September 2023
The Union Loom: Weaving Together Science and History

Making cloth for clothing and shelter has always been a necessity. But what happens when that process is perfected through innovations designed to make production more efficient? The answer is an evolution in textile technology that has historical connections to the modern computer. This edition of Curiosity Corner explores the story behind the Union Loom - from how it works to how it influenced modern inventions.

February 2023
Black History Month in Fulton County Schools

In 1926, the inaugural celebration of the achievements and contributions of African Americans was established by black scholars and educators. Nearly a century later, Black History Month is celebrated through performances, programs and events across the country  - and even the world. This edition of Curiosity Corner illustrates the way in which the students and teachers of Fulton County have celebrated this annual observance and also explores the very history of Black History Month.

December 2022
The Telegraph and the Communications Revolution

Some inventions come along and change the world forever. So it is with a communication device invented nearly two centuries ago. This edition of Curiosity Corner features an electric telegraph key from the Teaching Museum technology collection to examine how humankind's methods for communicating evloved from smoke signals to text messages.

October 2022
Marching Bands and School Spirit

The history of marching bands in the US is a long one. It traces its origins back to colonial military units, but has evolved to include halftime shows, parades and competitive performance events. In this Curiosity Corner, we look at the marching bands of Fulton County - where they came from and what they have become. It is a story of dedicated educators, students and alum, who have marched together through the last century.

February 2022 
Textiles of the Kuba Kingdom 

Textiles have always played an essential role in the lives of people. But they also offer us a look into cultures  around the world. This edition of Curiosity Corner features textiles of the Kuba Kingdom, a confederation of several ethnic groups located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. For centuries, they have produced cloth that has served as currency, identified royalty and influenced some of the most well-known western artists in history.  

November 2021
A Tradition of Service: Celebrating Our Veterans

The Fulton County School System has long provided our armed forces with men and women dedicated to protecting the freedoms we cherish. This edition of Curiosity Corner honors our veterans by featuring stories preserved in the Fulton County Schools Teaching Museum and Archive - stories that connect the honored with those who honor them. 

August 2021
Olympic Pins: A 25-Year Anniversary of the Centennial Olympic Games

Olympic pins have been a fascination for athletes and fans of the games since the first Olympiad of the modern era in 1896; making it one of the most popular and enduring "sports." So when the Olympics came to Atlanta one hundred years later, pin collectors from around the world gathered in Centennial Olympic Park to gather, buy and trade these treasures. This edition of Curiosity Corner looks back, 25 years later, at the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta - and the legacy it left behind - through the Olympic pin collection housed at the Fulton County Schools Teaching Museum. 

April 2021
World Letters: The American Travelogue for Students

In the 1930s, most American children could only dream of traveling around the world and experiencing life in another country; that is, until one man's journey to points across the globe gave students back home an intimate look at what the world beyond was really like. This edition of Curiosity Corner chronicles the historic journey of George Pierrot, an American traveler, who in 1937-38 shared his encounters with other cultures in a series of 34 letters written to the students of North Avenue Elementary School in Fulton County 

February 2021

What's In a Name: Legacies in Black Education

Have you ever wondered from where a school got its name? This edition of Curiosity Corner explores that very question, by looking at the schools of Fulton County, their unique histories, and the tradition of honoring those who labored so hard to establish schools for all children. In recognition of Black History Month, the Fulton County Schools Archives offers a history of Black education and educators since the days of Reconstruction. 

November 2020

The Little Log Cabin: Life at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

Log cabins have been celebrated in American iconography for decades. They bring to life the image of the pioneer days, a time when homes were carved out of the rural landscape. This Curiosity Corner takes a look at life at the turn of the century through the lens of the Teaching Museum's Model Log Cabin exhibit.

October 2020

Decades: Yearbooks from the Fulton County Schools Archives

Throughout the years, yearbooks have been timeless reminders of our collective experience as students, teachers and staff - both inside and outside the classroom. But they are also historical artifacts that reveal a great deal about the time they were produced. This edition of Curiosity Corner explores the history of our communities through its collection of annuals that, over the past century, have inspired us to remember ourselves and celebrate the hard work of the students who created them. 

April 2020

Terminus, Trains and Transportation

The story of Atlanta and Fulton County is a story about transportation. In this edition of Curiosity Corner, see how the Fulton County Schools Teaching Museum and Archives is preserving this history through its premier model railroad exhibit in Hapeville; and learn about how transportation built an economy and continues to shape our lives. 

March 2020
Cherokee Pottery: Yesterday and Today

As we learn about the history of the Cherokee people, we should not overlook what is a thriving culture represented in the many ways it is preserved. This Curiosity Corner recognizes this diverse group through their extraordinary contributions in the art of pottery.   

