Welcome to Terminus.............Real or not real?

If you read this blog often, you will know that we are a die-hard Walking Dead family.  We are also lucky enough to live in the same state they film.  We are even luckier that we got to meet a few of the cast members, get a few autographs, and we have a friend who had a recurrent role in the show until she, of course, got bitten by a zombie but that is what happens.  Having said all of that, I find that I am fascinated with the history surrounding this place called Terminus.  Is it real?  Here is what I found out. 

This is our wall map.
It would take us
about an hour to get there.

Turns out, Terminus was the original name for Atlanta, huh? Our capital?  I know, I have lived here my entire life and did not know that.  Thanks public school for educating me about my state, not!  Anyway, I am talking pre-Civil War to 1837.  The folks in Georgia wanted to build the Western and Atlantic Railroad hoping to create a link between Georgia, Chattanooga, Tennessee, and the Midwest but there was one problem, the Cherokee and Creek Indians.  Over 17,000 Indians were forced out.  This was known as the Trail Of Tears.  Terminus was nothing more than a village at first but now it was on its way to greatness!  

click here for image info

The word terminus actually means "end of the line."   A stake was placed in the ground to commemorate the location which marked the end of the railroad.  That location was known as the Zero Mile Post but today is known as Five Points and is in Downtown Atlanta.  By 1842, Terminus had six buildings and thirty residents.  

Click here for image info

At some point before 1845, Terminus was renamed several times until Atlanta was finally settled upon. One suggestion was Thrasherville (What?).  This name was proposed in honor of the founder, John Thrasher.  Another idea was Lumpkin after the then Governor of Georgia, Wilson Lumpkin.  Mr. Lumpkin decided he would rather have it named after his daughter, Martha, so he proposed Marthasville (ugh!).  Luckily, the Chief Engineer of the railroad project suggested the city be called Atlantica-Pacifica, which turned into just Atlanta which has been the official name since 1847.  By 1855, Atlanta was a thriving city with over 6,205 residents and played a key role as the rail hub for the south. 

That is a pretty good history of Terminus and Georgia I think.  I am glad we took the time to research and find out about it.  Another interesting tidbit we found out was there is also a Roman God named Terminus.  He protected boundary markers.  

More history of Atlanta.
Please check out New Georgia Encyclopedia.