Sweet Auburn in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Heyday of Auburn Avenue

Auburn Avenue

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 20, 2021

1. Heyday of Auburn Avenue Marker

Inscription. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change, the King Birth Home, and Ebenezer Baptist Church are at the core of this community, known historically as the Old Fourth Ward.

The Great Fire of 1917 destroyed hundreds of homes here and displaced thousands of African Americans, many of whom relocated to the Atlanta University area further west. But from the 1880s — when Wesley Redding became the first of his race to purchase a home on this section of Auburn Avenue — until the 1950s, this neighborhood was home to middle and upper class African Americans. Auburn Avenue was both the “Main Street” of Black Atlanta and its main link to the city's downtown and west side. The heart and soul of the African American community rested on Auburn Avenue, where so many spiritual, social, and professional needs could be met. (Marker Number 10.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Disasters • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1917.

Location. 33° 45.333′ N, 84° 22.475′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It is in Sweet

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Auburn. It is at the intersection of Auburn Avenue NE and Jackson Street NE, on the right when traveling west on Auburn Avenue NE. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 398 Auburn Avenue NE, Atlanta GA 30312, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Ebenezer Baptist Church Heritage Sanctuary (within shouting distance of this marker); Ebenezer Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Ebenezer Baptist Church (within shouting distance of this marker); Sweet Auburn Walk (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Ebenezer Baptist Church

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, November 20, 2021

2. Heyday of Auburn Avenue Marker

(within shouting distance of this marker); Cox Brothers Funeral (within shouting distance of this marker); Behold (within shouting distance of this marker); Haugabrooks Funeral Home (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.

Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 21, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 598 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on November 21, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. 2. submitted on November 22, 2021, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.