Archival Research

The research on the Lacy family began in local libraries and archives. I started looking at Civil War books such as Russell Bond‟s Stealing the General (2007) that mention the hotel to see exactly what was known about it. I frequented the Atlanta

History Center, Marietta Central Library and the Georgia Archives where I gathered most of my archival data. My research was conducted over the summer of 2010 to investigate all institutions holding information on Georgia‟s history and the people of Cobb County. Searching through archival documents was a tedious process, but once information was gathered, the story of the family began to unfold. The Marietta Central Library contains „The Georgia Room‟ and it holds an extensive collection of books on Georgia history and the Civil War. There are numerous cabinets of old Georgia maps and folders of

documents categorized by County. While reviewing the Cobb County folder, I came across many newspaper articles, photos, and journals regarding the county in the 19th

century. However, I noticed that these sources had been removed from their primary location. For example, newspaper articles clipped out, in which there were no known reference to where it had come from. In addition, the documents in the folder were unorganized and thus there was no structured manner in which to approach it. The Georgia Room also had census books on Cobb County, and I was able to search for Big Shanty‟s census record in 1860, which included the Lacy family.

The Georgia Archives was another great resource for information. I was able to locate newspaper articles from the 19th century available on microfilm. The archives also

had a supervised viewing room where I was allowed to peruse the Western and Atlantic Railroad cash journals. This very large book showed all transactions made between the

rail line and its customers between AD 1856-1866, including these transactions made by George Lacy. Through these transactions I located when Mr. Lacy started paying rent on the hotel in Big Shanty and at the price of $40 a month. In the archives, I managed to search through census records, obituaries, and marriage licenses from the 19th century to

put together a complete family tree for the Lacys.

After the Georgia Archives, I went to the Cobb County Court Records Office where they hold official Deed records. I was notified that all deed records before 1900 had been destroyed in a courthouse fire, but I did manage to find a deed of a later property owned by the Lacys. I visited the City of Kennesaw- Planning and Zoning department to see if they had any files regarding the Lacy Hotel property or its history. I received documents that mentioned a brief history of the hotel and Sherman‟s

involvement. Another source was the Historic Preservation Division, which turned out to be very helpful. They had many 20th century newspaper articles describing the hotel.

Lastly, I utilized online sources and went through websites such as Atlanta Historic Newspapers and Marietta Daily Journal-Archives to gather insights on the Lacys

activities at the hotel and in town. All information gathered from the various sources was equally important as they provided a different focus or perspective regarding the hotel or the Lacy family. Many other sources that I visited had turned up with no information regarding the Lacy Hotel, such as the Kennesaw State University Archives, NARGHIS, and the GA site files hosted at UGA.

The next step was to interview local curators and historians with knowledge of 19th century Georgia history. I began with the curator of the Roothouse Museum,

furnishings. We discussed the layout of the hotel and what they would most likely have used in terms of furniture and dishes. Mrs. Higginbotham provided me with knowledge of typical ceramic and glass found in a 19th century household which provided me with

comparative data for my archaeological collection from the Lacy Hotel site. I also went to the Marietta Museum of History and met with the curator, Amy Reed. I learned about the Kennesaw House, another boarding house located in Marietta where the planning of the Great Locomotive Chase took place. I was able to talk with Kennesaw historians Joe Bozeman and Colonel James Bogle about the location of the hotel. Both of these

historians confirmed the 1861 Camp McDonald map which placed the Lacy Hotel

between two streams and located at the apex of the rail line. The data were also supported by similar information obtained from oral histories given by their parents who lived in the area in the early 20th century. Lastly, through the process of archival research, Mike

Bearrow, curator at The Southern Museum of Civil War was able to help answer questions regarding documents, maps, and the history of Big Shanty. He was also kind enough to put me in contact with all of the individuals mentioned above.