Blanton House in Chamblee
According to a 1987 article in the Atlanta Journal, the house was built in 1917.
Chamblee dairies video
Shannon Wiggins, Public Relations and Communications Director for the city of Chamblee, contacted me to give a brief talk on the history of Chamblee dairies.
Early, mid and late 20th century Christmas trees
Sarah Archer, in her book “Midcentury Christmas: Holiday Fads, Fancies, and Fun from 1945 to 1970,” tells how the changes in the U.S. following World War II affected the Christmas traditions.
Atlanta welcomes soldiers of WWI Camp Gordon at Christmas
At 4 p.m. December 24, 1917, the bugle sounded and marches, drills, and rifle training paused until December 26 at 7 a.m. Eight thousand men headed to downtown Atlanta on the trolley or in cars. Other soldiers stayed on base where entertainment and a Christmas feast was planned.
Drive-in theaters of Chamblee, Doraville
The Peachtree Drive-In Theatre was on Peachtree Industrial Boulevard in Chamblee, across from where Chamblee Plaza would later open. On July 14, 1950, a grand opening was held at the drive-in.
Early fire fighting began with volunteers
The DeKalb County Fire Department began in 1934 as the Druid Hills Fire Department. This was a subscription service for the Druid Hills neighborhoods. A 1934 fire engine that was known by the name Old Maude was purchased by J. V. Draughn, the owner of this private fire service.
Wylie H. Chamblee
While looking through newspaper articles about Camp Gordon, Michael Hitt read a 1917 Atlanta Constitution article which included the history of the name Chamblee. The article is confirmation that the town was named for Wylie H. Chamblee, a Black man who was one of the petitioners for the post office.
Brookhaven business history found through vintage yearbooks
By 1963, Frito-Lay joins as an advertiser. The plant was located where Lowe’s home improvement store is today at 4950 Peachtree Boulevard, Chamblee. Another pharmacy in addition to Brookhaven Pharmacy is Oglethorpe Pharmacy on Johnson Ferry Road.
Chamblee and Wiley (Wylie) School, 1916 DeKalb school surveys
Another DeKalb County school described in the book is Wiley. Since I was not familiar with Wiley School, I started out by researching the location only to discover I had written about this school before, but under the spelling Wylie.