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.
The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society announces that the popular “Second Saturday” events continue on Saturday, July 9. The Wright Hotel and the Chatsworth Depot/Caboose will offer free, fun, and fascinating tours of both properties from 1 until 4 pm.
Tours at the depot feature railroad artifacts and pictures as well as samples and tools from the local talc industry. Murray County is the only place in Georgia where talc is mined—and has been since Indian times. This, the last of five railroad stations that once served Murray County, was constructed in 1905. Efforts to preserve Chatsworth’s oldest building, began in 1989. Located on First Avenue, these pieces of history remind us that railroads built America and completely altered the course of Murray County’s history.
And, the railroad is still important. Wesley Barrell, manager of the Appalachian Regional Inland Port at Crandall will be on hand during the opening to tell how railroads affect our lives today. His presentation will begin at 2 p.m.
The Wright Hotel opened in 1910 and was operated for over three decades by the Thomas Wright Family. Other operators leased the structure into the 1960’s and it’s been open for tours by the historical society since the 1980’s. Today the Hotel, located at the corner of Market Street and Second Avenue in Chatsworth, has an impressive collection of period furniture, Chatsworth photographs, and examples of Native American arts and crafts.
Highlights of the Second Saturday opening will include the continued exhibition of folk paintings done by the late Mrs. Nannie Lou Brewer Arthur of Crandall, an extensive display of artifacts from the famous Keith Store at Tennga, and a newly revamped nurse’s station featuring items from Mrs. Katherine Wright Raine’s long career as a public health nurse in Dalton and on the Indian reservations of the Southwest. Local retired nurse Susan Longley who serves on the Hotel Committee has given the display a facelift for the summer.
The book room in the Hotel garage will again be open for those who need some summer reading materials. Used hardbacks are $1 each and paperbacks 5/$1. A few records, tapes, and videos are also in the sale—along with a select number of vintage books at special prices.
There is no admission charge for tours, but donations will be accepted. First National Community Bank, Dr. John Robison, Bradley Ace Hardware, Peeples Funeral Home, Captain D’s, Bojangles, Krystal, and Murray County’s elected officials are sponsors for Second Saturday. All proceeds go to the continued preservation and maintenance of these structures, which are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Various publications and historical society items will be available for purchase as well.
For more information call Ted Yarbrough at 706-695-2155, Jan McNeill at 706-695-4313 or Tim Howard at 706-695-2740. Check the properties out on Facebook, too!
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!
