The first Huddle House restaurant opened in Decatur, the seat of DeKalb County, in 1964. Huddle House was founded by John Sparks and named by his wife, who became intrigued by the team huddle while watching a football game on television. The second Huddle House restaurant opened in Avondale Estates, home of the restaurant’s major competitor, Waffle House, which was founded in 1955. Known for serving breakfast twenty-four hours a day, Huddle House has grown to include nearly 400 restaurants in fourteen states, with 145 locations in Georgia as of 2005.

The Irwin County Courthouse was built in Ocilla in 1910, three years after Ocilla was designated county seat. Designed in the neoclassical revival style, the building was renovated in 1972. Courtesy of Don Bowman The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder.

Ivan Allen Jr. served as mayor of Atlanta from 1962 to 1970. He is credited with leading the city through an era of significant physical and economic growth and with maintaining calm during the civil rights movement. While other southern cities experienced recurring violence, Atlanta leaders, led in part by Mayor Allen, were able to broker more peaceful paths to integration. Allen was born in Atlanta on March 15, 1911, the only son of Ivan Allen Sr.

A member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, first baseman Johnny Mize was one of the most prolific home run hitters in the game’s history. Graceful at the plate, the 6-foot-2-inch Mize was immortalized as the “Big Cat.” John Robert “Johnny” Mize was born on January 7, 1913, in Demorest (in Habersham County). Gifted at both tennis and baseball, Mize early on caught the attention of the baseball coach of nearby Piedmont College (now Piedmont University).

Ceramic artifacts were found during excavations of the Kolomoki Mounds in Early County. Photograph by Bubba73, Wikimedia Commons The New Georgia Encyclopedia does not hold the copyright for this media resource and can neither grant nor deny permission to republish or reproduce the image online or in print. All requests for permission to publish or reproduce the resource must be submitted to the rights holder. ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qLHOq56imZWjsLqvy6innpyZlnuwvsZomKusmZi5pr%2BOoaCsrJ%2Bnxm6t0Zyfmp2fobyoxY6kpqWnnaS4qnnMqKynnKNkum59lGluaA%3D%3D