American Lives

Decatur First United Methodist Church, E Ponce de Leon Ave, with 250 E Ponce behind it.

It was the 1820s when the first European settlers began moving into the area which now forms DeKalb County. The area was largely rural, sprinkled with small-to-medium farms.

In 1822 the Georgia General Assembly designated a site for a new courthouse in the newly-established DeKalb County, on the site of the current 'Old Courthouse' on The Square. On 10 December 1823 the general assembly incorporated the city of Decatur.

Commerce Street Bridge, Georgia Railroad, Decatur.

By 1845, Atlanta to the immediate west of Decatur had been established as the regional transportation center. Much of the rapid nineteenth century development focused itself there, leaving Decatur to promote itself as a quiet, prosperous town which offered a gentler pace of life to the bustling early city of Atlanta.

The Georgia Railroad laid tracks between Atlanta and Augusta via Decatur during the early 1840s. The former Georgia Railroad depot (station building), built in 1891, is still located along the main line, although it was moved away from the tracks after 2001. Today it houses a restaurant.

The single track line remains in use today, but sees only around half a dozen trains each day, all freight. Marta services take care of the area's passengers.

See more here: Marta Station Buildings.

Great Expressions Dental Centers, 200 E Ponce de Leon Ave.

As with most cities, Decatur's commercial and residential development grew outwards from the city's commercial center. During the mid to late-1880s, in addition to providing legal and administrative services to the county government, the city also became DeKalb County's commercial center.

BBQ Cafe, 310 E Howard Ave, Decatur.

In the years between 1910 and 1940, evidence of the popularity of the garden suburb in Decatur can be seen in neighborhoods which include Howard Avenue, on the northern flank of the Georgia Railroad.

Corner of N Candler St and E Howard Ave, Decatur.

North Candler Street was one of those to contain many splendid residences in Decatur's early years in the middle of the nineteenth century. Most have been lost to time, with the street being redeveloped between the 1880s and 1960, but this street remains quietly and smartly residential.

Paragon Infusion Center, 114 E Trinity Pl, Decatur.

Many parts of Downtown Decatur have been built specifically for the post-war US car-culture, with plenty of parking space around somewhat distant shop fronts. This one has recently changed hands since the Covid-19 pandemic, the previous holders having closed during that event.

Corner of Commerce Drive and W Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur.

From about 2016 Decatur began making great strides in converting somewhat banal, drab, and often corroding pieces of traffic infrastructure into mood-lifting works of art.

The 'Decatur Box Project' blanketed the city with a vibrant array of paintings which were applied to traffic signal boxes (or cabinets), echoing similar initiatives from Augusta to Seattle and far beyond.

Corner of W Ponce de Leon Ave and W Court Square, Decatur.

In the process, Decatur became an Atlanta-area pioneer in making traffic boxes - long the jurisdiction of graffiti tags, stickers, and taped-up flyers - far more memorable, if not artistically dazzling.

The driving force behind the project was Larry Holland of Fishbone Art.

Tavo's Carpet & Flooring of Decatur, 422 W Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur.

In the 1870s, Dr Henry Lumpkin Wilson, Atlanta's first official physician (turned real estate agent) named the fresh water springs in what is now Midtown Atlanta as the 'Ponce de Leon Springs' in honor of the Spanish explorer's quest in the Americas for the fountain of youth, despite there being no evidence that the explorer ever stepped foot near Atlanta.

Ponce de Leon avenue became the main link between Atlanta and Decatur.

Sharian Inc, 368 W Ponce de Leon Ave, Decatur.

Sharian prides itself on being an enduring shop which offers hand-woven, antique, and new Oriental rugs, plus cleaning and restoration services. This carpet cleaning business was founded in 1931 by Armenian refugees, Bedros Sharian Sr and his wife, Vartouhi.

In 2022 the Sharian family celebrated ninety years of business in Decatur. A gathering was held at Decatur High School on Saturday 7 May 2022 to dedicate a marble bench for the family.

The Iberian Pig, 121 Sycamore St, Decatur.

This portion of Sycamore Street became pedestrian-only when the adjacent Marta station was built in the late 1970s. The entire row of commercial establishments is a lively mix of retail along with food and drinks outlets, and is a preservation success story. The sidewalks and establishments are most often full of a wide variety of people.

Greene's Fine Foods, 141 E Trinity Pl, Decatur.

Built of white Alabama marble, six inches thick (15cm) by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) during the depths of the Depression in 1933, this was originally known as 'the new post office'.

The post office remained until 1966, after which the building became the home of other federal government agencies such as the EPA. Locals came to call it the 'federal building' or 'the old post office' at that point.

It was auctioned off by the government in 1988 and has been in private hands ever since. Also a preservation success story, today the building houses Greene's Fine Foods, a family business which sells handmade specialty confections, Georgia pecans, and gifts.