Monday-Thursday, 10 am – 4 pm
SatuRDAYS, 10 Am – 2 pm
first floor, Dekalb history center / historic dekalb courthouse, 101 E Court Square | Free
Step Back In Time Through Four Local History Exhibits
The DeKalb History Center inside the Historic DeKalb Courthouse has four exhibits highlighting local history. Get to know the story of Decatur’s United Methodist Children’s Home through “Home: The United Methodist Children’s Home.” Explore “200 Years of DeKalb History.” Dive into the history of Avondale Estates in “The Haven of Health and Happiness.” And learn about one of the oldest African American communities in Georgia through “Deep Roots in DeKalb: The Flat Rock Story of Resilience.”
All exhibits can be found on the first floor. Entry is free; donations are appreciated.
Home: The United Methodist Children’s Home
Standing as a beacon of hope for children and families for 152 years, the United Methodist Children’s Home (UMCH) served as a place countless people called Home. Founded in 1871 in Norcross, Georgia, the Children’s Home was created to give children abandoned in the aftermath of the Civil War a place to be cared for. In 1877, the Home moved to Decatur and remained there until 2017.
Historic and contemporary photographs provide glimpses into the United Methodist Children’s Home, while first hand oral histories from past residents, employees, and volunteers detail life in the “Orphan’s Home” from 1943 to 2017. This fascinating history was documented through interviews and photography by Beate Sass with interview assistance from Moira Bucciarelli. Sass turned the combined work into a manuscript.
The work of the UMCH has continued to the present day under the name of Wellroot Family Services, now headquartered in Tucker. The City of Decatur purchased the UMCH’s former property in 2017. The public can visit the grounds and see the structures, as it has been converted into Decatur Legacy Park. Many of the historic buildings still remain, including the 1906 Moore Chapel. A new nonprofit, Legacy Decatur, currently manages the 77 acres as a park and leases the buildings to other nonprofits. Long range plans have been developed to guide future changes.
200 Years of DeKalb County Exhibit
Join the DeKalb History Center in commemorating more than 200 years of DeKalb with an exhibit honoring some of the people, places, and events that have contributed to the wide-ranging history of the county.
Starting out as the ancestral homeland to Indigenous Peoples such as the Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee Nations, DeKalb County was officially established by settlers of European descent on December 9, 1822, shortly after the Land Lottery of 1821. This rural county eventually industrialized and became the largest dairy producer in the state and the world’s largest producer of granite poultry grit. After World War II, business – and our population – boomed, as innovation and growth changed DeKalb and its residents. Advancements in transportation were seen with PDK Airport, Buford Highway, and MARTA, and passionate minds such as Scott Candler, Sr., Manuel Maloof, and Narvie Jordan Harris helped to modernize and diversify the county into the one we know and love today.