Vinings is fine homes, destination restaurants and shopping; and is now a book. ‘Vinings,’ by Susan Kendall, features more than 200 vintage and modern images chronicling the growth and change in this upscale Cobb suburb.
Vinings is a very old community with the unique history. First, known as Crossroads, Vinings is where Hardy Pace operated a ferry that allowing people to cross the Chattahoochee River and where the Western and Atlantic railroad headed north on its way to Chattanooga. The area, where the Bluffs run down to the river, was once rich farmland dotted with churches and stores. It evolved into a summer community where Atlantans traveled to find relief from the heat and later became a small commercial community of antique stores and eateries served by excursion buses.
Mrs. Kendall has been manager of the Vinings Library for 15 years. Through this work, she has met many residents of the community. The Vinings Historic Preservation Society, Vinings Civic Club and other historical associations plus current and former residents have made photographs and historical items available for inclusion in this book. Their generosity allows Vinings come alive again.
Mrs. Kendall began the history in June of 2012.
“It was a very compelling project,” she said. “Vinings has a special history. People were generous giving one picture or a box of pictures.”
A book launch party, sponsored by the Cobb Library Foundation & Friends of the Library, will be held at the Vinings Library on Saturday, April 13 at 1:30 p.m. Copies of the book will be for sale at the event. Another book signing will be held at the Old Pavilion on May 6, sponsored by the VHPS.
The book includes sections on Vinings’ place in the Civil War, Vinings on a Sunday afternoon, people of Vinings, Nellie Mae Row, development and preservation. The book is available at area bookstores, Amazon.com, independent retailers, Vinings Historic Preservation Society or through Arcadia publishing, a leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.
“It’s not my book, it’s a community book,” she said. “I was able to pull together from all these many sources. The community made these resources available to me.
From the April 2013 issue of The Bright Side, Cobb County Georgia’s Newspaper covering Smyrna, Vinings, Mableton and Austell, GA.
