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Whitfield-Murray Historical Society
715 Chattanooga Avenue ~ Dalton, GA 30720
Phone: 706-278-0217
Regular Hours: Tuesday ~ Friday 10 am to 5 pm           Books for Sale

News for 2007: Whitfield-Murray Historical Society will soon have an offical web page! As soon as the historical society's web page is up and running, Southern Muse will provide a link here. In the meantime, this informational page is presented courtesy of Southern Muse.

Whitfield-Murray Historical Society is a not-for-profit organization, which seeks to preserve and document the history of Whitfield and Murray County, Georgia. The historical society maintains or assists in supporting various local historical properties which are in danger of neglect or destruction (NOTE). Among the properties supported or maintained in full or in part by the historical society are the historical Hamilton House, the Blunt House, and Dug Gap Battle Park in Whitfield County, Georgia; and the Wright Hotel and the old depot in Murray County, Georgia. The society also maintains Crown Gardens and Archives in Dalton, Georgia. The archives serves as a depository for historical documents and research material. Its holdings include original ledgers, stock certificates, employee payroll records, and other historic documents relating to the old Crown Cotton Mill; documents and photos relating to the history of the local chenille and carpet textile industry; photos and memorabilia relating to Catherine Evans Whitener, a pioneer of the former chenille cottage industry in North Georgia; genealogical research materials, including local family files, history books, local records, county histories of Whitfield, Murray, Gilmer, Catoosa, and surrounding counties, regional marriage and cemetery indexes, and other research material, including the Georgia Death Index on microfiche. Some of these published materials, such as Murray County Heritage (book), Whitfield County (book), Murray County Marriages (book/index), Whitfield County Marriages (book/index) and other indexes are available for sale at the archives. The historical society also publishes a monthly newsletter and a historical quarterly. These are included in the membership fee (currently $20 for membership at the individual level). For current fees, prices of our books and other store items, to place an order, or for more information, please contact the historical society at (706) 278-0217.

In addition to the archives' research room, the historical society maintains a collection of historical antiques, artifacts and documents, including a chenille bedspread collection and a collection of Civil War artifacts. For more information on specific collections of the historical society, please contact the historical society by phone or mail, or visit Crown Gardens and Archives at 715 Chattanooga Avenue, Dalton, Georgia. The hours are Tuesday through Friday, from ten to five o'clock. For the convenience of out-of-town guests, the archives may also open by appointment on Saturday. If you are planning a visit to Dalton to do research, please contact the historical society ahead of time at (706) 278-0217 to ask about hours of operation or specific holdings or to schedule an appointment on Saturday.

Whitfield-Murray Historical Society awards one to two scholarships per year to students in Murray or Whitfield County. The historical society also presents two Historic Preservation Awards to individuals or organizations who make outstanding contributions to the preservation of our local history. Find out more about the Historic Preservation Awards.

The historical society is a not-for-profit organization and is primarily supported by the donations and volunteer efforts of local individuals and organizations. Donations to Whitfield-Murray Historical Society are tax deductible. To make a donation, join the historical society, or request more information, please contact the historical society at (706) 278-0217 or come by in person at 715 Chattanooga Avenue, Dalton, Georgia.

West Hill Chapel: Stone Chapel Restored

Old Rock Building Restoration

This page is provided by Southern Muse as a courtesy to the historical society. Southern Muse is the home page of D.K. Pritchett, who is the current (2004-2005) publicity director of the historical society. Currently, all web pages for WMHS are being provided free of charge by volunteers for the historical society. This page will be updated by Southern Muse as time allows.

PLEASE NOTE: Whitfield-Murray Historical Society does not condemn properties and does not have the power to do so. Rather, the historical society seeks to raise money to purchase and/or preserve historic properties whenever possible. Whitfield-Murray Historical Society should not be confused with Whitfield Preservation Committee, a local government body which does sometimes condemn sites in order to procure them.(Back to text)