February 2020
Golden Legacy Comic Magazine: Teaching Black History

During the Civil Rights Era, publisher Bertram Fitzgerald created a series of comic books designed to teach black history to a new generation of students, at a time when it was most needed. This edition of Curiosity Corner recognizes Black History Month by focusing on these teaching resources - used right here in the schools of Fulton County. 

November 2019
Hmong Americans: An Immigration Story

Histories are preserved in countless different ways - from word of mouth to the stitching in cloth. This edition of Curiosity Corner celebrates the 20th century immigration story of the Hmong, a group of people from Southeast Asia, whose movement and experience has been collectively captured in the art of their embroidery.

September 2019
American Heroines: Women of World War II

More than 350,000 women served in various branches of the U.S. military during World War II, allowing more men to fight overseas. This month's Curiosity Corner is a salute to those who wore the uniform and  whose efforts on the home front became crucial to victory at the battlefront.  

May 2019 
Photography and the Technology Behind It

Photographs have an enormous impact and have played an important role in our lives throughout history. This month's Curiosity Corner looks at photography through the technology that makes it possible, by highlighting a collection that spans over a century.  

March 2019
Long v. Wells: Lest We Forget
What do a legendary civil rights judge, a pioneering U.S. Congresswoman and a former Georgia governor all have in common? Could it be that they all had an interest in a school teacher from College Park who was fighting for a right she had no intention of exercising?
Find out the answer in this month's Curiosity Corner and discover how women in Fulton County fought for their rights in the 1930s.

January 2019
Integration Sit-In, 1970 

A series of seven images recently found in the Fulton County Schools Archives seemed to have little historical significance until an inscription found on the back of one photograph prompted more research and, in turn, answers to the who, what, when, and where of this event. 

October 2018
Football and School Spirit
Fall brings, along with colorful leaves and cooler weather, football games and
homecoming celebrations. Sports and school spirit have always been a favorite pastime in Fulton County Schools. This month’s Curiosity Corner provides a historic example—two College Park High School students ready for the game.  While the exact year is unknown, based on their uniforms, this photograph is dated to the circa 1920s.

August 2018
Letter to Miss Addie Cash, 1915
Every year, teachers receive a contract to confirm their employment for the coming school year. Check out this teacher contract from 1915 to a Miss Addie Cash. While there are many differences between this century-old contract and teacher contracts today, one of the most striking is the restriction on marriage for "lady" teachers. This edition also acknowledges a Cash family tradition--four generations have worked for Fulton County Schools.

March 2018
Civil War Surgical Kit, ca. 1860s
This month's Curiosity Corner focuses on a nineteenth-century medical kit, currently on display at the Teaching Museum North in Roswell. Kits like this one offer us a glimpse into how the sick and wounded were cared for during the Civil War and how doctors and nurses functioned both on and off the battlefield.

February 2018
Alpharetta Colored School, 1952
I​nside the rich history of education in Georgia is a complex story of inequality and segregation that reflected life in the South after the Civil War. It is a story that spans the decades between the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1865 to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This edition of Curiosity Corner focuses on a photograph of the Alpharetta Colored School, taken in 1952. As part of Fulton County Schools, this school demonstrates how segregation was deeply woven into public education and also provides evidence of how black communities overcame racial bias and inequality through efforts in prioritizing education.

September 2017
Eagle Cotton Gin #10, c. 1880s
As a society obsessed with new technologies and inventions, marveling over the latest cell phone and the promise of driver-less cars, we often do not consider the full impact of these inventions on the world around us. This edition of Curiosity Corner explores how one device—invented over two centuries ago in Georgia—dramatically changed the American economy and impacted the lives of millions across the world.

August 2017
Letter to Patrons of Our Rural Schools
In 1914, Edwin C. Merry, superintendent of Fulton County Schools, sent a letter to the patrons of rural school outlining the parameters for a 7-month school year and underscoring the importance of education. While it reveals a great deal about the

​May 2017
Classical Architecture & Fulton County Schools
What does FCS have in common with Rich's Department Store, Spelman College, Emory University and Grady Hospital?  All have buildings designed by renown architect, Phillip Shutze. Considered during his career as America's greatest living classical architect, Shutze's designs were highly sought after by public entities and private citizens alike. Take a look to see which of FCS's buildings has this honor.

April 2017
Duck & Cover: Civil Defense in our Schools
​​For 45 years after World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were engaged in a standoff known as the Cold War. Public schools, the most centralized public spaces in most communities, became the front line for federal policies and procedures known as Civil Defense. Take a look at the supplies stored in many of our schools in the event of a nuclear attack.

March 2017
Georgia Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers​

​​Parent ​and teacher associations have impacted the course of Fulton County Schools since the earliest days of the twentieth century. With state-mandated segregation of schools, the need for advocacy in support of African American students and teachers prompted the creation, in 1919, of the Georgia Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers (GCCPT).