Georgia Historic Newspapers

A cartoon drawing of a rooster, two hens, two chicks, and a hatchling along with a drawing of a chicken coop.

Cobb County November 15, 2024

Cobb’s agricultural past: a 1907 poultry show

[This is an evergreen history article we periodically republish, often with added information] Anyone who consistently follows Cobb County Board of Commissioners meetings or Planning Commission hearings is probably aware…

History August 20, 2024

A grave robbery in Cobb County: 1879

[We occasionally update and republish our evergreen history articles. This article first appeared in the Courier in November 23, 2023 In the original version of the article we stated we…

From the Editor August 16, 2024

What was advertising like in 19th-century Cobb County newspapers?

Even before I became a journalist, old newspapers and magazines fascinated me. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, I’d visit the Carnegie Library in downtown Atlanta and scroll through…

History August 9, 2024

Cobb Public Libraries highlight the expansion of the Georgia Historic Newspapers digital collection

Regular readers of the Cobb County Courier know that we often heavily use the Georgia Historic Newspapers website as a source for our history articles. Examples of our articles that…

A cartoon terrier holds up a paper with Dog Tax written and a "canceled" stamp over it

Smyrna May 21, 2024

Smyrna in 1907: dog owners up in arms over dog tax exemption for terriers

Image above created with DALL-E from OpenAI, and editing with Canva As editor and publisher of the Cobb County Courier, I often read through old newspapers on the Georgia Historic…

Smyrna April 18, 2024

When Smyrna’s speed limit was 8 mph

The June 3, 1909 issue of a now-defunct newspaper called the Atlanta Georgian published the following story about a speed-limit ordinance Smyrna’s city council had recently passed (we’ve included a…

Mableton March 31, 2024

More Cobb History: Bandits captured outside Mableton in 1914 car chase

In 1914 a newspaper called the Atlanta Georgian was owned by William Randolph Hearst. Like most Hearst newspapers, the Georgian placed a high emphasis on sensationalism. Crime and scandal were…

An image of the front page of the Marietta Helicon, a 19th Century Cobb County newspaper

Cobb County March 30, 2024

Cobb County’s two earliest newspapers: the Marietta Advocate and the Marietta Helicon

by Larry Felton Johnson [This is an updated and expanded version of an article we published last December] I have a fascination with old newspapers. As a journalist, examining the…

a front page of an 1861 edition of the Marietta Advocate

History January 17, 2024

Civil War era Cobb County court clerk absconds with the cash

If we consider the backlog in the Cobb County clerk’s office now scandalous, imagine reader reaction to this brief story from the February 1, 1861, issue of the Marietta Advocate:…

A photo of a 1918 newspaper with the headline Alabama Bound Today: Atlanta to Borden Wheeler

From the Editor December 9, 2023

When automobiles were an adventure: a 1918 excursion through Cobb County

by Larry Felton Johnson Reading old newspapers has always been an interest of mine, and with the development of the Georgia Historic Newspapers website I’ve been like a kid in…

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