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Preserving Roswell’s History

Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “We are not makers of history; we are made by history.”

Roswell cherishes its rich and diverse history. We are unique in that the City owns and operates three historic museum homes and recently purchased a fourth historic home, all which date back to the founding of our city. Roswell is a forerunner of historic preservation in Georgia.

The story of Roswell is rich and fascinating. It’s about the indigenous people who originally occupied this land. It’s about families moving here from the coast to establish a city on the banks of the Chattahoochee. And it’s about the slaves who built the beautiful Greek Revival homes that we tour as museums today.

However, sometimes left out in the official telling of our story are two communities living together, black and white, moving Roswell forward to where it is now. The stories of the historic plantations and their owners have been well preserved — the way in which Roswell King relocated here to start his business and convinced others to join him. But the story of the Groveway Community and its people, those who built and maintained the historic homes we see in Roswell today, has not really been told. Groveway is a vibrant historic community within Roswell, and we need to work with this community to preserve its rich history, so its story can be taught to current citizens and future generations.

I have begun working with Pastor Sabin Strickland of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church in telling that story. We have identified a little house on Oxbo Road that was set to be demolished. This 1,000-square-foot building happens to be the first cafe where African-Americans could eat in Roswell. It was called Doc’s Cafe, and you could stop by to grab a “split” and a Coke and maybe even dance near the jukebox.

It has been a joy to watch the community rally to save this part of our common history. I am thrilled to expand Roswell’s story in this way, and I look forward to this project being a real community-wide endeavor. Once the restoration of 20 Oxbo Road is complete, I envision Doc’s Cafe being a wonderful addition to the tour of historic homes in Roswell. I also think Doc’s could serve as an ideal space to hold community events.

I hope you will join me in preserving this part of our history. Please email my office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you would like to help with this historic preservation.

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