RE-PACKAGING HISTORY IN METRO-ATLANTA: MYTH, MEMORY, AND TOURISM, 1958-1996 by KAYLYNN LEE WASHNOCK (Under the Direction of Akela Reason) ABSTRACT For over a century, civic leaders, businessmen, and city boosters sought to promote a united and harmonious image of Atlanta. Carefully thought-out slogans and long-range development plans have promoted Atlanta as a relic of the oft-romanticized Old South past, the birthplace of the New South, an icon of southern hospitality, and a model of racial “moderation” during the Civil Rights Movement. Yet this has frequently entailed a heavy dose of historical forgetfulness, if not downright amnesia. This dissertation explores the use of the history in metro-Atlanta’s public landscape, by examining key events, marketing campaigns, and tourism endeavors, which in turn, have contributed to the continual reinvention of the city. Utilizing private correspondence, master development plans, newspaper articles, tourist travel studies, and oral history transcripts, this dissertation explores the use of the past to develop a “historical South” in metro-Atlanta during the mid-late twentieth- century. It examines how human actors—including politicians, boosters, community leaders, and prominent businessmen along with a variety of organizations shaped the public landscape of history and to what effects. It traces how issues came to a head time and again as both concerned local observers and elected officials grappled with the ongoing changes: during the Civil War centennial; in the purchase and development of Stone Mountain; the establishment of Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site; and in preparations for the 1996 Olympics. Ultimately, this dissertation underscores how these groups and individuals re-packaged metro-Atlanta as a booming paradise for both businesses and tourists all while capitalizing on the city’s Confederate past and birthplace of “human rights” in the post-civil rights South. INDEX WORDS: Metro-Atlanta, heritage tourism, historical memory, Stone Mountain, Civil War centennial, Olympics, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site RE-PACKAGING HISTORY IN METRO-ATLANTA: MYTH, MEMORY, AND TOURISM, 1958-1996 by KAYLYNN LEE WASHNOCK BA, Florida State University, 2010 MA, Western Carolina University, 2012 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2018 © 2018 Kaylynn Lee Washnock All Rights Reserved RE-PACKAGING HISTORY IN METRO-ATLANTA: MYTH, MEMORY, AND TOURISM 1958-1996 by KAYLYNN LEE WASHNOCK Major Professor: Akela Reason Committee: Stephen Berry Kathleen Clark Shane Hamilton Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2018 iv DEDICATION To grandpa, Harold Lee Thomas. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Over the course of my studies, I have accumulated many debts both personal and professional. I credit Dr. Jessica Swigger’s public history classes at Western Carolina University for inspiring this dissertation. The public history program at WCU taught me to think deeply about the intersection of history and memory, which in turn, fueled my interest in the use of history at public monuments, memorials, and sites of tourism. I am also thankful for the intellectual encouragement and continued support I receive from other WCU professors including Alexander Macaulay and Richard Starnes. Dr. Starnes has offered calm, thoughtful academic guidance, and boosted my morale during some of the most challenging moments in my graduate career. For this I am thankful. I am especially grateful to my committee for their time and support. Despite leaving UGA, Dr. Kathleen Clark graciously agreed to stay on and see the project through to the end. Since taking over as my advisor Dr. Akela Reason has calmed my nervous jitters, offered reassurance when in doubt, and perhaps more importantly, helped wrangle my thoughts into a coherent, organized project. Dr. Shane Hamilton has provided thoughtful insight on chapters that helped me look at my content in fresh new ways. Dr. Stephen Berry’s positive support of this dissertation has helped motivate me on even the most difficult days. Thank you. I want to thank my grandmother IdaRose Thomas for unwavering love and support. Grammy has also been a trusty dog sitter (and even provided dog pickup and delivery) when I needed to focus on my dissertation or get away for a weekend without a vi four-legged distraction. I would also like to thank my parents John and Diana Washnock for their support even though my dad is convinced I will always be an unemployed student. Over the course of this project I have also experienced many trials and tragedies from mom’s cancer diagnosis in the summer of 2017 to the sudden loss of grandpa Harold, and then his mother, great-grandma Marie, less than a month later. These unexpected tragedies brought a renewed sense of perspective and made me forever cherish each and every moment with loved ones along the way. I also need to thank Brandon. He has enriched my life in countless ways with adventures, support, laughter, and most importantly, love. I also want to extend my thanks to his family: Kathy and Gary Stooksbury and Courtney and Christopher Parker. They have generously taken me in and treated me as part of the family. When Brandon proved a terrible proofreader, they willingly stepped in to lend a hand. They have proven to be valuable cheerleaders, gifted proofreaders, patience ski instructors, and all great around trip companions. Although I do not bleed Tennessee orange like the rest of them (and still favor Florida State crimson and gold), they have accepted me into the group, which means the world. I also owe thanks to the archival staff and librarians at many different institutions. First and foremost, I want to express my gratitude to the staff at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies (including Jan Hebbard who now works in Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library) for providing a home away from home. The many summers I have spent working at Russell Library provided not only value professional lessons but also friendship. vii I also owe thanks to the Atlanta History Center; the Georgia Archives; the Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library at Emory University; the DeKalb History Center; the Auburn Avenue Research Library; the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum; and the National Archives at College Park. I would also like to thank Greg and Amanda Gregory for their continued financial support to the University of Georgia’s history department. Their funding of travel and research grants enabled many of my research trips over the years. I would also like to thank the Wilson Center for the generous Graduate Research Award that facilitated a particularly fruitful research trip to the National Archives at College Park. I would like to thank the Phi Mu Foundation for the Mary Tilly Bessemer Scholarship. None of this would have been possible without the support of friends. My Western Carolina cohort—Luke Manget, James Owens, and their lovely wives—have given me years of friendship, encouragement, guidance, and perhaps most importantly, many enjoyable memories. I still can hardly believe the three of us made the unlikely journey from Cullowhee to Athens together. And finally, I owe many thanks to Ashton Ellet and Katie Brackett-Fialka. While Ashton has been like an older brother that just so happens to have expansive political knowledge and sharp editing skills, Katie has been an all around great friend and because of her, I have my beloved fur baby Winnie. I am sure there are many other people who have influenced me along the way that desire gratitude, so to those I have missed, thank you. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v CHAPTER INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................1 A Historical Survey of Atlanta Boosters .....................................................2 Historiography ...........................................................................................13 Myth, Memory, and Tourism in Metro-Atlanta .........................................23 Chapter Outlines ........................................................................................26 1 “GEORGIANS ARE THE SOIL FOR THE ROOTS OF COMMEMORATION”: THE CIVIL WAR CENTENNIAL .........................31 Establishing the Governing Agencies ........................................................35 Commission Politics: Sectionalism, Patriotism, and Race ........................44 “Let’s don’t fight no mo”: Marketing the Centennial ...............................50 “Their Massive Pride”: Commemorative Events in Georgia .....................62 Models of Remembrance ...........................................................................67 2 A MONUMENT FOR THE “ENTIRE SOUTHLAND”: STONE MOUNTAIN PARK ........................................................................................78 Buying “one of the wonders of the world” ................................................82 Competing Visions: Memorial or Honky-Tonk? .......................................91 Re-Envisioning the Park for Tourists ........................................................99 ix “Georgia’s Year-Round Historical Recreation Area” ..............................108 “The