Atlanta

Atlanta May 24 - 31
Atlanta is Georgia's 5th permanent capital city (1868). Savannah, Augusta, Louisville & Milledgeville also served as capital cities.
The Capitol was built for $118.43 under the $1 MM budget between 1883 - 89.

A female figure of freedom sets on top of the gold leafed dome, statue is 22.5 ft tall.

Georgia marble is used throughout the interior

Rotunda reaches 237.25 ft in height and is 75 ft in dia.   

House Chambers houses 180 members

Chandelier in house 

House Chamber Desk

Senate Chamber houses 56 members

Stone Mountain Park is located about 14 miles from downtown Atlanta where we camped during our stay in the area.  Park has lakes, amusement park, hotels, meeting facilities 36 holes of golf, hiking, etc.  Granite was quarried on the mountain 1850's - 1970's.  Georgia Railroad puts tracks to the mountain from Atlanta in 1833 and charged $.50 round trip so people could enjoy the great outdoors and picnic.  There was no direct Civil War fighting at Stone Mountain, Confederate forces used some of the buildings as hospitals.

Park is internationally known for the carving (76 x 160 ft making it the largest high re-lift sculpture in the world) on the north side of the mountain.   Confederate President Jefferson Davis with Generals Robert E. Lee & Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson.
In 1909 the United Daughters of the Confederacy felt they needed to have a memorial to the Confederacy especially Robert E Lee.  The project took over 66 years & 3 sculptors to complete. Gutzon Borglum (Mt Rushmore) started the carving in 1915 but he abandoned the project in 1925 over a funding dispute.
The park had an excellent laser & fireworks show.

Atlanta skyline in the background with the park below.  Taken from top the mountain with an elevation of 1686 ft above sea level & 825 ft its surroundings.

We hiked up the mountain 

The Grand Lawn

Wooden Bridge crosses King's Island

Granite in the "rough".   

A small chunk!  In the early days these pieces were all split & handled by hand.  The Granite has been used all over the world, a few places in the US - US Capitol Steps, Pottsville Safe Deposit Bank, Ft Wayne Post Office.  7,645,700 cubic feet of granite was mined over its operation, that's enough to lay 1 foot long paving stones from North to South Poles - 12,444 miles.

We took several hikes and this was some of the scenery 

Busy "Bees"