Did you know the exterior walls of the Georgia state capitol building are made of Oolitic limestone from Indiana? Why? Because it was less expensive than Georgia marble in 1884. Go figure! Later the mining process of Georgian marble was refined and became cheaper, so marble could be used as an inexpensive building material. In fact, it was for the interior of the state capitol.
Want to know the amount and where the funds came from to build the State capitol? Want to know who spearheaded the building process? Want to know long it took to build? [1884—1889] How much did it cost? [Approximately one million dollars] Ever hear of Georgia Governor John B. Gordon? He was an ex-confederate general, lawyer, senator, and leader of the KKK in Georgia. There’s a statue of him on the state capitol grounds astride his horse. He pushed through the funding in 1883 with the ‘capitol act’.
Today’s speaker, Ms. Ann Farrisee of the Georgia Communities Council, spoke of these ‘historical tidbits’ in her presentation. She gave us a visual history lesson with a ‘ride through Georgia’s history as told through the evolution of our State Capitol building.
In fact, if you are a Georgian history buff, she’s written a new book called “Democracy Restored: Our History of the Georgia State Capitol”.
Greeter Committee Chairman Sam Goggin said we had a wonderful guest list today at the meeting. Present from the Downtown Kiwanis Club were: Bob Wiggins, Jack McFarland, Laura McCarty, who introduced our speaker, Claude Grizzard, and Hank Fellows.
Also noted in attendance was Ms. Dawn Ely, new member who be attending orientation shortly and Mr. Kevin Ooak, from the Frabel Glass Museum. (Kevin, if you join the Peachtree Atlanta Club, you can speak ‘Dutch’ with Antje!)
”Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards;
if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book.”
-- former U.S. President
Ronald Reagan
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