News & Updates from
the Milton Historical Society
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Holiday Gathering for Society Patrons and Guests
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A delightful holiday gathering was hosted by Society Director James Farris and Linda Farris on December 7, 2019 at their historic Victorian home at the corner of Phillips Circle and Freemanville Road.
Honored at the fete were Milton Historical Society patrons and their guests.
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In addition to Society board members, valued patrons attending included Pat Miller, president of the Alpharetta and Old Milton County Historical Society, Milton Mayor Joe Lockwood and City Council members Laura Bentley and Paul Moore. At the event, Mr. and Mrs. Odie Garrison donated an extensive family history of the Garrison-Phillips families to the Society.
Other honored guests were Mrs. Tera Morris, widow of Milton historian Aubrey Morris, and daughter Rebecca Morris Fricton. Mrs. Morris recently presented the Society with 140 original newspaper articles on North Fulton history written by her late husband.
See more on Aubrey Morris in the article below.
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Early Construction Techniques, continued...
James Farris gave a comprehensive description of the Tucker-Farris house in the Society's December newsletter. In the interest of space we shortened that article and are adding a few outtakes here:
In 1899 the Tucker house was a simple wooden clapboard or lap-sided, rustic four room farmhouse...each piece of wooden siding was 'lapped' over the piece below it to protect the home from wind and rain; the siding usually remained unpainted.
The traditional kitchen maintains its original brick cooking space and its ceiling is covered with finely crafted copper...copper ceilings in kitchens during those days were an attractive addition but they also provided a very practical function in that they were far less likely to catch on fire during the use of wood burning stoves. The bricks in the kitchen wall were made of bricks produced locally by the James Brickyard Company, an early Alpharetta business. If one looks closely, you can still read the company's name emblazoned on many of the bricks.
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Photos courtesy of Mr. Farris and Robert Meyers.
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Message from the President
Fellow Historians,
Milton is known for its natural beauty and quality of life. Less well known are the stories of Milton's many diverse and vital communities of years past, such as Fields Crossroads, Freemansville (originally called Free Soil), Troy, and Webb. The Milton Historical Society helps make this local history readily available to the public in order to promote a sense of identity, place, and pride in Milton and to preserve this heritage for future generations.
Although the Milton Historical Society has postponed this month's 'Trail of Tears' presentation at the Milton Public Library, we will navigate this unpredictable course. The Milton Historical Society has an exciting year planned ahead with monthly presentations and lectures at the Milton Public Library, as well as special events celebrating Milton's unique heritage.
We invite you to become a Patron of the Milton Historical Society - a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. As a Patron, your dues support these and other initiatives. Depending on your level of patronage, you benefits may include: complimentary admission to Society programs and special exhibits; an autographed copy of
Barns of Old Milton County
by Robert Meyers; membership in the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM), which includes reduced admission and discounts at 1,050 arts, cultural, and historical institutions throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico and more.
Join the Milton Historical Society today by completing this
form
.
All the best,
Jeff Dufresne, President
Milton Historical Society
"A people without the knowledge of their past history...is like a tree without roots."
Marcus Garvey
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Thomas B. Newton House on
Hickory Flat Road
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2020 Spring Programs
(Due to the current health emergency all programs are subject to change. Emails will keep you-up-to date on event schedules.)
POSTPONED
Tuesday March 31 - 6:30 p.m.
Georgia Trail of Tears
Speaker: Wanda Patterson, Georgia Trail of Tears Association
May be POSTPONED
Tuesday April 14 - 6:30 p.m.
Early Post Offices of Old Milton County
Speakers: Ed Malowney, Barbara Latham, Connie Mashburn
Tuesday May 12 - 6:30 p.m.
Presidential Paramours
Speaker: Dr. Ron Grossman
Note:
Evening programs are held at the
Milton Library, 855 Mayfield Road
. Many thanks to the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library System for use of this amazing facility, and thanks to Todd Williamson for his professionalism and caring attitude!
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Meet Aubrey Morris!
Milton Historical Society Past President Bill Lusk and Director Jim Farris visited with Aubrey Morris' widow, Tera Griffin Morris in October 2019.
Jim Farris wrote the following recap: "For those of you who did not have the privilege of knowing Aubrey, he was a journalism graduate from the University of Georgia during the early 1940s who went on to have an illustrious career with the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, the Alpharetta and Roswell Review and News, and WSB-TV. Aubrey's life long study of the local history of Milton County and its people was regularly spread upon the pages of the Alpharetta and Roswell Review and News in a half-page editorial column appearing on a weekly basis. Tera has generously donated to the Society the original copies of these columns for our preservation and use."
Aubrey Morris memorialized in 2011
At a memorial service for Mr. Morris, Sons of the American Revolution past President George E. Thurmond delivered the remembrance. "Aubrey was an icon," Thurmond said. "As a student at the University of Georgia, he proved the legendary Dean of Students William Tate wrong, after Tate told him to stay away from a radio career. He had a [broadcast] career of more than 33 years. Network newscaster Tom Brokaw called him the best local reporter he ever saw," Thurmond said.
Published in The North Fulton Review and News, March 31, 2011
Your Society at work...
The Morris collection of articles will be digitized, cataloged, and archived by the Society and used for educational and research purposes. Efforts are underway to scan the articles, which will then be included in our archiving software. Director Kathy Beck is heading up this effort and is looking forward to sharing access to the articles with the public in the near future.
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Muse of the month!
"Buildings, too, are children of Earth and Sun."
"I believe that in the search for the answer lies the answer."
Frank Lloyd Wright
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Milton Historical Society 2020 Patrons
Many thanks for your support!
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Lifetime Patrons
Mark and Amy Amick
Felton Anderson Herbert
Johnny Herbert
Bill Lusk
Robert Meyers
Adam Orkin
Charlie Roberts
Sarah Roberts
Kevin and Marsha Spear
Karen Thurman
Sustaining Patrons
Kathy Beck
Philip Beck
Jeff and Josephine Dufresne
Byron and Laura Foster
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Family Patrons
Marc and Lisa Arrington
Laura Bentley
Wayne Boston
Gregg and Mary Cronk
Lara Dolan
Seth Garrett
Clyde Hewitt
Robert Jamison
Courtney LaFon
Ed and Mary Jo Malowney
Barry and Suzanne Mansell
Paul Moore
Individual Patrons
Elizabeth Montgomery
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Corporate Sponsor
The William B. Orkin Foundation
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We Love our Founding Members!
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Ron Wallace
Felton and Johnny Herbert
Adam Orkin
Pat Miller
Dawn and Keith Reed
Amy Christiansen
Kathy and Philip Beck
Jessica and Warren Cheely
Joe and Heather Killingsworth
Ronnie Rondem
Seth Chandlee
Curtis Mills
Mary Ann and Clarke Otten
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Mark Amick
Joan Borzilleri
Jeff Dufresne
James Farris
Byron Foster
Kim Gauger
Bill Lusk
Connie Mashburn
Bob Meyers
Charlie Roberts
Kevin Spear
Karen Thurman
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