History for Curious Adults

History Alive brings people together to explore the stories, places, conflicts, personalities, and turning points that shaped Dunwoody, Georgia, and the broader South

Since 2013, Dunwoody Preservation Trust has offered lectures, workshops, tours, conversations, and special experiences that make history relevant, accessible, and engaging. Whether the subject is local families, transportation, foodways, cemeteries, preservation, cultural memory, or a pivotal moment in Georgia history, History Alive invites participants to look more closely, ask questions, and discover new connections.

History is not simply something that happened. It is something we continue to discover, discuss, and experience together.

Upcoming History Alive Program

Choosing Sides During the American Revolution: Would You Have Been a Loyalist or a Patriot?

Saturday, September 26, 2026
9:30 to 11:00 a.m.

Donaldson-Bannister Farm
4831 Chamblee Dunwoody Road

Free and open to the public. No reservations are needed.

If you had lived in Georgia in 1775, which side would you have chosen?
The answer may not be as obvious as it seems today.

For Georgians on the eve of the American Revolution, choosing sides could involve questions of loyalty, security, family, livelihood, personal risk, and an uncertain future. Families were divided. Friends found themselves on opposite sides. Communities faced difficult choices without knowing how the conflict would end.

Award-winning historian Dr. Greg Brooking will explore the experiences of Georgia Loyalists and Patriots, along with the leadership of Sir James Wright, Georgia’s last royal governor. Through these stories, participants will gain a deeper understanding of the competing loyalties, political tensions, and personal decisions that shaped Revolutionary Georgia.

Dr. Brooking’s From “Empire to Revolution: Sir James Wright and the Price of Loyalty in Georgia” received the 2025 Georgia Historical Records Advisory Council Award for Outstanding Documentary History of Georgia.

What To Expect

History Alive programs are designed for curious adults, lifelong learners, educators, preservation supporters, and anyone interested in understanding the people and events that shaped the places we know today.

Depending on the program, participants may experience:

  • Engaging presentations and conversations
  • Local, Georgia, and regional history
  • Historic-site and cemetery tours
  • Preservation and behind-the-scenes programs
  • Cultural history, foodways, music, and community memory
  • Opportunities to ask questions and join the discussion

No specialized knowledge of history is required. Come curious.

History Alive Through the Years

History Alive has explored a wide range of subjects, including:

  • Dunwoody’s early families, schools, cemeteries, and historic places
  • Georgia transportation, railroads, and community development
  • Military history and first-person stories
  • Genealogy, archaeology, and historic research
  • Cherokee history and the history of North Georgia
  • Civil rights, cultural history, foodways, and community traditions
  • Tours, demonstrations, workshops, and special events

History Alive Is Growing

DPT is exploring new ways to help adults experience history through compelling speakers, timely topics, conversations, tours, workshops, cultural programs, and experiences rooted in authentic historic places.

Our goal is to create opportunities for adults to gather, learn, connect, and encounter history not as something distant, but as something that continues to shape our communities today.

Join the DPT newsletter to hear about upcoming History Alive programs and other adult-learning opportunities.

Join Our Newsletter

Have a Story or Area of Expertise to Share?

DPT welcomes ideas from historians, authors, educators, preservation professionals, community storytellers, and others whose knowledge could contribute to a future History Alive program.

Propose a History Alive Program