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Health & Fitness

Literary Rebel - All About Ponce

Literary Rebel, Sherri Caldwell, blogs about books, reading and literary events in Midtown: In September, Midtown Book Group hosts local historian, Sharon Foster Jones, to learn all about Ponce...

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Midtown Book Group - September 12th EVENT

Here in Midtown, we love our local history and tales of provenance. In September, the Midtown Book Group is delighted to be reading Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Avenue: A History. The author, local historian Sharon Foster Jones, will join us for discussion at the September meeting (details below), which is open to the public, at Barnes & Noble/Georgia Tech.

Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Avenue: A History is a slender volume of photographs, references and a detailed, factual reckoning of progress and development along what became Ponce de Leon Avenue, from pre-Atlanta (War of 1812) to present-day (Ponce City Market). Sharon Foster Jones offers a geographical history, from the Varsity/Georgia Tech area (now divided by I75/I85), east toward Decatur, and all points in-between.

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That is a whole lot of history.

Some interesting tidbits (teasers, no spoilers!):

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  • Who used to live where the Georgian Terrace now stands at Peachtree & Ponce? p.35
  • What famous criminal spent leisure time on Ponce -- in a house of ill-repute? p.74
  • When did the Majestic Diner open in "Atlanta's first true suburban shopping center"? p.88
  • Where were the actual springs located and what is hiding them now? p.12
  • Why is Ponce de Leon Avenue so darn wide (90 feet)? p.26
  • How did Ponce transition from a turn-of-the-19th-century trendy, upscale neighborhood of majestic homes to the somewhat downtrodden (but improving) commercial district that it is today?

Answers. All that and more--

Midtown Book Group - September 12, 2012

Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Avenue: A History

by Sharon Foster Jones

"Named for the famous Spanish explorer who was said to have discovered the Fountain of Youth, Atlanta's Ponce de Leon Avenue began as a simple country road that conveyed visitors to the healing springs that once bubbled along it.  Now, few motorists realize that the avenue...was a prestigious residential street in Victorian Atlanta, home to mayors and millionaires..."

SPECIAL EVENT:  Book Signing & Author Discussion

Date: Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Time: 7:00 p.m. - Book Signing

8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. - Book Group Discussion w/Author

Location: Barnes & Noble/Georgia Tech at 5th & Spring

For details & more information, visit Midtown Book Group on Yahoo!Groups.

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