During the United States Civil War, a majority of Atlanta was destroyed  by General William T. Sherman.  In the years following the war, Atlanta’s economy slowly recovered.  Railroads allowed Atlanta to become the self-proclaimed, “Chicago of the South.” Thousands were drawn to Atlanta to be involved in the city’s economic success and the city continued to grow in the 20th century.

On this day, May 21st, in 1917, 300 acres of Atlanta were destroyed in the Great Atlanta fire of 1917.  The fire did significant damage to Atlanta’s Fourth Ward, including 2,000 homes, businesses and churches.  The fire’s damages resulted in $5.5 million in loses and 10,000 residents became homeless.  It took more than two decades to completely rebuild loss structure and led to a change in Atlanta building codes.

After recovering from the Great Fire of 1917, Atlanta recovered and reemerged as the transportation center of the South.