Margaret Mitchell House reopens in Atlanta on July 10 with new exhibit

ATLANTA – The Atlanta History Center is set to unveil the newly renovated and reimagined Margaret Mitchell House on July 10. The reopening will include the new exhibit “Telling Stories: Gone with the Wind and American Memory.”

Located on the Center’s Midtown campus and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Mitchell’s apartment will now host an exhibit that contextualizes the author’s life and explores the significant impact of “Gone With the Wind” on global perceptions of the American Civil War and the United States. history.

Since its release in 1936, “Gone With the Wind” has captivated audiences with its captivating characters and settings while sparking controversy for its depiction of slaves and its ties to Lost Cause ideology.

The “Telling Stories” exhibit looks at Mitchell’s life in Atlanta and how his upbringing influenced his view of history. It also examines the cultural impact of the book and its film adaptation, particularly how it perpetuated Lost Causes ideology, which portrayed Confederate defeat in a sympathetic light, portrayed slavery as benevolent, and suggested that “rights States” rather than slavery were the cause of the war.

Visitors to the exhibit will see the apartment where Mitchell wrote most of “Gone With the Wind,” complete with its original desk and chair. The exhibition includes sections covering the cultural impacts of the book and film, reactions in the United States and around the world, and the historical context of the periods and places that influenced the story. Digital content, both within the exhibition and online, will further enhance the visitor experience.

Highlights of “Telling Stories” include the suitcase used by a MacMillan editor to transport the original manuscript to New York. The exhibition also features images, newspaper clippings, artifacts, and videos exploring the novel’s lasting legacy.

To encourage discussion about the exhibit, the Atlanta History Center will host a panel on July 30, bringing together local experts involved in curating the exhibit. Panelists include Timothy Frilingos, director of exhibitions at the Atlanta History Center; Stéphane Dunn, professor and chair of the department of film, television and emerging media studies at Morehouse College; and Matthew Bernstein, professor and chair of the Department of Film and Media Studies at Emory University.

The Margaret Mitchell House remained closed during the pandemic and throughout the exhibition’s renovation. The Atlanta History Center Midtown also has indoor event space and a lawn for public programs and private rentals. For more information and tickets, visit Historic Downtown Atlanta.