro Hospital, later becoming the Montgomery Street Recreation Center, teen Canteen, and Elizabeth Porter Recreation Center. Today it features a walk/run track, spray pad, and pavilion, plus a 130-foot mural and a statue of Elizabeth Porter with two children that honor the neighborhood’s story.
Why it matters: A place of care became a place of community, keeping Black neighborhood history visible and celebrated for new generations.
Marietta’s Theatre in the Square
Reopened in 2015, the historic Theatre in the Square is an inclusive, community-rooted stage led by Artistic Director N. Emil Thomas. The theatre features performances written by, starring, and about Black people, Latin people, and Americans regardless of race, gender, sexual identity, religion, age, or disability The company presents new works and classics.
Why it matters: By centering equity and belonging, the theatre uplifts Black and other underrepresented voices, grows local talent, and invites everyone to feel at home on the Square.
Black History Interview Series
Thank you to the Cobb County Remembrance Coalition for your inspiration and support.