Numerous Cowetans were involved with the 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, and a new exhibition at McRitchie-Hollis Museum reflects on both the Olympics and the Torch Run that brought the flame through U.S. cities including Newnan 20 years ago.
Memorabilia has been shared by participants and spectators, including items from Newnan-Coweta Historical Society board member and treasurer John Thrasher who was involved in the Games as an employee of Georgia Power and who was one of the local torch bearers -- carrying the flame along a section of Bullsboro Drive.
The Centennial Olympics took place in metro Atlanta and outlying sites such as the University of Georgia in Athens and in Savannah between July 19 and Aug. 4, 1996. Atlanta Olympics Committee Chair Billy Payne and Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young lobbied for the Olympics to be held in Atlanta to prove that the South was no longer impoverished and had moved past the racial tensions of the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s. Atlanta was selected in 1978 by the Olympic Committee, beating out Athens, Greece and front-runner Toronto, Canada.
Visitors who were in Atlanta for the Olympics can take a walk down memory lane as they view the torch, souvenirs and images from events, various uniforms, a selection of the popular trading pins and even an "Izzy" mascot doll. The museum also has a journal for visitors to share their own memories of attending or assisting with events during the '96 Games.
McRitchie-Hollis this summer also offers two other special exhibitions this summer:
- "Bathing Beauties" traces the evolution of swimwear from the late 1800s through the 1960s, featuring examples from the Newnan-Coweta Historical Society textiles collection.
- Dixie Highway: There is also a special historical photo exhibition on development of the Dixie Highway, a traveling exhibition on loan from the Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia in Dalton. The cottage industry of the early 1900s making chenille bedspreads displayed along the highway route gave rise to the carpet industry that made Dalton the carpet capital of the world.
McRitchie-Hollis Museum is at 74 Jackson St. just north of downtown Newnan. Admission is $5 adults and $2 for students and seniors. Tour hours are 10 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays. For more information call770-251-0207 or see our website at www.newnancowetahistoricalsociety.com.
