New exhibit documents Atlanta's history in 100 objects

History buffs will want to set aside time on their calendars to check out a new exhibit that opens next week at the Atlanta History Center.

The latest: The museum will celebrate its 100th anniversary with its Atlanta in 100 Objects exhibit that opens April 25.

• A book detailing the objects has also been released to accompany the exhibit and can be purchased online or in person.
• The book includes objects that reflect the city's origins as a railroad town, Civil War era, Civil Rights Movement and Atlanta's dominance as a cultural hub of the South.

What they're saying: Tim Frilingos, the Atlanta History Center's director of exhibitions, told Axios the objects will be spread out across the museum 33-acre Buckhead campus.

• "There'll be some objects that haven't really been displayed much before [and] some that are displayed in a different ... context," he said.

Zoom in: The exhibit will include items such as a 1964 letter penned by Martin Luther King Jr. to then-Atlanta Board of Aldermen President Sam Massell, who would later serve as the city's first Jewish mayor from 1970 to 1974.

• Frilingos also said visitors who enter the atrium will be greeted by a horse-drawn fire engine that was used to fight the blaze during the Great Atlanta Fire in 1917.
• He said it's been on view before, but it has not been displayed recently, so it will be a treat to bring it back for new visitors.
• You'll also see a large scale globe that was originally housed in the former Carnegie Library in Downtown.
• There's also the first donation made to the Atlanta History Center: programs that document historic milestones for the former Spelman Seminary from the late 19th century to 1926.

• Other items include marquee letters for the Fox Theatre originating from the 1950s and art by artist John Findley that pays tribute to Hank Aaron breaking Babe Ruth's home run record.

The bottom line: Frilingos told Axios the objects that will be on display not only celebrates the History Center's 100th anniversary and Atlanta's "complicated history," it also pays tribute to the people who've helped the museum tell the city's story through their donations.

• "It is really exciting that people have trusted us with these things, and we've been able to maintain them, to safely store them, and then also to safely give visitors access to them," he said.

Go: Access to the exhibit is included in ticket purchases. Frilingos said the exhibit will be on display through January.