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The history of Marietta
Marietta's square brings together shops, restaurants and Glover Park in the center of the Cobb County seat. The city's historic houses and museums add context to the surrounding streets and make a useful complement to a local meal.
People who shaped Marietta
These milestones are an introduction, not a complete local history. Follow the linked city and museum sources to explore the people and places behind them.Read the local historical account.
Watch the city’s history
FROM THE ARCHIVES
Marietta In Motion: A Historical Documentary
A Kennesaw State University student documentary examines Marietta's development and community history.
Watch on YouTube ↗Famous people born in Marietta
See all 48 famous people
- 1832–1833
A county seat on Cherokee land
Marietta developed on Cherokee territory as Georgia established new counties in the 1830s. Surveyor James Anderson laid out the first town plat in 1833, with a courthouse square at its center.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Thomas A. Scott, Kennesaw State University ↗ - 1834
The town is recognized
The Georgia legislature legally recognized Marietta on December 19. The settlement already had a substantial community, predating the later municipal incorporation and first mayor.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Thomas A. Scott, Kennesaw State University ↗ - 1845–1850
The Western and Atlantic connection
Rail service extended from Atlanta to Adairsville in 1845 and through to Chattanooga in 1850. Construction and railway-related trade helped strengthen business around the square.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Thomas A. Scott, Kennesaw State University ↗ - 1852
A first mayor
A new charter in 1852 established a mayor-and-council government. John Heyward Glover became the first mayor; his earlier business ventures included a tannery operated with enslaved labor.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Thomas A. Scott, Kennesaw State University ↗ - 1864
Occupation and destruction
Union forces occupied Marietta during the summer campaign. Fire in November destroyed much of the town as troops departed toward the March to the Sea, leaving rebuilding for the years after the war.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Thomas A. Scott, Kennesaw State University ↗ - 1866
A national cemetery
The Marietta and Atlanta National Cemetery was established for nearly 10,000 Union soldiers who died in the Atlanta Campaign. Local merchant Henry Cole, who stayed loyal to the Union, had offered land for a burial ground for both sides.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs: Marietta National Cemetery ↗ - 1943
The Bell Bomber plant
Bell Aircraft began assembling B-29 bombers at a large government-owned plant in Marietta in the spring of 1943. The factory delivered 663 of the aircraft, closed after the war and reopened in 1951 as Lockheed-Georgia.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Bell Bomber ↗ - 1963
The Big Chicken
Stanley Davis built a 56-foot metal chicken on U.S. Highway 41 to advertise his new restaurant, Johnny Reb's Chick, Chuck, & Shake. Rebuilt after a 1993 storm, it remains Marietta's best-known landmark.
Marietta History Center (archived) ↗ - 1967
One city high school
Under segregation Marietta ran two high schools, with Lemon Street High School serving Black students. The system integrated in 1967 by closing Lemon Street and enrolling all students at Marietta High.
New Georgia Encyclopedia: Thomas A. Scott, Kennesaw State University ↗ - 1996
A history museum opens
The Marietta Museum of History opened on January 13, 1996, in the historic Kennesaw House. Now the Marietta History Center, it has occupied the entire building since 2010.
Marietta History Center ↗
See the history for yourself.
Explore the city’s historic streets and linked local history.the Marietta Square, Marietta, GA, US (08).
For deeper research, the Marietta library resources is a starting point for archival material and research help. Historic photographs have their own permissions; we link to the collection instead of treating every old image as free to reuse.
Selected milestones researched October 17, 2026. This is an introduction, not a complete account of local history.