Atlanta History Center

Connect people, history, and culture to cultivate understanding of our shared history.

The Atlanta Historical Society was founded in 1926 to preserve and study Atlanta history. In 1990, after decades of collecting, researching, and publishing information about Atlanta and the surrounding area, the organization officially became Atlanta History Center. What began as a small, archival-focused historical society grew over the decades to encompass 33 acres of curated Goizueta Gardens, four historic houses, varied programming, and a range of signature and temporary exhibitions housed in the Atlanta History Museum.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of our founding in 2026, we are taking the opportunity to reflect on our institutional evolution and past strategic goals to plan for our next 100 years.

Nearly a century of existence offers us the opportunity to gain new perspective on our own institutional history, and the ways in which we have grown, the gaps in our collections and content that remain, and how we want to use these lessons to create an even stronger and more resilient institution for the future.

In December 2021, Atlanta History Center implemented a new strategic plan that aligns with our purpose to use history to bring people together to explore new and different perspectives with the goal of strengthening our shared commitment to, and engagement in, our democratic system.

Being an independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization that is part of the Atlanta community makes us well-positioned to do this work. With the diverse people, cultures, experiences, history, and resources that comprise Atlanta, our community helps us represent broader historical perspectives and interact and communicate with a broad public. History is also ongoing and ever-changing as new research, stories, and collections are shared. Our historical interpretation, programs, educational resources, and exhibitions will seek to reflect that reality and our home city, while also using Atlanta’s history as a lens to understand our country’s past.