Historical accounts in Piedmont park

Piedmont Park was bought in 1834 for $450. Originally the land was owned by Dr. Benjamin Walker, who used it as gentlemen’s farm and residence. He then sold it to the Gentlemen’s Driving Club, which was renamed Piedmont Driving Club. It became a place for racing for many horse enthusiasts. Piedmont Park was also host for the cotton states and international exposition, which was held in the park in 1895.

Booker T. Washington delivered his famous Atlanta exposition speech at the Expo, which widely regarded as one of the most significant speeches in American history. He pushed for progress but not integration. Some of the parks most notable attractions include the Liberty Bell and the first public demonstration of C. Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat’s motion picture projection device, the phantoscope.

Piedmont Park has also served as an athletic center for Georgia’s most recognizable teams such has the Atlanta Crackers, Atlanta’s first baseball team. They played in Piedmont from 1902-1904. Some of the biggest rivalries in college sports today were founded in Piedmont Park such as the UGA and Georgia Tech baseball rivalry and the Georgia versus Auburn football rivalry, which is haled as being the Deep South oldest rivalry.