This marker is along US-29 (Business) that parallels the railroad between Athens and Atlanta. The…read moremarker is on the south side of the road and while there isn't parking, there is room to pull over and leave your car for a moment to read the marker and admire the home. The home is private property so please respect that. The marker has the same text on both sides. It reads, "The Russell House was built in 1912 by Richard Brevard Russell, Sr., (B. 1861 - D. 1938), and his wife, Ina Dillard, (B. 1868 - D. 1953), who were married June 24, 1891. Fifteen children were born of this marriage. Judge Russell was elected Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia in 1922, and served in this capacity until his death. Mrs. Russell was Georgia's Mother of the year in 1950. In 1954, the late Senator Richard B. Russell, Jr., the oldest son, became the owner of the house and made it his home until his death in 1971. Russell Memorial Park and Cemetery is located to the South of the house." The marker was erected in 1977 by the Winder Lions Club & Auxiliary. [Review 230 of 2025 - 799 in Georgia - 23794 overall]

Today I was driving through Athens, Georgia when I can across a strange but beautiful sight. It was…read morean old wooden railroad trestle that seemed to suddenly and abruptly stop in a field along Poplar Street. Being the curious soul that I am, I stopped to take a few pictures and marked my location on my GPS so I could use it to create a yelp page later if I found the trestle to be of any historic significance. My hunch was right, it is indeed significant. I discovered this trestle was once part of the CSX railroad system that connected Athens to Atlanta and the world. CSX offered the old decaying rail system to the city, but city officials declined and in the year 2000, CSX began demolition of the old trestle. However, the mayor underestimated just how important this piece of history was not only to Athens, but the music world as well. You see, the 1980's band R.E.M. used this particular trestle as the cover photo for their 1983 album titled Murmur. It was Rolling Stones "Album of the Year". The band was from Athens, GA and the album cover as well as the trestle itself had become iconic to the bands fans around the world. Protests over the demolition of the trestle broke out and forced the city to negotiate with CSX to halt demolition of the structure. Unfortunately much of the trestle had already been destroyed, but thankfully a major portion of it was saved. I hear the city has plans to use it as a tourist attraction, but in the meantime it stands untouched since demolition halted. Still, it is a gorgeous site that presents unique and rustic photo opportunities. You can still see the concrete base for the trestle that once went over Poplar Street. Use the entrance to the North Oconee River Greenway Trail just behind Mama's Boy restaurant (on the corner of Oak and Poplar) to view the remaining concrete pillars where the railroad continued across the Oconee River. R.E.M album cover (front) - http://sleevage.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/5561106c734c1008ba3262ce25a4d915.jpg R.E.M album cover (rear) - http://www.caratulas.com/caratulas/R/rem/rem-murmur-Trasera.jpg R.E.M full album - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8FbkyyuqG0 FINAL THOUGHTS I had a good feeling this structure had to be of some significance and I'm so glad I stopped to investigate. If you are fond of old bridges like I am, Athens has a treasure trove of 1800's covered bridges within a 30 minute drive of this location. It would make a great lazy Sunday afternoon drive! Be sure to bring your camera :-) Covered Bridges within 1/2 hour to 45 minute drive: Elder's Mill Watson Mill Bridge Cromer's Mill Covered Bridge Howard's Covered Bridge Enjoy!

While walking the campus of the University of Georgia, I spotted this marker in front of a rather…read moreimpressive looking building. It provides some modern history - remember, this is still the South - and a pleasant ending to the story. The marker reads, "On Jan. 6, 1961, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter became the first two African American students to enroll at the University of Georgia when they walked past the historic Arch and into this building to register for classes. On this day, January 9, 2001, as part of the 40th Anniversary celebration of the desegregation of the University, we salute the courage and fortitude displayed by these students and their families in paving the way for others to follow." The building itself is hard to miss, a fusion of two antebellum structures built in 1831 and 1860 that are in a Beaux-Arts design with a grand Corinthian portico that was added in 1905. They were originally the Ivy Building and a separate library that was once a Presbyterian church. The new united structure contains the Office of the Registrar, Student Financial Aid, and the Institute for African American Studies. The marker was erected in 2001 by the University of Georgia. If you're here, know that you're following the footsteps of thousands before you. [Review 1382 of 2025 - 864 in Georgia - 24934 overall]

