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Mills B. Lane Jr. papers

 Collection
Collection number: ahc.MSS12f

Scope and Content

This collection contains correspondence, memos, and newspaper clippings on historical preservation projects in which Mills B. Lane, Jr. was involved as well as a banking code that Lane helped to create. One of the preservation projects that he worked on was the move and restoration of the Tullie Smith House to the Atlanta History Center from its original location in DeKalb. The Tullie Smith House is a typical "plantation plain" style house built in the 1840s by Robert Smith, a yeoman farmer from North Carolina, and his family. The records document Lane, Jr. and the other committee members as they continued to research and set up a restoration plan for the building. Correspondence includes letters between Lane, Jr.; Franklin Garrett; Bettijo (Mrs. Rodney) Cook; and Louise (Mrs. Ivan) Allen, Jr. Topics discussed include donations, moving expenses, information on the acquisition of the building, and the restoration process. This collection also contains notes and clippings regarding the North Fulton's Business Men's Association's interest in capitalizing on the historic nature of Roswell, Georgia. Included is the research and documentation of the restoration of Barrington Hall in Roswell, Georgia, home to the King family. There is an inventory and appraisal of the materials in the home as well as correspondence between members of the North Fulton's Business Men's Association. There is a series of letters to Alexander W. Smith on Blair Foster's draft of a model banking code for Georgia in 1953.

Dates

  • 1953-1973

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. All requests to publish, quote, or reproduce must be submitted through the Kenan Research Center.

Administrative/Biographical History

Mills B. Lane, Jr. (1912-1989), son of Mary Comer and Mills B. Lane, Sr., served as president of Atlanta-based Citizens and Southern National Bank for over 21 years. He initiated new lending practices and financed much of the city's physical redevelopment using liberal lending practices to foster minority-owned businesses. Lane, Jr. managed Ivan Allen, Jr.'s successful mayoral campaigns in 1961 and 1965. In 1969, Lane, Jr. acquired the Tullie Smith House from Roscoe Pickett and was appointed to the committee to oversee the restoration of the Tullie Smith House and the its move to the Atlanta History Center campus. He was also a member of North Fulton's Business Men's Association and their project to "Make Money from Roswell's Historical Background," which restored Barrington Hall, home of the King family.

Extent

3 folder(s)

Language

English

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift, 1977

Related Archival Materials

King family papers, MSS 753, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

Description Control

Collection re-processed in 2011.

Title
Mills B. Lane, Jr. papers
Status
Completed
Author
Laura Starratt
Date
2012
Description rules
Finding Aid Prepared According To Dacs
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Kenan Research Center at Atlanta History Center Repository

Contact:
130 West Paces Ferry Road
Atlanta GA 30305
404-814-4040