The first-floor apartment of this turn-of-the-century Tudor Revival mansion has been converted into a museum and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Writer Margaret Mitchell (aka Peggy Marsh) called the dwelling a “dump,” but now it’s a must-see for all literature lovers.
In apartment No. 1 of the Crescent Apartments in Atlanta, Mitchell moved in with her second husband, John Robert Marsh, who was best man at her first wedding, to Berrien Kinnard Upshaw. Here she worked on chapters of a novel that became one of the legendary works of literature in the southern United States.
Mitchell began writing the book in 1926 while she was recovering from injuries sustained in an automobile accident. However, instead of publishing her work as quickly as possible, she tucked each chapter into separate envelopes and hid them around the house. The resulting novel, Gone with the Wind, is still read and studied today, mostly because of its idealized description of the pre-war South, as well as its complicated protagonist Scarlett O’Hara, who may have been the first fully developed female character in American literature.
Visitors to Margaret Mitchell’s home can see her Underwood typewriter among exhibits dedicated to the book and movie Gone with the Wind, and wander through the writer’s home, recreated as it probably was when she lived there (but complete with hints of her interest in erotica).
When you take this tour of Margaret Mitchell’s apartment and the areas that influenced her life, you will be able to explore the complex issues Gone with the Wind raised.
During the tour, you see both sides of the coin – the popularity and criticism of the book.
This tour will help you understand the difference between historical fiction and historical fact.