I made a special trip out to this library to get my hands on a rare Southern cookbook…read more I really wanted to buy the book but it's out of print and hard to find. It wasn't available on Amazon or eBay but it did show up in online library catalogs. The UGA Main Library was the only one in the state of Georgia with a copy so it was totally worth the drive to Athens. I called ahead of time so that one of the librarians could pull the book and put it on hold for me. When I got there it was waiting for me at the circulation and reserve desk. Since I didn't have a student ID I imagined I might have to undergo an iris scan and cavity search before they would let me handle it. Instead, they just took a quick peep at my driver's license and passed it right over. Cue the kid in a candy store glee on my face! The librarian directed me a few yards away to the computer lab and their flatbed scanner. I was able to send high quality, color images of the book straight to my USB drive for free. Making digital copies was ideal since each print copy would have run 9 cents for black & white and 50 cents for color. Based on my experience, the UGA Library is a great resource not just for students but for visitors too. The staff is helpful, the facilities are modern and their resources are available to students and the public alike. Finding the rare book I needed in their collection made my weekend.

have literally never seen someone take a book off the shelf and read it here god bless…read more quiet enough, the location isn't great since it's far from a lot of the campus and up a terrible hill

Athens is where the famous University of Georgia is located (Go Dawgs!) and the city has a long…read morehistory of education. This marker points out one of those earlier educators whose work led to the origin of the university. It reads, "Dr. Moses Waddel, educator and minister, was born in 1770 in North Carolina. At fourteen he began teaching pupils near his home. Moving to Georgia in 1786, he taught in the Greensboro area until 1787, opening another school at Bethany, Greene County, in 1788. While at Bethany Waddel decided to enter the ministry. He studied at Hampden-Sydney College and graduated in less than nine months in 1791, thereafter combining the careers of teacher and minister. "Establishing his most famous academy at Willington, South Carolina, in 1804, Waddel continued his work there until 1819 when he became President of Franklin College, now the University of Georgia. One of the most prominent ante-bellum leaders of that institution, he served until 1829. Unwilling to divorce education from religion, Waddel stimulated the religious life of the campus. In 1820 he organized and was pastor of the First Presbyterian congregation in Athens, which became the First Presbyterian Church. The present church building was erected in 1855. Waddel died in 1840 at his son's home in Athens. His pupils during a lifetime of teaching included John C. Calhoun, William H. Crawford, George R. Gilmer, Augustus B. Longstreet, and George McDuffie." In 1819, Waddel published Memoirs of the Life of Miss Caroline Elizabeth Smelt, a sentimental religious biography that became a transatlantic bestseller, reprinted in both the U.S. and Britain. Less widely acknowledged is that the 1820 census recorded sixteen enslaved individuals in his household, including nine children under fourteen, reflecting the complex and often contradictory legacy of Southern educators in the antebellum period. It is marker number 029-11 and it was erected in 1963 by the Georgia Historical Commission. [Review 1376 of 2025 - 860 in Georgia - 24928 overall]

I was very excited to visit Athens and was happy to see the welcome center to get information and…read moreideas of things to do in Athens while we were there. This is a very helpful and neat place to see. It has a very grassroots down south vibe to it. Very welcoming with old decorations and you can just feel the Georgia history in the place. It is definitely worth visiting while you are in Athens.

This is a very welcoming welcome center. The welcome center is small but quaint and has plenty of…read morefree maps and flyers for all of the events in town. We were greeted by a very pleasant volunteer who talked with us for about 45 minutes. She gave us many tips for the city and our travels outside of the city. The welcome center is also attached to the church waddel brumby house. This house has a lot of history which I don't remember, but the ornate carpeting was very interesting. The parking lot can fit maybe 5 cars maximum. FYI there are free public bathrooms here that you can access from outside.

When I returned to Athens in 2003, I leaped at the chance to get involved in the planning of Common…read moreGround, a resource center for community organizations and people working for progressive social change. The Common Ground resource center helps people work for a better community. Meeting rooms allow groups to plan activities, a digital duplicator provides an affordable way to print flyers and zines, a technology center offers free internet access, a community calendar and volunteer hub can connect you to ways to help out, and a lending library offers books ranging from political theory to nonprofit management.

There is a dress code in order to eat here (orange or blue jumpsuit) however a white jumpsuit is…read morepreffered. The food was awful (especially the breakfast shank), the staff were a**holes and the people at our table kept trying to steal my wife's food. Also the waiter serving our trays kept staring at me while licking his lips and a guy seated next to our table was stabbed to death. I left a honeybun as a tip, but all in all it was a bad experience.

Echoing the previous review, the food wasn't stellar, but the ambience is bold and a refreshing…read moretake on fine dining. In fact, some have begun to call it "crime dining". These chefs are breaking all the rules and redefining the convict-ional dining experience. I expect this place to break-out and become a well-known institution in the Athens food scene.