Glover's Tannery

This is old Glover Tannery Ruins on Kennesaw Avenue in Marietta. It was owned by Marietta’s first mayor, John H. Glover. He also owned many other enterprises in the infant years of Marietta – between 1832 and 1860 or so. This tannery is a hazardous place to be near. The roof has long since caved in and it gives the appearance that the walls could crumble down any time. It is near the foot of Kennesaw Mountai. As kids, walking in that direction we found ourselves climbing all over it.

Across the street was another landmark, sort of: It was a water well in somebody’s front yard. It had a stand built around it and a cylinder-thing that a rope was wrapped around and a bucket. We never used it. One day in the past few years I noticed a new house had taken the place of the older house there and the well was no longer there. Damn! Another piece of Marietta gone and nobody probably took a picture.

And about a block or two away is a hill. Not too many people know of it, but it was Hangman’s Hill. People sentenced to be executed by hanging met their end there. And another thing interesting about the Hangman’s Hill, the people hung are buried there, in unmarked graves.

John H. Glover also owned a tannery about a mile south of the court house near the railroad tracks between Butler Street and West Atlanta Road. It had a tall smoke tower. It was one of my favorite place when I just wanted to be alone. The area was also sort of a terminal station for hobos.

At the time it was several sets of tracks… I think the railroad people did a lot of boxcar and engine swapping and also train repair work there. A few times I have seen hobo looking people near the tall smoke stack by a fire or just talking.

They left me alone and I left them alone – to be honest, I was kind of afraid of them.