The Strip on Peachtree

After the Civil War locals called the area around Tenth Street “Tight Squeeze,” a wooded ravine where the lawless hung out. The narrow road made traveling by wagon difficult. Bandits also hid in the wooded ravine and surrounding forests to rob travelers heading north out of the city. The area became, therefore, a “tight squeeze” for riders trying to pass through with their money and their lives. During the latter part of the nineteenth century, wealthy people built homes in the area. By the 1900s those homes gave way to office and retail business as the commercial district expanded; and during the 1950s and 1960s, the area housed the South’s largest hippie district. But in recent years the area has undergone significant change. In 1999 the Midtown Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Special attractions: The Margaret Mitchell House & Museum, Georgia Institute of Technology, Coca-Cola headquarters, the Varsity restaurant, the Fox Theater, old churches, and other historic buildings.

http://www.trails.com/tcatalog_trail.asp?trailid=XFA011-011

The Strip 10^th to 14^th on Peachtree

Back in my old hippie days, in midtown Atlanta, on the strip between 10th and 14th street, flew the Great Speckled Bird. In the late '60's, early 70's, it was our underground newspaper. It even had its blue vendor boxes, but the price was cheap (fifteen cents , if I remember correctly). And, it gave us the news we needed to know; although its tag line was, the news you're not supposed to know. Where were the concerts, the cops, the dope (grass was 15 bucks an oz), the NARCs, the girls, the guys, the action. Who was getting ripped off and what we could do about it. Who you could believe and who you should avoid. When the Allman Brothers would be appearing for free in Piedmont Park. It was Atlanta's only ethical and investigative print medium of the time. But it pleased only us.

Segregationist and one time mayor Lester Maddox tried to sweep the bird off the street, just as the cops swept the birdsellers off the strip. But Atlantans who wanted opinionated journalism that was right 95% of the time, counted on the bird. It did so well that it had to apologize to its readers for its prosperity and "capitalist enrichment" in a message that ran full page.

http://www.everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1060715

Strip hip memoir - Where Did The Boy Go Wrong?

http://www.hurricanewilson.com/Hittin'%20The%20Note%201994.htm

Robin Jane Feld of the 12^th Gate

http://www.coastalpost.com/05/01/10.htm

The Margaret Mitchell House

http://www.gwtw.org/mitchellhouse.html

10th Street Art Theatre

http://cinematreasures.org/theater/12971/

Script for the history of Peachtree

http://www.gpb.org/media/pdf/peachtreestreet.pdf

Wet Willie - ALABAMA MUSIC HALL OF FAME AWARD AND REUNION GIG

http://www.ktb.net/~insync/wwreun.html