There are other streets in downtown Powder Springs, besides Main Street (Marietta Street), which have not had much said or written about them. These streets were and are just as important to the settlement and growth of Powder Springs as Main Street (Marietta Street).
Some of these streets are: Atlanta Street, which was referred to as ‘Back Street’; Broad Street; Murray Street; Jackson Way; Dillard Street; Pineview; New Macland and Austell (Old Austell) Road. Part of their history will be told below.
ATLANTA STREET was often referred to as Back Street in the early days. It is one block over, parallel to Main (Marietta) Street and extends from Old Austell Road crossing what is now the new Lewis Road extension traffic circle or round-about and ending at Murray Avenue. Atlanta Street can also be accessed from Marietta Street, by Walton Street or Dillard Street.
Although the homes on Atlanta Street are more modest than those on Marietta Street, they offer architectural variety. Most of the houses were built in the early 1900’s.
There are three craftsmen bungalow style houses from the 1920’s. Another was described as “a hall-and-folk” house with an enclosed porch across the front of the house. One as a one story front and wing folk house. In the 1990’s there was a ‘turn of the century’ corn crib still standing behind the house at 4299 Atlanta Street.
These were homes to some of Powder Springs’ business men, merchants, doctors and their families. Also, some of those businesses were located toward the end of Atlanta Street and closer to the railroad tracks.
C. M. McTyre owned and ran a gin. King W. Spratlin owned a grocery store downtown. Benjamin L. Hilley was a restaurant proprietor. In the 1930’s Mr. Hilley was the only house on the block to have telephone service. Fred McDonald operated a General Merchandise Store.
Dr. Robert R. Murray had his office in his home and later built a duplex for his two daughters next door. Dr. Lackey had his office in his home early on, before moving into a house on Marietta Street. In the early 1940’s Benjamin Hilley’s house was occupied by Dr. J. A. Griffith, a local physician. In the late 1940’s Dr. Griffith built, opened and operated the Powder Springs Hospital next door to his home, acting as the hospital’s physician until it closed in the 1960’s.
Luke Penn built a house in the early 1900’s on the original site of the his grandfather’s, Reverend Alec Penn, house. The house and property is located at the corner of Atlanta Street and Lewis Road. Luke Penn was a janitor for over 40 years at Powder Springs School. Reverend Alec Penn was a prominent religious leader in Cobb and Douglas County.
In the 1870’s the Powder Springs Academy was relocated to a site on Atlanta Street below the current entrance to Florence Estates Subdivision. One of the seven springs is located on the site and ran behind the Academy. The young boys considered it an honor of being chosen to bring buckets of water from the spring to the other students. This spring can still be found behind these houses and he brick houses back toward the property of the current Cobb County Library Building.
In 1920 the new Powder Springs High School was built on the site now occupied by the Cobb County Library. A few years later, a new residential house (4245 Atlanta St.) was built on the site of the old Academy.
The site of Kite’s Chapel is located corner of Butner and Atlanta Street. At the corner of Atlanta Street and Anderson Street was the site of the George Radford Eatery Establishment and the colored Mason’s Lodge.
George Landers house was located at the corner of Atlanta Street and Marchman Street. He was a local merchant and businessman. In 1984, his house was moved to Powder Springs Park on Brownsville Road and rebuilt to house the Seven Springs Museum, which opened in 1985. Southern Bell had bought the property to build a Telephone Exchange.
Located, on down toward the end of the street, closer to the railroad, were some of the town’s other businesses. The Southern Railroad Depot was on the corner of Atlanta Street and Murray Avenue. The Farmer’s Cooperative Gin and Warehouse, John A. Lewis Cotton Gin, Saw Mill and Grist Mill, G. D. Miller and C. M. Mctyre’s Gin and W. L. Florence Saw Mill. At this part of Atlanta Street, a road turned right (now part of Lewis Road) and was called Tanyard Alley which then curved to the left and became Hotel Street ending at Murray Avenue. Later, after the mills were gone, Dr. F. P. Lindley built a house on the corner and the road was renamed Lindley Lane.
