New Book Releases

Confederate monuments and markers in cemeteries across Georgia are inscribed with a variety of dedications. Many offer a simple sentiment, such as "Our Confederate Dead, 1861-1865" or "Lest We Forget"; some present a more political statement--"They Fought Not For Conquest, But For Liberty And Their Own Homes"; some have long soliloquies of prose or poetry; and others feature lists of names of individuals or units that served. Georgia's Confederate Monuments and Cemeteries features vintage images of soldiers, sailors, and the many different types of monuments erected throughout the state to honor them. These monuments of stone, marble, granite, and bronze recognize the sacrifice of those who served Georgia in the War Between the States. Various memorial associations and organizations, survivors, and descendants of these men and women built lasting tributes to them, and each has a story to tell.

When British general James Oglethorpe landed on Georgia's coast in 1733, he realized that the success of his new colony, Savannah, depended largely on its establishment and development as a commercial port. Only three years later, in 1736, the first lighthouse was built on Tybee Island. Beginning there at the mouth of the Savannah River, this volume travels down the coast, telling the very different stories of the Cockspur Light, Sapelo Light, St. Simons Light, and Cumberland Light, which is now located on a private island. Rich in history, these lighthouses help to define the story of Georgia's 100-mile coastline. Of the lighthouses built, only five remain today; two are operational lights--Tybee Island and St. Simons Island.

Inman Park documents the rich and interesting history of this diverse suburb of Atlanta.

The story of Inman Park, Atlanta's first planned suburb, is one closely tied with transportation ingenuity, trade, and the progressive determination of its citizens. Situated two miles east of downtown Atlanta, Inman Park was farmland when the Civil War ravaged its rolling hills. In the 1890s, Inman Park bloomed into Atlanta's first residential park, the location of choice for Atlanta's social elite. The growth of Atlanta, however, struck a blow to the development of this utopian suburb. By the mid-20th century, the suburb fell into dilapidation, abandoned by the prominent families of Atlanta. It was not until the 1970s that the neighborhood, like Atlanta itself, was raised from its ashes to become the celebrated example of Victorian restoration that it is today and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

When we come to our final resting place, we may be remembered by an elaborate mausoleum, a block of stone, a wooden post, or perhaps nothing at all. Such is the manner in which those resting under the trees of Laurel Grove Cemetery are memorialized. Established in 1850 out of the property of Springfield, one of Savannah's earliest plantations, Laurel Grove Cemetery is one of the most mysterious and intriguing cemeteries in all of the city. Through her gates lie individuals who have made their mark locally and worldwide. In this beautiful sanctuary rest such notable individuals as Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of America; Florence Martus, who became more popularly known as the Waving Girl; James Pierpont, author of "Jingle Bells," the popular Christmas carol; and more than 600 Confederate soldiers.

The largest civilian cemetery in the Southeast holds the history of famous and infamous alike.

In 1884, several leading citizens purchased 577 acres to open Atlanta's Westview Cemetery. The rolling terrain, part of which was a site in the Civil War battle of Ezra Church, became the final resting place for more than 100,000 people. Prominent locals buried here include Grant Park namesake L.P. Grant, author Joel Chandler Harris, High Museum benefactor Harriet High, Coca-Cola founder Asa Candler Sr. and Havertys founder J.J. Haverty. The cemetery's Westview Abbey mausoleum is one of the nation's largest, with more than eleven thousand crypts. Throughout its history, Westview dabbled in other business ventures, including a cafeteria, a funeral home and an ambulance service. And for decades, the cemetery's Westview Floral Company sold flowers to lot owners and local businesses, leading to its own advice column in the Atlanta Constitution. Author Jeff Clemmons traces the complete history of this treasured necropolis.

Columbus, Georgia, began as a rough frontier trading town in 1828. As its focus on the sale and shipment of cotton evolved into cotton manufacturing, massive textile mills grew up along the riverbank. Today the mills are closing, but Columbus, undergoing an economic and cultural renaissance, keeps one eye on its colorful past. As the city's oldest graveyard, Linwood Cemetery bears witness to the city's rich history. Graced by over 100 monuments signed by their 19th-century carvers, Linwood is more than a cemetery: it is a virtual outdoor museum. Historic Linwood Cemetery transforms the old gravestones into flesh-and-blood stories of the people who once walked the streets of Columbus. In these pages readers will meet a broad spectrum of former residents now resting in the hallowed soil of Linwood-stone carvers, founding fathers and mothers, military heroes, steamboat designers, past managers of the city wharf, builders of the town's first roads and railroads, and the town's best ice cream maker.