Atlanta’s Margaret Mitchell House Reopens to the Public

ATLANTA – After an extended closure during which it was renovated and reimagined by historians, Atlanta’s Margaret Mitchell House is once again open to visitors.

The Atlanta History Center Midtown, home to the former home of Gone With the Wind author Margaret Mitchell, reopens today with a new exhibit, “Telling Stories: Gone With the Wind and American Memory.” According to officials at the Atlanta History Center, the exhibit aims to contextualize Mitchell’s iconic work, examining the author’s Atlanta upbringing — which undoubtedly shaped her views and beliefs — and what led her to write the Civil War-themed novel.

The exhibition also highlights the complex cultural impact of the book and its successful 1939 film adaptation, which continue to stir controversy for their depiction of slaves and their sympathetic view of Confederate defeat.

Mitchell lived in the building’s No. 1 apartment (which she called “the dump”) until 1932, just four years before “Gone With the Wind” was published. To say the book was a success is an understatement; it was an immediate sensation and made even more popular by the Oscar-winning film adaptation starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. “Telling Stories: Gone With the Wind and American Memory” features several historical artifacts related to the book, including the suitcase a MacMillan editor used to transport the original manuscript to New York.

The Atlanta History Center Midtown is located at 10th and Peachtree Streets in Midtown. For more information about the tour, click here. The Atlanta History Center will also host a panel discussion on July 30, featuring local experts who helped create the exhibit.