Public Sites

  THE MARIETTA PILGRIMAGE CHRISTMAS HOME TOUR
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We welcome you to explore the following sites during the Marietta Pilgrimage. 
​Sites listed are independently owned and operated. Be sure to review hours of operation before your visit. 

A. William Root House Museum, c. 1845
80 N. Marietta Parkway


The Root House, one of Marietta’s oldest homes, was endangered in the late 1980s. Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society was able to save this historic structure from demolition and open it to the public as a museum depicting middle class life in Marietta in the 1850s. William Root came to Marietta in 1839 to open the county’s first drug store. He married Hannah Simpson, the daughter of one of Marietta’s early settlers, and raised their four children in this house. Root became a leading citizen of Marietta and was one of the founders of the St. James Episcopal Church. He served as Sunday School Superintendent for fifty years. Today, you will experience a Christmas past--the house is decorated with pine and holly in the manner of the time. See the 1850s Christmas tree and the table set for a festive dinner.
  
Open: Saturday, 9am – 4pm and 
Sunday, 10am – 4pm


B. Grey Gables, United Community Bank, c. 1888 
200 Cherokee Street


This foursquare-style house was built in 1888 by Warren Crockett, who lived in the home with his sisters Ella, Allie and Louise. The property was operated as a boarding house. Mr. Crockett fought in the Rough Riders with Teddy Roosevelt. President Roosevelt visited him at his home when he came to visit his mother in Roswell. The Benson family lived in the house from 1925 until 1941, when they sold the property to Dr. Martin Teem. At that time the house changed from a boarding house to a combination home and medical clinic for the Teem family. In 1998 Southern National Bank purchased the house from the Teems and established a full service banking office. Southern National Bank merged with United Community Bank in 2006, and the property continues to operate as a bank.
  
Open: Saturday, 10am – 4pm
Sunday, 1pm – 4pm


C. First Presbyterian Church, c. 1854
189 Church Street


The First Presbyterian Church was founded in 1835. Its Greek Revival sanctuary was built in 1854 on a lot donated by former Pastor John Jones of the family documented in Children of Pride. The Union Army used it as a hospital during the Civil War, and in 1915 the federal government paid the church reparations for damages. The two-foot-thick walls of solid brick are original, as are the galleries and the heart pine floors that enhance the building’s fine acoustics. The interior was remodeled in 1903 in the Colonial Revival style. The basic choir and pulpit configuration, elaborate pressed metal ceiling, cornices, and Pompeian red wall color date from that time.
  
Open: Saturday, 9am – 1pm and 
Sunday, 1pm – 5pm


D. St. James Episcopal Church, Lawrence Chapel, c. 1878
161 Church Street


The Lawrence Chapel, named for Robert de Treville Lawrence, was built in 1878. He organized its construction by leading the Sunday school boys in hauling stones from nearby Kennesaw Mountain. The original church was used for military purposes during the Civil War. The main church building was destroyed by fire in 1964, but many of the original furnishings and the cross were spared. James Remley Brumby, a local furniture manufacturer who made the famous “Brumby Rocker,” made much of the furniture in the chapel. Lawrence Chapel was used as a Sunday school building until 1956, when it was renovated and repurposed for use as a chapel.
  
Open: Saturday, 10am – 5pm and 
Sunday, 1pm – 4pm


E. First Baptist Church Marietta, c. 1897
148 Church Street


The First Baptist Church Marietta was organized in 1835. This church building was completed in 1897. The Victorian-Gothic designed structure of Georgia marble and granite has a colonnade porch with twin staircases at the entrance. The auditorium, designed in a bowl shape for good visibility for worshipers, has many original features, including wood trimming, curved oak pews, chandelier, and stained glass windows. During the Marietta Pilgrimage, enjoy musical performances outlined below: 
Saturday, December 7th
11am-11:30am Oral Moses, vocalist; Jahari Rush, pianist
11:30am-1pm Harris Wheeler, pianist
1pm-2pm The Walker School, Instrumental Ensembles
2pm-3pm Sprayberry High School, String Ensembles
3pm-4pm Renee White, pianist with Lynn Wigington, vocalist
Sunday, December 8th
12pm-1pm MMS/MHS Advanced Chamber String Ensemble
1pm-2:30pm Jimmie Nettles, vocalist, singing Christmas Classics
2:30pm-4pm Elizabeth Whitton, harpist
4pm-5pm McKay Swanson, oboist and Lucy Kowalski, flutist
  
