News Details (Posted: February 8, 2008):

A History of Stone Mountain, Georgia

Full Description:

Stone Mountain is a city in DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The population was 7,145 at the 2000 census. The town is named for Stone Mountain, the largest exposed granite dome in North America. Stone Mountain harbors plant and animal life found no other place in the world. The mountain has contributed to the city's economy both through its continuing status as a tourist attraction, and its former use as a granite quarry. It is also the site of a famous giant carving commemorating the military leaders of the Confederacy as well as a state park and museum, including a tourist railroad.

History

In 1822 the area that now makes up the City of Stone Mountain was made a part of the newly formed Dekalb County. A post office was created in 1834 on the old Augusta Road, and Andrew Johnson built a hotel along the road in 1836. At around the same time, Aaron Cloud built an observation tower at the summit of the mountain. Visitors to the mountain would travel to the area by rail and road, and then walk up the 1.1 mile mountaintop trail to the top, where Cloud also had a restaurant and club.

By 1839 a general store was added and a village was established under the name New Gibraltar. The name was officially changed to Stone Mountain by the Georgia legislature in 1847. During the Civil War, Stone Mountain village was destroyed by men under the command of General John McPherson on July 19, 1864.

The Ku Klux Klan was revived in Stone Mountain in 1915, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech consequently includes the line "let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia".

The 1996 Summer Olympic Games tennis, archery and track cycling tournaments were held in Stone Mountain Park.

Source: Wikipedia