r/DecaturGA

Hello! First post here. I was born in Atlanta in 1984 and had a lot of family and friends in the area, my parents lived there for a while before I was born, and my Grandparents also lived there. Mostly in Decatur and surrounding areas. I was recently visiting for my grandfathers funeral, he died at 98 years old. He was a Korean War veteran. I'm going to share some history about the area they lived in, some of which I remember growing up as a kid. This is some information regarding the streets and locations with the name "Pangborn". TLDR will be at the bottom.

I learned all of this from my grandpa and my dad. My dad and uncle grew up in the house marked with the yellow star. I believe my grandpa owned this house since the late 1940's or 1950's and lived there until he sold it sometime between 2000 and 2010 I think. He used to tell me stories about how the backyard used to be an old civil war route and possibly the location of some battles/skirmishes. When I was a kid and visiting often (80s to 2000's), the houses along "Oak Glen Manor Road" were not there and this was a heavily wooded area with two unpaved driveways leading in where both red arrows are. you could not see the houses from the street. I was never allowed to go back there as a child, but my dad and my uncle used to go back there all the time when walking through paths in the woods to friend's houses in the neighborhood, and sometimes to do work for Mr Pangborn, who lived in a house approximately where the blue star is. At that time (60's/70's) Mr. Pangborn and his wife were living in the house retired and needed help with things in their old age, including taking care of the old house. There was a smaller, newer house (gold star) that was accessible from the unpaved driveway by the railroad bridge (you can still see this entrance today). Dad says this smaller house was more modern and possibly Mr. Pangborn's daughter lived there while taking care of the parents in their old age.

Mr. Pangborn (Old Man Pangborn they called him) was an executive for some large oil company (dad thought it might have been Sinclair) who lived near downtown, had an office downtown, and this house was built as a "weekend house" for him and his family. It was a two story log cabin style house with big stone fireplace, large porch, drive-under carport, etc. At the time the house was built, there weren't many other houses in the area, maybe a few other "weekend homes" and some farms, and dad figured that most of the road in the area basically served as his driveway, which is why "Pangborn Road" is called that. Over time, we think Mr. Pangborn sold off pieces of his property to developers to build Diamond Head neighborhood. After he and his wife died, the house was in bad shape and falling into disrepair. His children inherited the property and eventually sold it to a developer who took everything out to build this "Oak Glen" housing development in 2015. I assume the Pangborn Swim & Tennis might have been connected to his family somehow also, maybe acted as a swim/tennis club for other homes and farms in the area. I remember walking through the woods, along the train track, to the swimming pool with grandpa and my dad and uncle when I was a kid.

I always find it odd that I have never seen pictures of the house or information about this property online or anything.

If anyone has any additional information about this, it would be cool to hear about it!

TLDR: "Pangborn" is the last name of someone who had a "weekend home" (eventually their permanent home) in this heavily wooded area outside of downtown, back before the area was developed. The house(s) and woods on the property were torn down when the "Oak Glen" subdivision was built in 2015.

ETA - You can use Google Earth to go back in time and see where the two houses were.

EDIT. Consensus says it’s Wages Drive. Thanks for the help, everyone! r/DecaturGA is the best!!

First photo is an aerial map from 1955 (atlantatimemachine.com) and the map in photo 2 is from 1954. Photo 3 is a modern map. The curved street wasn’t named so I’m curious what it was called. It ran between Lawrenceville Highway and Valley Brook, now renamed North Valley Brook after I-78 was built in the late 60s. I think the Home Depot was built in the early to mid nineties.

Our oven has died. Need a new one but the new ones are a little bigger. Looking for recommendations on where to buy one & people to help install on. Gonna have to cut into cabinets.

Update: got a new unit from Bob Baileys! Highly recommend!

Someone told me Big Boi recorded this safety announcement for the World Cup. Can anyone coraberate? I thought that last 'respect' was a nice touch. 🫡

But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like a total baddie with Damu on the end of my leash.

He’s 72 lbs of glossy black fur that gleams in the sun. His elegant, swoop-y tail is so long it appears to wag in slow motion. His gait is so graceful you almost feel like there’s a panther slinking along beside you. You stand a little taller next to this guy, and not just because he’s so dang big you sort of have to, but because he makes you feel….important.

If all of this is slightly intimidating, let me also assure you that this dog is DERPY AS HELL. He looks up at you with this sort of pleading but also comically perplexed expression, in no small part because of his expressive Labby eyebrows (his previous owner says he’s a Black Lab x Great Dane mix; which, if true, means at 12 months old he’s still growing). He sits with his paws tucked in, which is simultaneously ridiculous and adorable because his big old feet form a heart in front of him. Sometimes (lots of times) his lip gets caught on his widdle toof.

I first noticed this big baby when he came into the shelter and looked like the saddest dog on earth. And his backstory is, in fact, extremely sad. I’m not going to share it here though because honestly I have a feeling this guy’s second act is going to be EPIC. So let’s focus on that part.

He’s house-trained. He’s mostly quiet (but has a booming, scary AF bark when the neighbor’s yard crew appears, how very dare they), walks like a dream on leash (except when he sees a squirrel and then you better plant your feet and engage your core), and even though he’s a little shy at first he makes friends everywhere he goes.

He is DYING to play other dogs and I’m a meanie because I won’t let him mix with mine until he’s fully decompressed. But I think he’d thrive in a home with a dog buddy he could romp around with. The Lab makes him a darn good time outside, the Dane makes him a sleepy lovebug on the couch.

If you want to know how I really feel about this dog, I almost didn’t want to write this post because I love him so much and I’d sorta like to keep him all to myself for at least a little longer. But alas…it’s my calling to help as many homeless bb’s as I can and there are so many more waiting at the shelter.

If you’d like to meet Damu, LMK! He’s adoptable from Fulton County Animal Services and this month foster adoptions are FREEEEE!

Second picture labels which cards came out of which machines at the station (as of this morning at least). When you go to buy it on the kiosk they all preview the regular orange card before you buy.