Podcast
Archive Atlanta
Hosted by Victoria Lemos · EN
A weekly history podcast sharing stories about the people, places and events that shaped the city of Atlanta.
32episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
The Atlanta Expressway
Jul 18, 202500:13:27Tap to summarizeBefore Atlanta was crisscrossed with interstates and highways, there was a bold plan—born from the Great Depression, inspired by Germany’s Autobahn, and fueled by fears of another economic collapse. In this episode, we rewind to the 1930s to unpack how the U.S. highway system began, why Atlanta jumped in headfirst, and how a single report—the Lochner Report—shaped decades of urban design, displacement, and, yes... gridlock. From ambitious plans, to having to teach Atlantans how to drive on the interstate, and even a traffic-stopping turkey, this is the origin story of the Atlanta Expressway and the infamous Downtown Connector. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Atlanta Food Franchises
Jul 4, 202500:14:58Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re talking about Atlanta’s most famous food franchises. Atlanta has been the birthplace of almost a dozen food franchises, including Chick-fil-A, Huddle House, Mellow Mushroom, Great American Cookies, Applebee's, Flying Biscuit and Moe's Southwest Grill. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →"Built for Legacy" Canopy Atlanta - Collier Heights
Jun 27, 202500:11:48Tap to summarizeEven though this is a bye week for me, I wanted to share a bonus episode related to a special project that I got to do recently. I worked with Canopy fellow Damius Smith on his piece "Built for Legacy". Collier Heights was designed by and for Black people, with the architectural design of every house telling a story. From American Small Houses, to ranch-style, to mid-century, each home focuses on the symbolic power of the neighborhood. https://canopyatlanta.org/2025/06/27/legacy-collier-heights-architecture/ Canopy Atlanta is a community journalism nonprofit founded in 2020. They collaborate with residents to tell stories about their communities, redefining who journalism is by and for. Even better, they pay and train residents to report alongside experienced journalists. And they’ve trained over 200 Atlantans so far.
Transcribe →"Lakewood Cutting"
Jun 20, 202500:14:29Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re talking about the Lakewood Cutting - the story of the murder of Fred Thompson. I’ve said a million times that I’m not a fan of true crime, but centuries-old murders in Atlanta’s past seem to have worked their way into my heart. But this week’s story isn’t just a murder story, this is a story of an abduction, self defense, secret orders, ransom notes and the far and wide reach of the Ku Klux Klan. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Bowers v. Hardwick (Interview w/ Martin Padgett)
Jun 6, 202500:49:08Tap to summarizeThis week, I am SO excited to share a conversation that I had with Marty Padgett about this new book, The Many Passions of Michael Hardwick: Sex and the Supreme Court in the Age of AIDS. Sodomy laws had been used to discriminate against queer people for centuries, but in 1986, the US Supreme Court ruled that the constitution did not guarantee a person the right to engage in homosexual conduct, even in the privacy of their own home. The case began with the arrest of Michael Hardwick and happened right here in Atlanta! A Night at the Sweet Gum Head https://martinpadgett.com Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →The Bagbys
May 30, 202500:09:07Tap to summarizeThis week, I am bringing you a short bonus story about the Bagby Family, mainly brothers William and Hubert, who were known throughout the Bolton area of Atlanta for living along the banks of the Chattahoochee River while evading arrest. In April of 1957, brothers Hubert and William - the “The Ghost” and “Cobb County Roosting Man” - were arrested. Police found them hiding in the chifforobes at their family home and they were charged with 13 counts of burglary and one count of larceny. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Roman Catholicism
May 16, 202500:19:05Tap to summarizeThis week, we’re talking about Roman Catholicism in Atlanta, mainly centered around the city’s historic Catholic churches from the 1850s through the 1950s. Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram
Transcribe →Peaches
Jan 19, 2024Tap to summarizeThis week’s mini episode is an Atlanta-adjacent topic but one still very intertwined with the city’s history. If you’re new here, Georgia is the peach state, but in this episode we’re going to delve into the history. Why peaches? Where were the peaches? And the most important question of all - why is it named Peachtree Street and why are there so many Peachtree-named streets in Atlanta? Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
Transcribe →Georgia Flag
Apr 16, 2021Tap to summarize*CORRECTION: Judge Orinda Evans is white woman. I mistakenly identified her as Black in this episode.* This week, we’re talking about the history Georgia’s state flag, from the beginning of the colony through the present. Our state did not have an official state flag until 1879, and the design was taken from the first flag of the Confederate States of America (the “Stars and Bars”). The Battle Flag (“St. Andrew’s Cross”) was added in 1956, in retaliation of federal orders to desegregate schools. When Roy Barnes successfully changed the state flag in 2001, it cost him re-election, and Sonny Perdue did a little ‘bait and switch’ that outraged flag supporters. Roy Barnes on Marietta Stories Want to support this podcast? Visit here Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com Facebook | Instagram | Twitter
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Bonus Mini: First Public Execution
Sep 20, 2019Tap to summarizeThis week were doing things a little different. I'm giving you a chance to hear one of my Patreon-exclusive mini-episodes about Atlanta's first public execution. For just $1 per month, you can get two mini episodes each month! Learn more at www.patreon.com/archiveatlanta www.archiveatlantapodcast.com/ Email: thevictorialemos@gmail.com FB: www.facebook.com/archiveatlanta IG: www.instagram.com/archiveatlanta
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