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 whitfieldmurrayhs@gmail.com &/or call 706-278-0217.
Whitfield-Murray Historical Society
Upcoming Events
*
Headquarters Closed
Thanksgiving Holiday
Thurs./Fri. Nov. 28-29
*
Vann House Candlelight Tours
Chief Vann House
82 Ga. Hwy 225, Chatsworth, GA
Fri. & Sat., Dec. 13 & 14
5 - 9 pm
*
Headquarters Closed
Christmas Holiday
Mon.- Fri., Dec. 23-27
&
New Year’s Day
Wed., Jan. 1
Rachel’s Star Lighting
Open House
for the lighting of Rachel's Star on Mount Rachel
to kick off the holiday season.
*
Hamilton House &
Crown Gardens & Archives
*
Monday, December 2nd
*
The Hamilton House open for tours
from 4 pm to 5 pm.
*
and The Crown Gardens & Archives
5 pm for refreshments.
Hot tea and cookies served
Polar Express at the Chatsworth Depot
December 7 th , 12:00-4:00 pm
The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society is proud to announce The Polar Express is coming to the Chatsworth Depot on Saturday, December 7 th. The Depot’s Big Blue Train will take riders to visit Santa at the Wright Hotel. Dramatic readings of the book, THE POLAR EXPRESS, by local retired educator C. L. Dunn, will take place inside the depot on each half hour. The Chatsworth Train Depot will be decorated for the Christmas Holidays.
Highlighting the afternoon will be model trains decorated for the holidays and running in the former freight room of the depot. Christmas is closely associated with model trains!
Refreshments will be served by the Chatsworth Depot Committee. The event is free for children 10 and under (must be accompanied by a paid adult), but a $3 donation for those ages 11 and up is requested for Depot admission. Big Blue Train rides to see Santa are free, but donations are always appreciated.
The event is co-sponsored by the Wright Hotel Committee and Chatsworth Depot Committee.
Polar Express at the Chatsworth Depot and Wright Hotel
December 7 th
The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society is proud to announce that the Polar Express returns to the Chatsworth Depot on Saturday, December 7 th from noon until 4 p.m. As usual, Santa will be visiting at the Wright Hotel as well.
Highlighting the day are dramatic readings of the book, THE POLAR EXPRESS, by local retired educator C. L. Dunn inside the depot on each half hour. The Chatsworth Train Depot will be elaborately decorated for the Christmas Holidays and a model Christmas train will be set up and running in the freight room. Trains just seem to go with Christmas!
The Depot’s Big Blue Train will take riders to visit Santa at the Wright Hotel located around the block from the Depot. In addition to the guy from the North Pole, visitors will see a variety of Christmas decorations as they tour the historic building—opening for the first time since lightning struck the building back in August.
Refreshments will be served at the depot. The event is free for children 10 and under (must be accompanied by a paid adult), but a $3 donation for those ages 11 and up is requested for Depot admission. Separate donations are always welcome at the Hotel and for the train ride. The event is sponsored by the WMHS Wright Hotel and Chatsworth Depot Committees.
The Vann House
The 2024 Candlelight Tours
The candlelight Tours will be held December 13 & 14. Tour hours are 5 to 9 pm.
Live music will be provided by Sloane and Brandon Singleton and Matt Downer.
Vann House
82 Hwy. 225 N.
Chatsworth, GA 30705
Genealogy Workshops Available in January and February 2025
Who were you great-grandparents? Where did they live? Were they farmers? Did they fight in a war? Come explore your family tree at the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society! Two upcoming workshops are designed to help family historians at various points in their research.
How do I start? Beginner/Intermediate research topics are on the agenda for Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 9 am to 3 pm with a 30 minute lunch break. Sack lunches will be availabe for $7 or participants may bring a lunch.
"I'm Stuck! I need help!" A Brick Walls workshop is scheduled for Saturday, February 8, 2025 from 9 am to 3 pm.
The workshop is available for intermediate & advanced researchers who have hit a wall. A 30 minute lunch break and sack lunches will be availabe for $7 or participats may bring a lunch.
The class instructor for both sessions is Mrs. Pam Shinnick, a local genealogist with 40 years of research experience. Classes will be held at the Crown Gardens & Archives at 715 Chattanooga Ave. Dalton 30720.
To reserve a spot, call Tina at 706-278-0217 or stop by Monday through Friday. The cost is $40 for one workshop or $70 for both workshops.
Checks may be mailed to PO Box 6180 Dalton, GA 30722-6180
The workshops would make a terrific Christmas gift for a friend or relative.
Chatsworth Hotel Turns 115
The Chatsworth Depot and the Wright Hotel, owned by the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society, The Hotel is celebrating its 115th anniversary with special displays and souvenirs. Admission to tours and trains will be free, but donations are appreciated.
The Chatsworth Depot, constructed in 1905 by the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, is the oldest public building in town. The passenger waiting room contains a museum showcasing the talc industry in Murray County. The station agent’s office and the freight room contain historic railroad artifacts and exhibits related to the depot. The 1960 caboose is located behind the Depot.
Around the corner from the Depot located on First Avenue is the historic Wright Hotel at the intersection of Market Street and Second Avenue. Built with locally produced materials, the Hotel opened in 1909 and the 115th anniversary of that historic occasion is the focus of events there over the next year. The business operated into the 1960’s, sometimes under the name “Chatsworth Hotel” and today is a double listing on the National Register of Historic Places—first as an individual site and again as a part of the downtown Chatsworth historic district.
A property of the historical society for almost four decades now, the site will feature some new photographic displays as well as offering souvenir T-shirts, buttons, magnets, and coasters to commemorate the Hotel’s first 115 years! Proceeds from these items as well as donations will go toward the continued preservation of the amazing three-story building.
The Historical Society would like to thank the 2024 business partners who make the programs possible. Many have been supporting Second Saturdays for many years. Partners are Peeples Funeral Home, Bradley’s Ace Hardware, Bojangles, Captain D’s & Krystal restaurants, Chatsworth First Community Bank, and the Murray County Elected Officials. Be sure to tell them you appreciate their supporting the historic properties of Chatsworth anytime you visit or contact one of these.
Dorothy "Dot" McCrory's second book,
"View from the Gaming Table,”
is now available. Copies are $35.
A copy can be mailed for $45.
Book sales benefit the Lesche Club scholarship fund.
The Emery Center, Inc.
110 West Emery Street
Dalton, GA 30720
Tours are available on Wednesdays
Tour Times are:
10:15 a.m.
12:15 p.m.
2:15 p.m.
Please call the Emery Center to schedule a tour at 706-277-7633
or 706-280-7695.
The Emery Center is located at the corner of Emery St. and S. Pentz St.
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.
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 706-529-8082
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:
