Stone Mountain
| June 9, 1790 |
Col. Marinus Willet meets Creek Indian Nation chiefs at the top of Stone Mountain. He takes them to New York to treat with President George Washington |
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Stone Mountain |
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George Washington |
| February 5, 1867 |
Stone Mountain Granite and Railway Company purchases Stone Mountain for $37,000 |
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Stone Mountain |
| May 26, 1914 |
In a letter to the editor, an Atlanta Constitution reader suggests carving a monument to the Confederacy at Stone Mountain
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Atlanta, Georgia (1900-2000) |
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Stone Mountain |
| June 14, 1914 |
In the Atlanta Georgian, John Temple Graves, editor of the New York American, calls for the creation of a memorial to the men who fought for the Confederacy. |
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Atlanta, Georgia (1900-2000) |
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Stone Mountain |
| November 25, 1915 |
William Simmons, along with some of the men who lynched Leo Frank, and others burn a cross at the top of Stone Mountain, signaling the rebirth of the Ku Klux Klan
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Stone Mountain |
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Ku Klux Klan in Georgia |
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Leo Frank and the murder of Mary Phagan |
| May 20, 1916 |
Dedication of the official start of work on the carving at Stone Mountain |
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Stone Mountain |
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John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum |
| June 23, 1923 |
Carving begins on Stone Mountain
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Stone Mountain |
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John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum |
| January 19, 1924 |
Gutzon Borglum unveils the head of Robert E. Lee at Stone Mountain, Georgia
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John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum |
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Stone Mountain |
| January 21, 1925 |
U. S. Mint strikes the first Stone Mountain coin. |
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Stone Mountain |
| February 25, 1925 |
Committee overseeing the construction of Stone Mountain votes to cancel Gutzon Borglum's contract, following Borglum's outburst in the local papers over problems with the project.
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Stone Mountain |
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John Gutzon de la Mothe Borglum |
| April 1, 1925 |
Sculptor Augustus Lukeman takes over the Stone Mountain project. He suggests that three men, Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis, be enshrined on the face of the mountain
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Stone Mountain |
| July 3, 1925 |
Stone Mountain coins go on sale at 3,000 banks across the Nation |
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Stone Mountain |
| April 9, 1928 |
After blasting Gutzon Borglum's work from the face of Stone Mountain, Augustus Lukeman unveils his work on the face of the mountain. Mayor Jimmy Walker of New York attends the ceremony
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Stone Mountain |
| May 20, 1928 |
The Venables reclaim Stone Mountain, ending any attempt to complete the sculpture. |
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Stone Mountain |
| March 27, 1941 |
The state creates the Stone Mountain State Park Authority |
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Stone Mountain |
| April 11, 1956 |
The Venable family signs a quit claim deed for the area encompassing Stone Mountain, giving it to Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, Inc.
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Stone Mountain |
| February 21, 1958 |
Gov. Marvin Griffin signs a bill creating the Stone Mountain Memorial Association, superceding the old Authority. |
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Stone Mountain |
| September 19, 1958 |
Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial, Inc. gives Stone Mountain to the state of Georgia
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Stone Mountain |
| April 12, 1962 |
The Stone Mountain Scenic Railroad opens at Stone Mountain Park |
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Stone Mountain |
| November 28, 1962 |
The Skylift, an Alpine-style tramway, opens at Stone Mountain Park. Governor Ernest Vandiver and Swiss Ambassador August Lindt attend the ceremony. |
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Stone Mountain |
| April 16, 1963 |
The Antebellum Plantation opens at Georgia's Stone Mountain Park |
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Stone Mountain |
| July 4, 1964 |
Carving resumes on the Stone Mountain Confederate Memorial
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Stone Mountain |
| April 2, 1970 |
A TV show titled "It Couldn't be Done" features the carving at Stone Mountain in a segment
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Stone Mountain |
| May 9, 1970 |
Dedication services are held for the carvings in Stone Mountain, although work continues on the masterpiece through 1972. President Nixon had been scheduled to attend, but Kent State forced him to give the visit to Vice-president Spiro Agnew.
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Stone Mountain |
| March 3, 1972 |
Stone Mountain carving is completed
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Stone Mountain |
A granite monadnock once thought to be the largest piece of rock in the world, Stone Mountain was a landmark for Creek Indians and early settlers. By 1836 a small tourist industry developed and the town of New Gibraltar was founded west of the mountain in 1839. The name was changed to Stone Mountain in 1846.
Early industry capitalized on the granite, including a small quarrying industry sometime after 1850. The arrival of a spur line from the Georgia Railroad in 1869 launched a full-blown operation, although under a variety of companies.
The carving on the mountain was conceived in 1909 by Helen Plane, United Daughters of the Confederacy Atlanta chapter president. Designs varied, but at times included Robert E. Lee on a horse, Lee with 750 men riding behind him, Lee, Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Stonewall Jackson, and an unidentified soldier and the final choice, Lee, Davis and Jackson.
Delayed until 1923, work began on the largest project of its kind under American artist Gutzon Borglum. This multifaceted artist was a little too much for the local folks to handle and he quit amid a good deal of controversy on both sides. According to one story, he crossed the border to South Carolina just ahead of the police.
Augustus Lukeman tried to create a new sculpture, but a limited timeframe ended his attempt. Borglum's work was blasted off the mountain and a new carving begun. After 3 years of work, the mountain was incomplete and the property reverted to the Venables.
As early as 1941 the state of Georgia expressed an interest in the carving, the mountain and surrounding land. In 1958 Georgia succeeded in purchasing the land from various heirs of the Venable estate and consolidating the purchase into today's Stone Mountain Park. Work began on finishing the carving in 1963.
Georgia, though, had additional plans for the property. They added the antebellum plantation, Confederate Hall and a Civil War Museum by the time the carving was complete in 1972.
More Information
Stone Mountain Park
Georgia's Stone Mountain
Carving Stone Mountain
Stone Mountain Park
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