Diary of Orrin Brown, Atlanta, Georgia
Saturday–Nov. 12th
Got up this morning and found it verry cool but by the time the sun has been up a half a hour it is comfortable. There was another building burned in the City this morning. Went down to the City and went all through two large hortells, one was the Atlanta Hotell and the other was the Trout House, it seems like a destruction sure to see the Furniture that is to be burned in those two buildings Chairs tables stands Beaureaus Cupboards safes bedsteads and everything necisary to carry on a large hotell. The Trout House has at least 200 room and all furnished in styll two larg Iron Safes, sofas and I dont know what all. I also went into a large drugstore and the drugs were lying all over the floor and the soldiers ransacking those buildings to see if they find any thing usefull to them, our mess got a good straw matress, a stand, a rockingchair etc. etc. so we are comfortable as you please sleeping on our nice straw bed. It has been a beautifull day. I read 5 Chapt. in the Testament.
The Atlanta Hotel, the first brick structure in the city, was also known as Thompson’s Hotel. It stood on Pryor Street between Marietta (now Decatur St) and the railroad tracks (now Wall St), on the 5-acre State Square, site of the Union Depot. The four-story, brick Trout House, built in 1849, along with the 1846 Washington Hall Hotel also were located on State Square in the center of antebellum Atlanta. Not a single antebellum building remains from what was the townsite of Atlanta. While Sherman may have burned the square, we can only thank modern decision-makers for turning it into a parking lot.
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