Open: Saturday, 10am - 6pm and Sunday, noon – 5pm


F. Old Zion Baptist Church, c. 1888
Corner of Haynes &Lemon Street


The Zion Baptist Church is one of the oldest African-American churches in North Georgia. Once a part of the First Baptist Church of Marietta, the slave membership began petitioning for a separate church in 1852. First Baptist granted letters to 88 African-American members for the purpose of constituting a new church. The old church, built in 1888, was used until the 1980s, when a new sanctuary was erected. In 2007, the church built another sanctuary on the corner of Cherokee and Lemon Streets. Currently, the building is the home of the Old Zion Heritage Museum.
  
Open: Saturday, 1pm – 5pm and 
Sunday, 1pm – 5pm


G. Marietta Fire Museum
112 Haynes Street


Come discover and learn the history of the Marietta Fire Department like never before at our recently remodeled Fire Museum. Located just 2 blocks off Historic Marietta Square the museum boasts a collection of antique fire apparatus, tools, and gear dating back to 1854. Learn through a self-guided tour how the fire department has changed over time. 

Open: Saturday, 10am – 4pm and 
Sunday, 10am – 4pm 


H. The Kennesaw House, Marietta Museum of History, c. 1845
1 Depot Street


The original owner of this property was John H. Glover, who operated it as a four-story cotton warehouse. It was sold to Dix Fletcher in 1855, and he converted it into a hotel and named it The Fletcher House. It was the meeting place in 1862 of “Andrews’ Raiders” the night before they stole the locomotive General of the “Great Locomotive Chase” fame. In 1864, it was used as a Confederate hospital and later occupied by federal troops until November, when it was partially burned as they left on the March to the Sea. After the Civil War, it was remodeled as a three-story hotel and renamed the Kennesaw House. It remained a hotel until the 1970s. Today it is the home of the Marietta Museum of History. 
  
Open: Saturday, 10am – 4pm and 
Sunday, 1pm – 4pm


I. U.S. Post Office, Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art, c. 1909
30 Atlanta Street


This building has been a Marietta landmark since it was built as a Federal Post Office in 1909. It later served as a library and central office for the Cobb County Public Library System for almost 30 years. In 1990 it became home to the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art. A two-story addition was built at the rear of the building to accommodate the library and the demands of the county’s tremendous growth. The museum has renovated the building, preserving the architectural integrity. The original marble, hardwood, and wrought iron throughout the building have been restored to recapture the building’s original grandeur.
  
Open: Saturday, 11am – 5pm and 
Sunday, 1pm – 4pm


J. Brumby Hall and Gardens, Gone With the Wind Museum, c. 1851
500 Powder Springs Street


Colonel Arnoldus V. Brumby, the first superintendent of the Georgia Military Institute, built this lovely Greek Revival style house on this property. Colonel Brumby, a West Point graduate, directed the Institute from 1851 to 1859. During the Civil War, he commanded the Fourteenth Georgia Regiment. When Sherman’s troops occupied Marietta in 1864, the house was used as a hospital and spared, unlike the Institute buildings, which were burned as the army departed on the “March to the Sea.” Today it is used to house a private collection of Gone With the Wind movie memorabilia collection, which includes such items as Scarlett’s Bengaline Gown, foreign versions of the novel, and information dedicated to the African-American cast members. 
  
Open: Saturday, 10am – 5pm and 
Sunday, 10am – 4pm


K. First United Methodist Church, Log Church Replica, c. 1909
56 Whitlock Avenue


Marietta First United Methodist was established in 1833 as the Methodist Mission with 37 members.  Church meetings were first held at the Cobb County Courthouse.  In 1837, the Church constructed a small log cabin on Husk Street near Whitlock.  The Church relocated to Atlanta Street in 1846. In 1966,  the Church moved to its current location.  As a celebration of its 175th anniversary in 2008, Marietta FUMC members constructed a park on its property, as well as a replica of its original log cabin church building which is located at the Polk Street entrance to the church property.
  
Open: Saturday, 10am – 4pm and 
Sunday, 1pm – 4pm
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CONTACT US:
​(770) 429-1115
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info@mariettapilgrimage.com

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