Last week I wrote about the old Chamblee School that was moved to the new campus of Chamblee Elementary and High School in 1919 and served as the Home Economics Building. There was also a building on the Chamblee school property for the purpose of canning.
The Chamblee school cannery is to the right of the main school building in this photograph. The cannery was constructed of stone. (Photo from the archives of DeKalb History Center)
Several Georgia schools had canneries on their grounds. In 1943, Tucker, Norcross, and Chamblee High Schools were among the top Georgia schools processing canned food and helping their community.
Dorothy Kellogg of Dunwoody won six first prizes for canning at the Southeastern Fair in 1928. She acquired her skills at the cannery of Chamblee High School. The cannery was part of Chamblee’s vocational and home economics training. These skills were useful to DeKalb County students at the time and continuing through the 1950s, when most people in the area farmed.
The Kellogg family lived along Chamblee Dunwoody Road just north of Vermack Road. Dorothy and her brothers Hubbard and Edwin, lived with parents Forrest and Allie Kellogg. After graduating from Chamblee High School, Dorothy attended the University of Georgia, then worked for Sears giving canning instructions to the public. Sears published a brochure on canning in 1932. (Atlanta Constitution, July 17, 1932, Housekeepers are Urged to Can Surplus Vegetables and Fruits)
A cannery also opened at Druid Hills High School in 1943. This cannery was open to those who helped purchase equipment and paid for subscriptions to use the cannery. It was outfitted with second-hand equipment and no government funds were used. (Atlanta Constitution, June 17, 1943, Druid Hills Cannery, Unique in Financing, Ready for Bow)
The grandchildren of Ambrey Carpenter recall that during the 1940s he operated the cannery and taught shop at Chamblee High School. His occupation listed on the U. S. 1940 Census is vocational teacher. He also worked as a carpenter and operated a blacksmith shop from his home on Mount Vernon Road at Tilly Mill Road.
The same year Dorothy won prizes at the Southeastern Fair, Raymond Chatham won first prize for his Rhode Island red chickens. He also acquired his skills from the vocational and home economics training at Chamblee High School. (Atlanta Constitution, December 30, 1928)
I had the experience of going to the Decatur cannery with my grandmother and mother in the 1960’s. My grandparents had a large garden and a closet in the farmhouse stocked with rows of cans and jars filled with tomatoes, green beans, pickles, peaches, and fig preserves. We were able to have some of these delicious foods at our house as well.
The Decatur cannery was located on Camp Road off Memorial Drive around the DeKalb County Police Headquarters. Records at the DeKalb History Center show that this public cannery processed 50,516 cans of meat and vegetables in 1962.
According to pickyourown.org/canneries, there are several canneries across Georgia. However, there are none listed in DeKalb or Fulton County.