June 3, 2021
CONTACT: Trevor Beemon
Executive Director
tbeemon@cobblandmarks.com
678.594.4994
MARIETTA - Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society will unveil a new sculpture at the William Root House during a Juneteenth program on June 12, 2021. The Root House was built circa 1845 for Hannah and William Root, early settlers of Marietta. Born in Philadelphia in 1815, William moved to Marietta in August 1839 to open a drug/mercantile store on the Marietta Square. During the 1990s, the Root House was meticulously restored to its original appearance and is now operated by Cobb Landmarks as a historic house museum.
Situated on the Root House property is a circa 1830s log cabin. Cobb Landmarks uses the cabin to help tell the stories of the enslaved individuals who labored at the Root House property and would have lived in a similar cabin. The 1860 census shows that Marietta had 297 households and a population of approximately 2,600. Of the 297 households, 137 (46%) held slaves. According to the 1860 slave schedule (census), Marietta's slave population in 1860 was 1,175, meaning that almost 45% of Marietta’s total population was enslaved at that time.
To honor and remember the many enslaved people who lived in Marietta prior to the end of the Civil War whose names were not recorded and are now lost to time, Cobb Landmarks is partnering with Kennesaw State University’s (KSU) School of Art and Design to create a garden sculpture. For the sculpture, KSU students used state-of-the-art scanning technology to 3D scan living history interpreter Misha Harp. This scan was used to print a maquette of the sculpture using a 3D printer, which helped inform sculptors as they crafted the full-size sculpture.
The sculpture will be unveiled during a special Juneteenth program at the Root House on June 12, 2021. Juneteenth is traditionally an annual celebration of the emancipation of the last remaining enslaved African Americans in the U.S. in June 1865. The June 12th program at the Root House will include guided museum tours, living history demonstrations, poetry readings, and more. Admission to the program is free thanks to generous support from Atlanta Fine Homes Sotheby’s International Realty .
WHAT: Juneteenth / Sculpture Unveiling
WHEN: June 12, 2021 10:00am-4:00pm
WHERE: William Root House, 80 N Marietta Parkway NW, Marietta, GA 30060
INFO: roothousemuseum.com/events 770-436-4982
ABOUT THE WILLIAM ROOT HOUSE: Owned and operated by Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, the William Root House is one of the oldest homes remaining in the Atlanta area. Interactive touchscreens and comprehensive exhibits tell visitors about life in antebellum Georgia. Home to the Root family from 1845 to 1886, the house and property have been meticulously restored to their c. 1860 appearance.