Disciplines
African American Studies | Recreation Business | United States History
Abstract (300 words maximum)
From 1915 to 1920, the only summer resort for Black Atlantans was King’s Wigwam, located north of the small farming community of Kennesaw. Situated on over forty acres owned by Auburn Avenue entrepreneur Cornelius King, the summer resort saw a host of notable visitors during its short five years of existence. During the 1919 season, a guest named Bertram Hamilton was falsely accused of rape in nearby Cherokee County. He was taken to the county jail as an angry mob gathered. The county sheriff, who had been part of the mob that lynched Leo Frank four years before, believed Hamilton was innocent and brought him to safety in Atlanta. Because of the attempted lynching, King sold the land and never returned to Kennesaw. The only trace left of the resort is a metal cut-out of a Native American that is now perched on a building on Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue. In the 1960s, the site of King Wigwam’s became a subdivision whose streets have a Gone with the Wind theme.
Previous scholarship about the Wigwam largely relies on an interview given by King’s daughter in the 1970s. Existing work is inaccurate regarding the location of the Wigwam, along with the years it was open. This paper uses several newly uncovered pieces of evidence to shed more light on the Wigwam’s story. Hamilton’s first-hand account of the attempted lynching provides insight into the resort’s closing. Land records allow the Wigwam’s exact location to be pinpointed for the first time. Lastly, articles from the Atlanta Independent, Black Atlanta’s weekly newspaper, note the identities of notable guests. Overall, this paper offers new insight into recreation among Atlanta’s Black elite under Jim Crow, the politics of lynching in Georgia, and the relationship between wealthy, urban Black leaders and the rural counties surrounding the city.
Use of AI Disclaimer
no
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS – History & Philosophy
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Seneca Vaught
Included in
African American Studies Commons, Recreation Business Commons, United States History Commons
King’s Wigwam: Atlanta’s Forgotten Black Summer Resort
From 1915 to 1920, the only summer resort for Black Atlantans was King’s Wigwam, located north of the small farming community of Kennesaw. Situated on over forty acres owned by Auburn Avenue entrepreneur Cornelius King, the summer resort saw a host of notable visitors during its short five years of existence. During the 1919 season, a guest named Bertram Hamilton was falsely accused of rape in nearby Cherokee County. He was taken to the county jail as an angry mob gathered. The county sheriff, who had been part of the mob that lynched Leo Frank four years before, believed Hamilton was innocent and brought him to safety in Atlanta. Because of the attempted lynching, King sold the land and never returned to Kennesaw. The only trace left of the resort is a metal cut-out of a Native American that is now perched on a building on Atlanta’s Auburn Avenue. In the 1960s, the site of King Wigwam’s became a subdivision whose streets have a Gone with the Wind theme.
Previous scholarship about the Wigwam largely relies on an interview given by King’s daughter in the 1970s. Existing work is inaccurate regarding the location of the Wigwam, along with the years it was open. This paper uses several newly uncovered pieces of evidence to shed more light on the Wigwam’s story. Hamilton’s first-hand account of the attempted lynching provides insight into the resort’s closing. Land records allow the Wigwam’s exact location to be pinpointed for the first time. Lastly, articles from the Atlanta Independent, Black Atlanta’s weekly newspaper, note the identities of notable guests. Overall, this paper offers new insight into recreation among Atlanta’s Black elite under Jim Crow, the politics of lynching in Georgia, and the relationship between wealthy, urban Black leaders and the rural counties surrounding the city.