More than 45 years ago, intown neighbors banded together against Atlanta development and found a hero: Atlanta City Councilman John Lewis for the save.

The Rabun County of 1972 is long gone, supplanted by luxury homes, expensive SUVs, fancy boats, sophisticated dining and stylish Orvis outdoor wear—still Deliverance resonates through the woods and rapids.

Using an ancient key, opening an old wooden door, revealing secret steps, Jeff Hullinger and the Mary T. Willis Library Director ascend a creaky set of staircases cloaked in spider webs. Past stacks of 115-year-old National Geographic magazines and a 160-year-old hardback detailing the science of growing Georgia cotton, guess what's still there?

'Twas days before Christmas, and tucked in the offices across from the state capitol was a goat for a little girl whose father just happened to be best friends with the governor.

Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" has become a classic of modern American literature, winning the Pulitzer Prize. The plot and characters are loosely based on Lee's observations of her family, her neighbors and an event that occurred near her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama. In 2006, British librarians ranked the book ahead of the Bible as one "every adult should read before they die." If you haven't, perhaps this past week's anniversary is occasion to make a trip to Chamblee.

Forty-five years ago, a young Atlanta architect named Ron Hadaway was assigned the unenviable task of renovating a residence inside a delicate Midtown dazzler - The Villa, Ansley Park. His first move: Find Philip Trammell Shutze’s phone number. Ask for an audience.

There are so many stories of the ferocious, incomparable, unpredictable Dickey Betts - but where to begin? 

"April 4, 1977 - The Worst Aircraft Disaster in Georgia History," reads the marker in New Hope, Georgia.

Bobby Jones' footprints can be found all over his native Atlanta, Druid Hills, East Lake, Emory University, Georgia Tech and Buckhead.

Stories of the co-founder of Augusta National and the Masters' remarkable life in Georgia are the stuff of legend. All of us who love our state, Atlanta, golf and history know chapters. But here is a story I'll bet you’ve never heard.