Franklin Garrett, whose life spanned 1907 to 2000, has often been referred to as “Atlanta’s official historian”. He was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and came to Atlanta with his parents and sister in 1914. From the time he arrived in Atlanta, the events of his life helped him become an expert on the places and people of the city. (“Atlanta History: A Journal of Georgia and the South,” Spring 2000, “Franklin Garrett, Sept. 25, 1907-March5, 2000, A Tribute”)
The Garrett family settled on 13th Street near Piedmont Park, and Franklin attended elementary school at Tenth Street School. He maneuvered around Atlanta on his bicycle and by trolley. He recalled taking the trolley to Oglethorpe University, which he described as “considered on the far urban fringe.” He walked from the trolley stop to Silver Lake.
Garrett attended high school at Tech High, graduating in 1924. While in school, he worked at Marshall’s Drug Store. After graduating, he worked at Western Union.
He began collecting city directories, and one day in 1927 entered the law office of Eugene Mitchell, asking to see the firm’s directories. Mitchell founded the Atlanta Historical Society in 1926 and was the father of Margaret Mitchell who wrote “Gone with the Wind.” Eugene Mitchell invited Garrett to join the Atlanta Historical Society.
In 1939, he began a 28-year career with Coca-Cola Company, and in 1942 he became president of the Atlanta Historical Society. His career was interrupted by World War II, when he was called to serve at Fort McPherson inducting new recruits.
Garrett wrote two volumes of Atlanta history, titled “Atlanta and Environs, a chronicle of its people and events,” published in 1954. He wrote the text for these two books, which total 2,034 pages, on yellow legal pads with a pencil. Volume I begins with a brief section of Native…
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