Kennesaw State’s Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books has partnered with Marietta City Schools to develop an exhibition featuring the history of Marietta schools from 1892 to the present day.
Functioning as a part of Marietta City Schools’ new central office, the exhibition will be located on the site of the former Lemon Street High School. It will focus on the history of segregated schools in Marietta and will open in the summer of 2020, Marietta City Schools Director of External Affairs Kim Blass said.
Also part of the project is the renovation of Lemon Street Grammar School across the street from the site of the central office, which will be converted into the Marietta Performance Learning Center — a high school for non-traditional learners.
The collaboration was initially proposed to Dr. Tom Scott and the Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books by Marietta City Schools after the selections of former Lemon Street High School and Lemon Street Grammar School.
“[Marietta City Schools] knew that telling the district’s complete history, from its founding, through the segregation era, and up through today was paramount,” Blass said. “[The Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books’] understanding of Marietta and their experience with exhibit planning made them the perfect fit for this project.”
The exhibition will feature the history of Marietta City Schools from its founding, its expansion in the late 19th and early 20th century in the era of Jim Crow, its growth in the post-war period, its legal desegregation and its recent initiatives, Special Projects and Outreach Curator Kate Daly said.
The exhibition’s proposed installation provides the opportunity for both student and public visitors to learn about the history of Marietta City Schools with information gathered from historical documents and artifacts by KSU’s Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books.
Marietta City Schools aims to make the central office accessible for public education, according to Blass.
Information will also be gathered from materials from community groups such as the NAACP Cobb County Chapter, the Marietta Housing Authority and Zion Baptist Church Marietta.
The exhibitions are curated to fit the Georgia Standards of Excellence in social studies, creating numerous opportunities for the use of the space as an educational destination.
“Our hope is that these exhibitions will engage local community visitors and students of diverse backgrounds and interests,” Daly said. “We also want visitors outside the community to view these exhibitions and see the rich history of Marietta City Schools and how it connects to Georgia’s history.”
KSU’s Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books began the research in August, which is expected to take the next year. The research will involve interviews, curating artifacts and beginning the outdoor exhibition component.
Once the renovation of the Lemon Street Grammar School and new Marietta City Schools central office is complete, the Department of Museums, Archives and Rare Books will begin work on the indoor component, leading up to the opening of the campus in summer of 2020, Blass said.
