Downtown Flashback Feature

Each month, the East Point Historical Society provides an article for the "Flashback Feature" for the Downtown Newsletter. Each article highlights a piece of East Point's vibrant history. More information about East Point's history is available at the East Point Historical Society located at 1685 Norman Berry Drive, East Point, GA 30344. You can contact them at (404) 767-4656 or visit www.eastpoinths.org. All "Flashback Features" will be archived on the website and can be accessed at any time.

Fort McPherson: East Point’s Neighbor Since 1885

Fort McPherson’s Main Gate Area in early 1890’s looking
west toward Post Headquarters.

Although Fort McPherson lies within the boundaries of the City of Atlanta, the former army facility and the City of East Point have shared an economy, a community, and local resources for nearly 130 years. In 1885, Congress appropriated $500,000 for the establishment of the army post, just two years before East Point received her city charter in 1887. The post’s original 236.4 acres, described as vacant woodland and farmland, were purchased by the U.S. government in 1885 & 1886 for a total of $29,740. Fort McPherson officially opened in May 1889 with the arrival of its first troops and was named for Brigadier General James Birdseye McPherson, a Union officer killed during the Battle of Atlanta on July 22, 1864, at a point located in what is now the East Atlanta neighborhood.

-Marguerite Murray

Sources:
Atlanta and Environs: A Chronicle of Its People and Events, Vol. II, Franklin M. Garrett, Lewis Historical Publishing Company, Inc., 1954, pp. 111-113.

Fort McPherson: The First Hundred Years 1885-1985, prepared by Staff History Officer, Directorate of Plans, Training, and Security, Headquarters, Fort McPherson, Fort McPherson, Georgia, 1986.

In September of 2011, Fort McPherson was closed due to the 2005 Base Realignment And Closure (BRAC) Commission recommendation. Thru that process, the McPherson Planning Local Redevelopment Authority (MPLRA) was authorized by the Department of Defense to oversee the development of the decommissioned base. In August of 2014, plans to sell 330 acres of the approximately 474 acres of the base to filmmaker Tyler Perry for a film studio complex was announced. The project is estimated to add thousands of new jobs in the metro area. The MPLRA will continue to market remaining acreage for economic development purposes.

Learn more about East Point history and see first hand the collection of artifacts, photographs, maps and records that further illustrate East Point’s history. Visit the East Point Historical Society at 1685 Norman Berry Drive. Museum & Archives - Free Admission - Free Parking
- Thursdays 1 - 4 p.m., Saturdays 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
- Phone: 404-767-4656