January 30, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Trevor Beemon
Executive Director, Cobb Landmarks
tbeemon@cobblandmarks.com
678-594-4994
Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society Plans Expansion at Root House Museum Site
Expansion will include the moving of an historic 1830s pioneer cabin
MARIETTA - January 30, 2017 - Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, Inc. (Cobb Landmarks) plans to move the historic 1830s Manning Cabin to the William Root House Museum property. Once relocated to the Root House site, the 875 sq/ft cabin will be used as an exhibit space and as an event and lecture space. A large addition to the cabin will contain executive offices, a research library and conference room, public restrooms, and a kitchen. Cobb Landmarks also plans to make the space available to rent for private events and meetings.
Cobb Landmarks has been successful in attracting thousands of preservationists, tourists, teachers, college students, and school-age children to the Root House Museum every year. However, a lack of space limits the types of programs and number of visitors Cobb Landmarks can accommodate. The addition of these structures will allow Cobb Landmarks to begin hosting temporary and traveling exhibitions, lectures, and educational programs, which will increase visitation.
The property occupied by the William Root House is leased to Cobb Landmarks from the City of Marietta. On November 21, 2016, Cobb Landmarks presented a request to the City of Marietta for an additional .082 acres located immediately adjacent to the Root House. The request was approved and finalized at the City Council Meeting on December 14, 2016.
An early estimate for construction is roughly $600,000. Cobb Landmarks has already secured roughly 1/3 of the funding needed to complete the project and plans to raise the remaining funds before construction begins. Cobb Landmarks does not plan to incur any debt related to this project. The projected time line for fund raising and construction is three to five years.
About the Manning Cabin
Originally located on Macland Road, the Manning Cabin was owned by David Irwin (owner of Marietta's Oakton) during the 1850s and was occupied by members of the Manning family during the Civil War. In the 1990s, the home was threatened by demolition and was saved by Manning family descendants. The cabin was dismantled one log at a time and lovingly reconstructed on family property near Powder Springs. The cabin was used for family gatherings, parties, and photo shoots for the next 25 years. As Mr. Manning's health declined, his wish was that the cabin be preserved for generations to come. With that in mind, the Manning family generously donated the cabin to Cobb Landmarks.
About Cobb Landmarks
Cobb Landmarks has been preserving, protecting, and promoting Cobb County's historic structures and cultural heritage for over 40 years. The organization's goal is to enhance the quality of life, economy, and tourism in our community by preserving and sharing our local heritage. Cobb Landmarks is the steward of two historic properties in Cobb County, the Power Cabin and the William Root House Museum & Garden. http://www.cobblandmarks.com/nextgeneration.html
About the William Root House
The William Root House was built circa 1845 for Hannah and William Root, early settlers of Marietta. Mr. Root was one of Marietta's earliest merchants and its first druggist. As the Union Army approached Atlanta in 1864, the family left Marietta and fled to Washington, Georgia. They returned in July 1865 to find their house had survived Sherman's Atlanta Campaign. The house was sold in 1886. In 1893, the original house lot on Church Street was divided in half, and a library was built facing Church Street, which required moving the house down the hill to face Lemon Street. The house was a single-family residence until the 1940s when it was subdivided into apartments. By the late 1980s, the Root House had fallen into disrepair and was slated for demolition.
After the house was documented as one of Marietta's oldest buildings, preservation efforts began, and in 1989 Cobb Landmarks acquired the house and moved it to a .5-acre lot generously leased to Cobb Landmarks by the City of Marietta. The home has since been restored to its circa 1845 appearance through architectural analysis and decorated with period furnishings in the fashion of the 1850s. Outside, visitors can see the recreated kitchen and working 1850s cook stove and can walk among the flowerbeds and vegetable plots that feature plants that were available in Cobb County before 1860.
The Root House Museum & Garden is open Wed.-Sat., 11am-4pm.
80 N Marietta Parkway, Marietta, GA 30060
770-426-4982
About Historical Concepts
The Next Generation concept plan was created by the award-winning architectural firm, Historical Concepts. Historical Concepts' work has been featured in Garden and Gun and Architectural Digest. They are also responsible for designing the Master Plans for Palmetto Bluff, South Carolina, and Senoia, Georgia, as well as the 2013 Southern Living Idea House and the 2007 Coastal Living Idea House.
Ryan Yurcaba, who led Historical Concepts' conceptual design efforts, remarks, "As an architectural firm that studies historic precedent to inform our designs, we were intrigued by this vision to bridge past, present and future. We are honored to work with the forward-thinking team at Cobb Landmarks to ensure a purposeful future for an increasingly rare trace of Cobb County's architectural heritage."