The Atlanta History Center and the Georgia Historical Society have announced an exchange of archival collections, bringing together long-separated records that will make them easier for researchers, students, and the general public to explore.
This collaboration is made possible through a $500,000 contribution from Atlanta-based Norfolk Southern to AHC. The funding will support the processing and preservation of the historical records, making them fully accessible in one location for the first time and unlocking a vital chapter of the region’s history.
Under the agreement, AHC acquired the Central of Georgia Railway Collection from GHS, nearly 1,000 linear feet (almost three football fields) of records, allowing it to be housed alongside the Southern Railway archives. This consolidation creates one of the most comprehensive collections of railroad history in the country.
Both railways are predecessors of Norfolk Southern.
In return, GHS received several major manuscript and photographic collections from the AHC, which added to the existing collections at GHS. Many document pivotal moments in modern Georgia, including portions of the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games photo archive and files from the Georgia Film Commission.
In 2021, Norfolk Southern donated the complete collection of Southern Railway archives to Atlanta History Center’s Kenan Research Center.