Hotel Street was a short street that ran from Tanyard Alley or Lindley Lane to Murray Street. The Lindley Hotel was located here at the end of Broad Street with livery stables to accommodate the horses and buggies of their guest. In later years the hotel became a boarding house. Between Hotel Street and Atlanta Street, behind the Hotel, was located the Powder Springs Calaboose or jail house.
Broad Street runs from Main (Marietta) Street to Hotel Street. The building on the left corner (now The Rooted Co) was originally Butner Brothers General Store and Farm Supplies. Later Merchandise and General Store type businesses were operated by Tom Butner and Mort
Anderson, Oscar Cotton and C. M. McTyre, McTyre & Garnet Hardage, McTyre and Sons, J. B. and Eston McTyre, Phiiips, Steve Leak’s Country Store and Country Store of Seven Springs. The back part of the building was originally two buildings and is one of the oldest buildings in town. It was used as a Wells Fargo Station, livery stable, and blacksmith shop in the early 1800’s. In 1868, Francis C. House bought the existing structure and added the front part of the building for his business.
The building on the right corner has housed numerous businesses through the years. Currently, the space facing Marietta is unoccupied. It has housed several businesses down Broad Street to Hotel Street.
Most of the building from the front to about half way down Broad Street has been occupied by general merchandise and hardware stores. Lindley Calloway; Ward and Moon; Tom Camp and Charlie Camp’s Farm Supplies and General Merchandise; Cliff Brook’s Restaurant; Garnet Hardage’s Dry Goods; Powder Springs Hardware and Middleton’s Hardware. The remaining half of the building, on Broad Street, housed Uriah Matthews Furniture Store, Emmet and Joe Wolf Hardware and Furniture, Ollie Wolf Hats, M. A. J. Landers Hardware and Lumber, Bob Landers and Coy Lewis Hardware and Lumber, Bob Landers and Joe Keith Hardware and Lumber, J. F. Keith and Sons Hardware and Lumber and Bensons’ Powder Springs Hardware and Lumber. The building is currently being renovated for other business uses.
3880 Broad Street also housed the ‘Little Theater’ in Powder Springs where community members watched movies. Also, there was a bowling ally in the right side of the building, opening off Marietta Street at one time. The first Post Office was also located in part of this building and later Forrester’s Barber Shop then Newell and Strickland Printing Company.
Murray Avenue runs from Main (Marietta) Street to Lewis Road. The street was named for Murray Landrum, who lived here with his family, farmed and operated a Corn Mill. The Corn Mill was on the right, just off Main Street. The Landrum house and barn were built just below the corn mill on Murray Avenue. The house is still owned and occupied by some of the Landrum family. The barn is still standing behind the house.
On past the Landrum’s house was the site of John McKinney’s warehouse.
The building on the right corner of Murray Avenue and Marietta Street originally was occupied by grocery stores. Horace Kimberly Grocery Store; M. W. Compton Grocery Store; Tommy Compton Grocery Store; Grady Furr’s Grocery Store; Grady and Frank Furr’s Grocery Store and later a Pentecostal Church. Sorrell’s Barber Shop was located directly behind this building between it and the Landrum’s house.
In the corner triangle of Murray Avenue, Atlanta Street and Lewis Road is the site of C. T. Leake’s cotton and fertilizer warehouse. The warehouse has been owned and used as a lumber yard for several of the hardware stores located on Broad Street: M. A. J. Landers; J. F. Keith; J. A. Keith and Sons and Powder Springs Hardware Store. The brick building still stands in this triangle of roads.
This is by no means all of the people and businesses located on these streets. However, it does give another glimpse into the early history of the settlement of the city of Powder Springs and those who lived and worked here.
The above information comes from the various papers, histories, and documents, both oral and written, that was gathered by Powder Springs Historians Miss Sarah Frances Miller, Miss Roberta Murray and Miss Virginia Tapp and is on file at the Museum. A map and other information can be found in the “Powder Springs History and Time Line” notebook.
These and other items can be found at the Museum in the Library and Research. The history and information is located in the Barristers Cabinet, which is dedicated to Powder Springs and its history.