Published: April 02, 2009 06:45 pm      

Historical society properties available for special functions

Submitted by the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society

The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society is alive and well with three museum properties in operation in Murray County — the Old Spring Place Methodist Church, the Historic Wright Hotel in Chatsworth and the Old Chatsworth Depot. An auxiliary of the society, the Friends of the Vann House, supports this state-operated historic site also. 

The society is headquartered at Crown Gardens and Archives on Chattanooga Avenue in Dalton. Crandall resident Erik Gallman is the new executive director. The society also has other projects underway throughout the county. Among them are signs for historic cemeteries, several publications and national register nominations.

Relocated to First Avenue in Chatsworth, the old depot was built in 1905 and is the last such structure in the county. It houses displays of railroad and talc history. It will soon be the location of a used book sale to benefit this project and the growing genealogy collection at the Chatsworth-Murray County Library.

In downtown Chatsworth at the corner of Market Street and Second Avenue, the Wright Hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built for the Thomas Wright family in 1909 and opened for business in 1910. It was operated by the family for more than three decades, then leased by others until the 1960s, and eventually became the home of Katherine Wright Raine in the 1970s. Upon her death, it became the property of the historical society. Today, the amazing property is open for group tours by appointment but is also available for special events such as meetings, showers, reunions and weddings. 

The Old Spring Place Methodist Church, built in the 1870s, is now Murray County’s oldest public building. It, too, has a museum of local history and an archives area. The church is also available for rent for special functions. A reasonable fee is charged for use of the structures. 

To reserve a facility, call the historical society at (706) 278-0127, Ralph Ausmus at (706) 695-9808 or Tim Howard at (706) 695-2740.

The society will offer a new and revised version of the popular Murray on My Mind class this summer in cooperation with the Murray County school system. The days will be June 1-5.