Rome, Georgia...do you know how it got its name? It's funny that in the 11 years I have lived in Georgia I have never been to Rome, yet this past week I have been there twice. Wednesday night we went to see the Minor League "Braves" play & yesterday we went on personal business.
As we drove into the downtown we saw the Rome Area History Museum & when we finished our business decided to walk over & check it out. It happened to be Greater Rome Bank Customer Appreciation Day, so it was Free Admission & they also had free refreshments.
The workers, I assume volunteers, were extremely friendly & helpful. They gave our son a scavenger hunt paper to work on as he worked his way through the museum. I love it when museums offer scavenger hunts because it makes the kids focus on the information they are reading while they are trying to find answers to questions on their sheet. My husband loved it too, he loves absorbing new information...never play him in any trivia game!
When we were in Rome for the ball game the other night we were discussing with our friends that were with us, how did Rome get its name? Well we found out...it was drawn from a hat! The other names in the hat were Pittsburgh, Warsaw, Hamburg, and Hillsboro. Rome fits it though because like Rome, Italy it sits among seven hills.
The Museum has a wealth of information on Rome: Native Americans in Floyd County, The Georgia Land Lottery, The Founding of Rome (that's where we found out how Rome got its name), The Civil War, The Clock Tower, The Flood of 1886, Home Life, War, Education and Athletics, Cultural Life, Medicine, & Industry.
I also discovered that President Woodrow Wilson's wife was raised in Rome & that one of the writers of the popular cartoon "Popeye" was from Rome. I read about all kinds of home medicinal cures which seem funny today...moms did you know that if you had put an ax under your bed it would have "cut out" labor pains?
So if you happen to be in the Rome, Georgia area stop in for a visit. Today, June 6th is also Free Admission all day. There is also a Clock Tower tour today at 12:00 (meet at the Clock Tower).
The Clock Tower, which sits atop Clock Tower Hill, provided Rome with water from 1871 to 1960. The tower held a 250,000 gallon water tank. There is also a clock on the tower & the face of it measures 9ft in diameter. In 1883 Rome's first public school was built next to the tower, Tower Hill School. It was later named Neely School but was torn down in 1961.
Wednesday, June 10th you can receive free admission to the museum if you bring a recent church bulletin. Thursday June 11th anyone over 60 gets free admission all day. Friday June 12th is general free admission all day. So if you are in the area stop in on these days & enjoy the museum. For more information you can go to their website at http://www.romehistorymuseum.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment