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Old Fourth Ward in Atlanta in Fulton County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Stepping Up

510 Auburn Avenue

 
 
Stepping Up Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, April 7, 2014
1. Stepping Up Marker
Inscription. With its fish-scale gable shingles, ornate porch brackets, and diamond-shaped and octagonal windows, this Queen Anne Victorian house symbolizes financial success. White Atlantans who had become successful in business or the professions built and occupied most of the homes in this semi-suburban block in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Among them was R.J. Massey, who lived here for 10 years. Blacks who subsequently moved into the area also were proudly stepping up the social scale. At one time, Alice T. Francis helped blacks improve their lot in life by operating an employment agency here from 1937 until 1949.

You know, if you were out and you were playing with a group of kids in the neighborhood and somebody was called to dinner, everybody went and everybody ate. It didn't matter. Whether you lived there or not you were a member of that family.
Melvin Boykin
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansSettlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1937.
 
Location. 33° 45.339′ N, 84° 22.257′ W. Marker is in Atlanta, Georgia, in Fulton County. It is in the Old Fourth Ward. It is on Auburn Avenue NE. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 510 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 the North Atlantic Region, 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
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walking distance of this marker: Neighborhood Pride (a few steps from this marker); Apartment House (a few steps from this marker); The Birthplace (within shouting distance of this marker); The Home (within shouting distance of this marker); Middle-Class Dwelling (within shouting distance of this marker); Bryant-Graves House (within shouting distance of this marker); Birth Home of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (within shouting distance of this marker); Shotgun Houses (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Atlanta.
 
510 Auburn Avenue image. Click for full size.
Photographed by Beverly Pfingsten, April 7, 2014
2. 510 Auburn Avenue
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 8, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 23, 2014, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland. This page has been viewed 686 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2. submitted on April 23, 2014, by Bill Pfingsten of Bel Air, Maryland.
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Jun. 23, 2026