Some Interesting Memoirs of Atlanta

Mrs. Bomar still active at eighty-eight,

wife of the City's Second Executive

By Irma Doon

It would seem that there was always work for a vice commission to worry about in Atlanta if they wanted to worry even before the building site was christened Atlanta.  Yesterday when I talked with one of Atlanta's most distinguished pioneer women, Mrs. Sarah Elizabeth Bomar, whose husband was mayor of Atlanta in 1849 and 1850, she told me that somewhere between North Pryor street and where the new courthouse now is a man even back in those pioneer days was hugged to death -- actually hugged to death on the public highway on his way home from work.

The offending party was a bear, the pet of the gentleman who owned the slaughter house which was then one of the few community assets.

And perish the thought of this other scandalous thing she told me about the infant days of Atlanta now pictured to the world as one of two American cities promoting the high arts in an annual opera season.

During her husband's administration as mayor Mrs. Bomar saw "a good family cow sunken in the mire which was so deep about where the Lewis cracker factory now is [one block west of city hall] that it could not be extricated.  The sanitary department was inadequate then too and the streets in some places were very bad and the poor cow just sunk and sunk.  Nobody could get to her without sinking too and she died there."

It is just as well to tell of these skeletons in Atlanta's first closets right now before some jealous municipality in the vicinity refuses to admit Atlanta to the Association of Cities for the Protection of Sacred Spots on the plea that she has none.

The First Gas Plant

Mrs. Bomar recalls clearly that in Atlanta in 1850 the first gas plant was built and that the first night the streets were illuminated all the inhabitants came with their families and XXmade the crowd expressing the spirit that animated the carnival Atlanta gave under the five pointed XXlectric Star Shriner week -- 1XX4

This intellectually charming lady who has passed her eighty eighth birthday eloquently expresses herself the wide awake spirit which has made Atlanta the city that it is.  She was the mother of organized women in Atlanta and mainstay of the section for the best women's organization a church sewing society was organized in her drawing room in 18XX0.

She was Miss Sarah Elizabeth Lumpkin Haynes, her father a noted scholar and residing in Norcross, GA at the time of her birth in 1826.

Miss Bomar attended school in Roswell, Ga where one of her schoolmates and Sunday school mates was Miss Bullock (afterwords the mother of Theodore Roosevelt)

The family was residing in Cumming, Ga when she married Dr. Benjamin F. Bomar and the young couple lived first in Dahlonega, Ga coming to Atlanta the last day of April 1847.

And since then Mrs. Bomar has been a part of Atlanta's life.  She is the beloved center of the family group in the home of her daughter Mrs. A.B. Killian on Woodward Avenue.

Brilliant in Conversation

Though her eyesight she complains is failing, her insight into life is clear and bright and she has that interest in the world's work which is the real secret of people ever young.  She converses with a fluency and grace which marked the woman of the old school and I noted that the women in the group with her daughter, Mrs. Killian and a daughter in law Mrs. Bomar and a lovely granddaughter Miss Killian reflected in their attitude and conversation, a poise and gentleness so restful in these days of nineteenth century restlessness.  With all the interest they have in things they had retained the grace and placidity that ladies formerly could possess.

The ladies were so drawn as to keep out the sun the flowers without were not parched by the sun there were family portraits looking down benevolently from the wall the name of the latest MaXXr inscribed on that of Dr. Bomar this XXast the first who ever painted portraits in Atlanta XX scholarly German (the father of Mr. Armine MaXXer)

And so calmly did Mrs. Bomar tell me bafflingly interesting things about Atlanta's early days.  She did not seem to feel she would be interrupted by anybody even the telephone having the good manners not to break in on what was to me a unique and harmonious occasion.  Shapely little hands in graceful gestures occasionally emphasized what she had to say and there was a note in her voice that only harp music could blend with.

"I saw the first train of cars come in on the Georgia railroad which had just been built when I came to Atlanta", was an interesting statement made by Mrs. Bomar.

"There was no car shed or station and the passengers were discharged in the open air."

"There was then in Atlanta no church no brick buildings, no kind of municipal buildings.  My husband was among those who organized the first city government.  He was the first alderman and the second mayor.  As mayor one of the first thing he did was to have stumps removed from Whitehall street and the punishment he ordered for offenders then brought before him was to dig up a certain number of stumps on that thoroughfare."

