by Sara Logue, Research and Public Services Archivist, MARBL
When it was determined by the people of Georgia that a railroad was needed to connect them to the west, the Western and Atlantic Railroad was born and its terminating point became the city of Atlanta. Originally referred to as Terminus, this swiftly growing city soon took on the name of Marthasville after former Governor Wilson Lumpkin's daughter, Martha. There are conflicting tales about how the name eventually changed from Marthasville to Atlanta. Some believed it was derived from the goddess Atalanta, and others came to believe that it was the middle name of Martha Lumpkin Compton. The reality is much less mythical.
