Alleys are and were in Downtown Marietta, Ga

 

Alleys in downtown Maietta., Ga.

Because I was a street kid living in the Clay Homes, only a couple of blocks from downtown I got to know the streets pretty good, even as a toddler I think.  I got to know the downtown Maritta alleys pretty good too. 

The first on is a slim cobblestone street behind the buildings that line West Park Square on one side and the other side the Visitor’s Center/Train Depot and the Marietta History Museum.  It even has Alley in it’s name:  McNeel Alley.

The second one is dead end alley.  The opened face faces the Marietta Art Museum, which used to be the Post Office.  One time my dad, as a Marietta Policeman, at night was chasing a bad guy and bad guy ducked into this alley, which was behind the police station then.  At the end of the alley, which apparently the bad guy did not know it was a dead in, turned around with a gun, aimed it at Daddy, and “click!”  It malfunctioned.  Bottom Line:  The Good Guy threw the Bad Guy in jail.

The third alley is behind the Strand Theater.  If is what it is.

The forth alley leads off the first block of Whitlock Avenue.  It is fancier than most alleys.   If has arranged potted plants, ashtray stands, and some unique art sometimes.  It also has a unique wrought iron door from the sidewalk.  It is a smoke break and exit path of a live theater.

The fifth alley connects Atlanta and Winter Streets.  On the Winter Street side was the Maritta Daily Journal side.  At that time the Marietta Journal was an evening paper.  On week days in the afternoons delivery boys would be up and down the alley getting their deliveries in order.

Before my time the Strand Theater was at the corner of South Park Square and Atlanta Street.  One time a young man alone watched the movie that was playing, and then walked in  the alley and with his gun blew his brains out.  For a long time you cold see the bullet scar on the cement and a blood stain.

The sixth and seventh alley no longer exist. 

The sixth Alley ran alongside the old court house on East Park Square to the Sheriff’s parking lot.  To the left was the calaboose which is what people called the jail.  This was one our short cuts.  .  We found out that some people would bring small carboard boxes of free cigarette samples.  I think each small box had 3 or 4  cigarettes in them.  There were bars on the windows, which were high up.  People would bring these sample boxes and hollered at the window and inmates would show up and hold out their hands and try to catch the packs as people threw them.  Plenty hit the side or bars and bounced to the pavement.  Sometimes when we walked by we would see a pack or two that  missed.  I remember the Camel and Winston packs.

The seventh alley ran from the first block of Lawrence Stret to the side street that is no longer there because of the county’s buildings.  The first street of Lawrence Street was lined with black own businesses.  That was a segment of our short cut.

Then suddenly we found a wall was built halfway through the alley  It was no longer our short cut.  I have no doubt that separation wall was part of the town’s segregation ordinances at the time.