About Sandy Springs reporter. (Sandy Springs, GA) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (May 2, 2019)
20 | Commentary Facebook.com/TheReporterNewspapers ■ twitter.com/Reporter_News A local historian uses new tech to make ancient connections Around Town tjl## 1^%!^ tit 4 • * k Joe Earle is editor-at-large at Reporter Newspapers and has lived in metro Atlanta for over 30 gears. He can he reached at joeearle@reportemewspapers.net John Beach clicked a few keys and one of several computer screens on the desk in the library of his Paces Ferry home dis played a map covered with scribbled words highlighted in magenta. The scrawl covered the screen like graf fiti on a city wall. The brightly colored words marked locations where nearly two centuries ago surveyors had spotted sig nificant trees when laying out land lots in Buclchead. Beach’s computer laid the loca tions of the trees over a modem map of the area. As the 64-year-old Beach sees it, this combination of old and new maps can be the start of some thing. He’s presi dent of the Buck- head Heritage Society. When the mapping is done and pub lished, local stu dents, members of garden clubs or other neigh borhood volun teers can use the resulting new map to track down any of the “land lot” trees that have survived the decades of development and bad weather since that original map was drawn. Why go to all this trouble for a few trees? “These trees are part of the history of Buckhead,” Beach said. Besides, they have something to say about the Buckhead envi ronment, and about what was there before. Part of the appeal of studying history, af ter all, is making connections between the present and the past. It lets us see just how we got from there to here. Beach thinks his tory as something that helps create a sense of place. “It makes me feel more connected to an area to understand what’s happened in the past,” he said. Beach is about as connected to Buck- head as anyone can get. His family has been in Atlanta for generations and his resume sketches a portrait of an old-fashioned Buckhead Boy: he grew up near the Bob by Jones Golf Course; went to both Lovett and Westminster; and lives in a house he says once was owned by noted Atlanta his torian Franklin Garrett. Beach’s comput er-screen-topped desk sits in a study that once was Garrett’s, the writer known for producing a definitive, multi-volume study of Atlanta's history. Beach even owns the web address “BuckheadBoys.com,” although he said it now only whisks visitors to the website for his construction company, Paces Construc tion, which started in 2002 (he was in com puters before that) and specializes in reno vating older homes. Beach said he’s interested in combin ing his lifelong interest in history with his background in using computers. Ts hard to explain,” he said. “I like the [inter section] of old and new,” he said. “I like us ing technology to track and visualize histo ry... What personally excites me is finding new ways to use historical scholarship to make better decisions moving forward. In my mind, coming from a computer back ground, it’s about collecting the informa tion and making it actionable.” Things may change, he said, but there's often a pattern beneath the changes. “Think about Buckhead right now,” he said. “198 years ago, this was the Creek nation. The United States signed a treaty with the Creek nation transferring this land to the U.S. government and then to Georgia.” Soon the Creeks were moved out and new settlers moved in. Over the genera tions since, he said, Buckhead has repeat ed the pattern: new people move in and dis place residents who had been there before. “That’s a continuous process that has hap pened,” he said. The trick is to recognize it and learn from it, to figure out how to mix old and new and keep both side by side. “Buckhead means something different to different people,” he said. “It wasn’t all built at the same time... so we get a broad array of house styles, which makes it inter esting to me in trying to figure out how to preserve it, or parts of it. We do not want to see Buckhead becoming Anywhere USA, with a lot of 8,000-square-foot mansions. ” That may mean keeping tabs on old things, such as the oldest trees in the for est. They’ve survived a lot, after all. Once found, they may be able to help new resi dents figure out what to hold on to. Break free with us. Maintenance-free living that offers the freedom to live life carefree. • Meet new friends • Discover Soul Services & 7 Dimensions to Wellness • Starting at $1,595* RSVP or schedule a visit 658 Lindbergh Dr NE • Atlanta, GA 30324 OvertureBuckheadSouth.^m Overture is an equal housing opportunity. Amenities and services vary by location. Pricing & availability subject to change. See a Greystar representative for details. Greystar ir&55 OVERTURE BUCKHEAD SOUTH
