US State Capital History Georgia and Hawaii

A Place Called Peachtree

This lovely city was once an American Indian village and its name translated to “Standing Peachtree”. The land that has become the Atlanta Metropolitan area was gotten from the Cherokee Indians and Creek Indians in 1822. The first white settlement was established in Decatur.

On December 21, 1836, it was decided to build the Western and Atlantic Railroad so that there would be a trade route to the Midwestern U.S. When the railroad was beginning to develop the settlement was named “Terminus”. By 1846 there were six buildings and thirty residents and the town got a new name “Marthasville”. As time went on the Chief Engineer of the Georgia Railroad suggested the name “Atlantica-Pacifica” after the Western and Atlantic Railroad but the name was shortened to Atlanta and the town was incorporated on December 29, 1847.

During the Civil War Atlanta became the hub for military supply distribution due to the railroads. The Atlanta region became the target of the major invasion of northern Georgia by the Union. It was the region of several major army battles. The burning of Atlanta started on November 11, 1864, as General Sherman and his army torched all of the buildings burning them to the ground, preparing the march of his army to the southeast. Those who have seen “Gone With the Wind” know what that looked like and the city was really destroyed but the churches and hospitals were spared.

When Civil War ended in 1865 the rebuilding of Atlanta was gradual and U.S. Army soldiers stayed at McPherson Barracks in southern Atlanta from 1867 until 1888. In 1868 Atlanta became the capital of Georgia. It was unfortunate that as the city grew so did ethnic and racial tensions and in the Atlanta Race Riot of 1906 27 people died and more than 70 were injured.

Atlanta hosted the movie premiere of “Gone with the Wind” on December 15, 1939. The stars in attendance were Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Havilland, and Hattie McDaniel as well as legendary producer David O. Selznick. It was held at Loew’s Grand Theater which has since been demolished. The reception took place at the Georgian Terrace Hotel.

During WW II manufacturing industries such as the Bell Aircraft Company set up a large factory in the northwestern suburb of Marietta. There was also the manufacture of railroad cars. The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was founded in Atlanta. In the 1960s the city was a major organizing center of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1961, Atlanta Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. became one of the few Southern white mayors to support the desegregation of the city’s public schools.

Atlanta was proud to host the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. Afterward, many people chose to relocate to this beautiful city.

Hawaiian Kingdom

It is thought that there was a settlement in the area where the city of Honolulu, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu and the capital of the US state of Hawaii, now stands as early as the 12th century. Captain William Brown from Great Britain was the first foreigner to sail into today’s Honolulu Port in 1795. Soon the port became the main port for merchant ships traveling between North America and Asia.

In 1845 Kamehamecha III relocated the permanent capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom from Lahaina on Maui to Honolulu. Soon the capital became the center of commerce in the islands and descendants of American missionaries began establishing major businesses in downtown Honolulu.

Honolulu became the largest city, main airport, and seaport of the Hawaiian Islands. As modern air travel developed it brought 7.6 million visitors annually to the Islands. The city is ranked 29th worldwide in quality of living. Tourists love the swaying palms and great beaches. They go to see the volcanic Diamond Head Crater and the sites relating to the attack on Pearl Harbor including the USS Arizona Memorial.