A museum that chronicles life during the mid 1800s hopes the community will pitch in to help renovate its garden.
The William Root House Museum & Gardens is raising $10,000 for the project to transform its courtyard, which is located between the Root House and the Manning Family Cabin on the property.
As part of the project, Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society, which owns and operates the museum on North Marietta Parkway in Marietta, will partner with Kennesaw State University School of Art and Design students to create a sculpture that honors the enslaved people who lived in the area.
Students used technology to create a rough draft of a sculpture based on the likeness of living history interpreter Misha Harp. A 3D scanner recorded Harp’s features and a 3D printer was used to create a preliminary model of the sculpture. This will help the artist create the full-sized sculpture that will stand in the courtyard. Other plans for the project include new garden lights, plants and outdoor seating for guests to the museum.
Credit: Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society
Credit: Cobb Landmarks & Historical Society
Built in the 1840s, the Root House was home to William and Hannah Root. William Root was born in 1815 in Philadelphia and in 1839, moved to Marietta to open drug store on the Square, Cobb Landmarks said. They lived in the home with their children and extended family from 1845 to 1886. Hannah Root’s father, Leonard Simpson, lived with the family until his death on Oct. 11, 1856.
William Root, Marietta’s first pharmacist, most likely used his garden to grow plants and herbs to manage insomnia and anxiety, said Cobb Landmarks.
Cobb Landmarks uses the Manning Family Cabin, which was built in the 1830s, to share the stories of enslaved people who labored on the property. According to the organization, the 1860 U.S. Census showed Marietta had 297 households and about 2,600 people. The city’s enslaved population was 1,176 in 1860, Cobb Landmarks said. About 46 percent, or 137 households, owned enslaved individuals, the organization said.
Anyone who wants to help Cobb Landmarks transform the Root House garden can visit the museum’s website to make a donation.
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