By Nancy Leighton
A new book about East Atlanta is in the works. The book will cover East Atlanta’s distant past right up to the present. Henry Bryant, who is well known for his knowledge of area history, has joined with East Atlanta neighbor Katina Van Cronchite to compile and author this pictorial history book.
Henry says, “So far we have found a lot of very interesting material in our research and interviews, but we want to be as complete as possible. Authors don’t make money on a book like this and we’re really doing it to get the information and images all in one place before they disappear.”
There is an old saying, “One picture is worth a thousand words,” and it is going to take a great many pictures to tell the story of the East Atlanta neighborhood. Katina Van Cronkhite and Henry Bryant are asking for anyone who has any connection to East Atlanta, past or present, to go through their attics and basements to see if they have any old trunks, boxes, or suitcases containing old photos. They are looking for photos that are candid, casual, or action-oriented. Photos of buildings, construction work such as I-20; street scenes, business activities, and festivals are the most needed. Not so useful will be pictures of people posing for a photo. Photos of family life where you can see houses or landmarks in the background could be very useful. Very much needed are photos of African-American life and business in the East Atlanta area in the last 40 years.
Anyone who thinks they have a photo for this project should call 404-377-6148 to discuss it. The photos will be scanned into a computer and returned. The photographer and the person who submitted the photos will be acknowledged in the book. The history that is told in a book like this will depend on the pictures that the authors have available to be included.
The book is being published by Arcadia Publishing for their Images of America series about small towns and neighborhoods across the United States. It will be similar to Phil and Jennifer Cuthbertson’s book on Grant Park which is also part of this series. The material has to be in by early summer and the book will be out next summer. It will be available in local stores and gift shops, at book signings, at BATL, and at the East Atlanta Strut.
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