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I visited the Martin Luther King National Historic Site and toured his birthplace & boyhood home.  It’s located in Sweet Auburn and the neighborhood has been restored to look like it did in the 1920’s, with Victorian homes across the street from rows of shotgun houses.  It was wonderful to wander the neighborhood and see the homes.  I also saw the King tomb and Eternal Flame across from it, the historic firehouse, and the restored Ebenezer Baptist Church.  The sanctuary has been restored to its 1960’s look and I stood there listening to a recording of Dr. King preaching there and was very touched.  It was a wonderful experience.

While in Marietta, I decided to visit the grave of Mary Phagan at the City Cemetery because it was close to the Confederate Cemetery I was visiting.  Mary was murdered in 1913 and Leo Frank was accused of the murder.  He was later kidnapped from prison & lynched when the Governor commuted his death sentence to life in prison. It was a very sensational case which led to the resurgence of the KKK & the creation of the Anti-Defamation League.  Mary’s murder was tragic & is often overshadowed by the really tragic murder of Frank.  I wanted to remember her & pay my respects.  I was surprised to find her grave adorned with toys & teddy bears, so evidently she’s not forgotten even today.

You’re probably wondering why I wanted to visit & how I know about her.  The Frank case is important in US history & that’s how I know about it.  (I am a historian, after all.  There’s a reason I know all the history questions in Trivial Pursuit).  But there’s an additional reason.  Brian quite often sings a song from the show, “Parade”, called “Leo’s Statement: It’s Hard to Speak My Heart”.  It’s an emotional plea given during the trial asking the jury to believe in his innocence and it’s very moving.  So I wanted to honor Mary’s memory and I’m glad I did.

Later at the hotel I was doing a little research on my phone & found this touching article about another visit to Mary.  If you’re intrigued by my visit, I’d encourage you to read more about it.

I paid a visit to Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park because I love tramping around battlefields. This was a Federal setback on the way to Atlanta by Sherman’s men because Gen. Johnston held the high ground.  It was hot & humid for hiking but evidently it’s an extremely popular place for hikers & runners because of the great system of interconnected trails.  I did the auto tour & hiked at each stop, but I saw people coming out of the wooda st evey place on longer hikes.  It was very beautiful.