"It was while Dr. Bomar was mayor the old fair grounds were purchased and he was criticised in some quarters for paying an exorbinant price for then -- $60 [XX] an acre."

"It was about this time we had our first shock as a community when the first case of smallpox was discovered.  The patient was placed in a far-off hut on what is now South Pryor street and died there.  Everybody left town on account of the scare and the merchants who had bought stocks of goods that season were woefully disappointed."

Atlanta's Religious Beginning

Asked about Atlanta in her religious life Mrs. Bomar was most happy in stating that Dr. Bomar was one of the first two Baptist men in Atlanta.  He was instrumental in organizing here the first Baptist congregation the first church built in Atlanta being a Baptist church while she is a member of the Second Baptist church for 61 years.

"Soon after this my husband assisted in organizing the first Masonic lodge and I have among my treasures his first Masonic apron", she said.

When the first class was graduated from the old medical college of Atlanta he was given an honorary diploma.

At that time he expressed his faith in Atlanta real estate.  "I recall he bought for a few dollars an acre and sold at profit various tracts of land now worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Among these was the site where the post office now stands where High's store now is and he owned a store where Keely's is." Dr. Bomar was the first clerk of the Fulton county superior court.

The First Schools

Mrs. Bomar recalled that "a Mr. XXMcCanty had the first school for boys. It was located on the triangular lot north of where the Candler building now stands and it was here the first preaching was done.  The first school for girls was tought by a Mrs. Smith.  It was on Broad street where Alabama intersects Broad street not extending south until after the war," she explained.  Mrs. Smith had as well as school each day a sewing class XXMonday afternoons this being the first domestic science class in Atlanta.  She had the first May day celebration which occurred at Walton Springs the town's pleasure XXoind.

Here Mrs. Bomar described Miss Ann Eliza XX as the beautiful May queen.

"I recall all the pupils sang a song which has been dedicated to her honor which began XXana Liza Queen of May."

"Then we had the first XXfantastics the boys in fancy costumes riding around the town and the negroes being so badly frightened."

Broad Street Bridge

The building and opeing of Broad street bridge was one of the sensations of the early 50's said Mrs. Bomar and about that time we were all thrilled with interest in a lecturer who visited here and lectured on the telegraph which had not been long invented.  His hearers found difficulty in comprehending what he said about the new instrument which transmitted messages over many miles and reguarded his remarks with some skepticism.

Oakland cemetery was bought about the same time the old cemetery having been far out Peachtree road and hard to reach.  The first sexton was Mr. Pilgrim who held the office even after the war.  He was also the owner of the first hearse which when it appeared with its high feathery ornaments, filled us with horror.

The First Hanging

"The first hanging in Atlanta I recall -- but do you want to hear about that?" Mrs. Bomar here courteously queried.  "Three men (and here she called three good family names) had held up and murdered an old man out on McDonough road.  The hanging caused great excitement and brought hundreds of people to town to view the gruesome sight."

"An amusing thing happened in connection with our first jail," Mrs. Bomar here related.  "It was a good joke on the sheriff.  Three men had been incarcerated for gambling or some serious offense.  One night they broke out of jail, went to Marietta and had a big frolic.  In the early morning hours they came home to the jail and sent word to the sheriff that if he didn't come down pretty soon and lock them up they would leave for good."

Another good story Mrs. Bomar told me was that of the first organ brought here.

"It was a small reed affair," she explained, "and was played in the First Baptist church for the first time at morning service.  Several of the old brothers and sisters had never heard an organ before and regarding it as an instrument of Satan, arose and indignantly left the church."

First Woman's Meeting

Describing Atlanta's first woman's organization, Mrs. Bomar said "Although it was organized by the ladies of the Baptist church, ladies of other churches were permitted to become members and the first meetings were in my home.  We made mostly men's shirts.  Different parts of the shirts were made by different committees and later the parts were assembled, the shirts completed and then we held a fair for the sale of them.  At this fair refreshments were served and there being no caterer in Atlanta, cakes were bought from Augusta.  Ice cream was a thing unknown in Atlanta at that time.  The profits of the shirt making were used for the purchase of a carpet for the church.  The ladies took their servants to the church and swept and dusted it for the reception of the new adornment.

[And here, it rather abruptly ends]