Our headquarters is open Monday-Friday, 10:00-4:00.
You may drop off rummage for our two annual sales during business hours. If you need other help, please email us at director@whitfieldmurray.org &/or call 706-278-0217.
Holiday Hours
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for the Crown Gardens & Archives and Hamilton House
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Christmas Holiday Closed from December 23 through 26, Reopen on December 27th.
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New Years Holiday Closed on December 30, Reopen on January 2nd.
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Antique Buffet for sale $1200.
Call 706-278-0217
December 16 and Saturday, December 17
2022 Christmas at the Depot event will be
5:30pm until 7:30pm on Friday
Christmas time is coming! Coming to the Chatsworth Depot that is. The oldest public building in Chatsworth has been decorated with trees, holiday scenes, special Christmas themed operating model trains, wreaths, and other holiday décor. Bring the family to enjoy the festive Christmas atmosphere.
The Depot is located at 219 N. First Avenue in downtown Chatsworth and is owned by the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society. The special hours for the 2022 Christmas at the Depot event will be 5:30pm until 7:30pm on Friday, December 16 and Saturday, December 17. The event is free, but donations to the depot are always appreciated.
The depot’s G-Scale train has a winter coat of snow applied and a special Christmas train is running on the display. The trees on the G-Scale model railroad have been decorated for the season with shiny Christmas balls. A visiting Lionel Christmas train is traveling through a beautiful winter wonderland as several theme park rides are in operation on the miniature Lionel railroad in the station agent’s office. Light refreshments will be served. Start a new family tradition by visiting the Chatsworth Depot all decked out for Christmas!
For more information, check out the Depot on Facebook!
Christmas Candlelight Tours
Firday and Saturday, December 9 & 10
5 pm to 9 pm
Chief Vann House
82 Ga.- 225, Chatsworth, GA. 30705
MY LIFE AND TRAVELS
written by former slave
LEVI BRANHAM
has been reprinted.
I WAS born in 1852 in Murray county, Georgia, and lived there until 1863. Then I refugeed from here (Murray county) to South Georgia, Terrell county of which Dawson was the county seat.
My first owner that I am able to recollect was Dr. Black, who later sold me to Mr. Jim Edmondson. Dr. Black not only sold me but he sold all of his negroes to Mr. Edmondson, declaring that he (Mr. Edmondson) would not separate the Negroes.
A white boy, Sam Carter, brother of Sooth Carter, was my first white playmate that I am able to remember. We would tie pine tops together to make a seine to catch fish.
So begins the story of an incredible man who made a huge difference in the Northwest corner of Georgia. He was a slave at the Chief Vann House in Murray County. Because he was taught to read and write by his Mistress while a slave, he recognized the advantage of an education. He taught schools following the Civil War. He traveled around the area, helping found educational opportunities for freed slaves and their families/ He was also a Sunday school teacher. Mr. Branham, known locally as "Uncle Boisey" published My Life and Travels in 1929, when he was seventy-seven years old.
The book has just been reprinted and will be available for $8 at the Crown Gardens & Archives, 715 Chattanooga Ave, Dalton, GA 30720. (706) 278-0217
We have an assortment of years of high school yearbooks from Dalton High and Southeast High Schools. The yearbooks are used and are sold as is.
The books are $20 each.
Stop by the Crown Gardens and Archives at 715 Chattanooga Avenue, Dalton 30720 to purchase your book.
The hours are Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
GENEALOGY WORKSHOPS
How to Begin Your Family Research
Saturday, January 14, 2023
9:00 a.m.- 3 p.m.
Includes: Genealogy Basics Walking the paper trial
Searching for Women and why are they important How can land records, wills and census help you in your research
Brick Walls Workshop
Saturday, February 18, 2023
9:00 a.m.- 3 p.m.
For intermediate & advanced researchers who have hit a wall.
Instructor: Jennifer S. Harvey, NSDAR Genealogy Consultant Regent of the Chief John Ross Chapter, Member of the TN State Application Team, National Society Daughters of the American Revolution.
Location: Crown Gardens & Archives
715 Chattanooga Avenue, Dalton, GA
Mail checks to P. O. Box 6180 Dalton, GA 30722-6180
The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society recently received a $500 Keep Dalton/Whitfield Beautiful Grant for the 1840 Hamilton House. Our focus was to add fresh paint to the doors and windows. Along the way, we also painted porch furniture and added new plantings. Thanks,KD/WB, for encouraging us to spiff up!
The window paint was chipping, and we needed a facelift! In addition to the fresh paint, we decided to change the paint color from brick red to black for the doors and porch.
The new paint pops, and the side porch bench and floor are more welcoming.
Notice:
All Whitfield-Murray Historical Society properties are owned by the historical society, so are therefore private property.
If you would like to use the grounds for photographs, etc., please obtain permission by calling 706-278-0217, Monday through Friday.
Please note that if an event is occurring on the property, no one else is allowed to be on the property.
Professional photographers must schedule events for all outside & inside areas at all WMHS properties. The fee for the rental is $100 per session per property.
Rent a Whitfield Murray Historical Society Property for your next event.
As you plan upcoming family or organization events, consider using WMHS property. Contacts for information &/or reservations are:
Old Spring Place Methodist Church
Call Tim at 706-695-2740
Crown Garden and Archives
Call Tina at 706-278-0217
Hamilton House
Call Tina at 706-278-0217
Blunt House
Call Joanne at 706-271-8702
Huff House
Call Virgelia at 706-226-6774
Chatsworth Depot
Call Ted at 706-581-5482
Wright Hotel
Call Ralph at 706-695-9808 or 706-260-1320
Historical Dalton City Directories are online
Researchers may now access Dalton city directories from 1940-1963 online, thanks to Georgia Public Library Service. They joined previously digitized Georgia city directories from Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Columbus, Gainsville, and Macon. To locate a city directory, go to the following link.
All Murray County deeds--back to 1833--are now accessible online. This includes the earliest deeds for Whitfield County, too, since we were one county through 1851. Use this link to access the deeds:
Whitfield-Murray Historical Society Benefits from Grants
During the COVID-19 virus pandemic, the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society has benefited from both member donations & government grants. The US government’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), created to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll, enabled the organization to cover employee payroll, payroll taxes, & utilities. The Society also received funds from the Georgia Humanities Council through the CARES Act Emergency Operating grant. WMHS is grateful for this state humanities support.
Organized in 1952 to preserve the Vann House, the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society is the pivot point for all things historical in Whitfield & Murray counties. The Society preserves area history by maintaining structures, archiving objects & materials, & serving as the go-to entity for historical questions. WMHS also conducts historic house tours, bi-annual rummage sales, and Holiday House tours. Among the many activities conducted by the WMHS are Social Distancing Concerts at the Chatsworth Depot. Upcoming date is August 8.
The Society has placed 11 sites on the National Register of Historic Places. In addition, the group has preserved the 1864 Dug Gap Battle Park, the 1909 Wright Hotel, old Spring Place Methodist Church (1875), & the 1905 Chatsworth Depot. The 1840 Hamilton House which is the oldest home in Dalton, and the 1848 Blunt House, home of Dalton’s first mayor, and second oldest house are also part of the preservation done by WMHS. The 1855 Huff House was General Joseph E. Johnston’s headquarters during the winter of 1863-64 preparing for the Atlanta Campaign is another WMHS property.
WMHS headquarters, Crown Gardens and Archives--the 1890 Crown Cotton Mill office building--is a resource for local historical & genealogical research. The Society sells books on local history & publishes a bi-monthly newsletter as well as a historical review. Annual scholarships are awarded to young researchers, & historic preservation awards recognize area preservationists. Meetings feature topics of local historical interest in Whitfield & Murray counties.
Individuals interested in local history are encouraged to join the Society. Donations to aid in the very important work of protecting our local history may be mailed to: WMHS, P.O. Box 6180, Dalton, GA 30722. For more information, call 706-278-0217, or visit http://www.whitfield-murrayhistoricalsociety.org.
Bylines: Sherrian Hall, Jean Manly, and Joanne Lewis scraping old wall paper at the Blunt House, one of the WMHS historic properties.
Children at one of the history camps rubbing tombstones.
Sherrian Hall, Jean Manly, and Joanne Lewis scraping old wall paper at the Blunt House
Children at one of the history camps rubbing tombstones
Copies of Dorothy "Dot" McCrory's poetry book,
"Too Much Cider in the Applesauce,"
are available at the Crown Gardens & Archives,
715 Chattanooga Ave. Dalton GA
Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Copies are $25.
A copy can be mailed for $35.
Book sales benefit the Lesche Club scholarship fund.
Hours at Crown Garden and Archives
To better serve our community
we are open M-F 10am - 4pm.
Please call to schedule an appointment on weekends and evenings for research and events!
For research, please call to verify that we have the family files.
To make an appointment, please call during our business hours!
