Smyrna Gets 4 Proposals To Save Aunt Fanny's Cabin: Report

SMYRNA, GA — Within hours of the city of Smyrna's deadline for proposals to save Aunt Fanny's Cabin from demolition, the city received four bids for the dilapidated 19th century building, the Marietta Daily Journal reported.

Initially, the deadline for proposals was Feb. 1. But after a public outcry from Smyrna residents and the Coalition to Save Aunt Fanny's Cabin, council members voted to extend that deadline to March 16.

Two proposals were submitted by the coalition, a third was submitted by juice company Whey To Go, and a fourth by Acworth-based Ashley Limousin Farms, the MDJ reported. The city wouldn't provide copies of the specific proposals.

The 19th century cabin, which once served as a sharecroppers' house and a famous restaurant, hasn't been maintained since the city of Smyrna bought it in the 1990s. After years of little-to-no maintenance, the cabin is now in a crumbling state — so much so that the city closed it to the public in 2020 because it was deemed a safety hazard.

The cabin — which also garnered a reputation for using derogatory depictions of Black people to entertain restaurant guests — is named after Fanny Williams, a longtime servant of some of Smyrna's first settlers: the Campbell family, Patch previously reported. Williams, a Black woman, was a beloved figure in metro Atlanta, and is credited as an early civil rights advocate.

Coalition member Maryline Blackburn said the cabin is all that's left of the former restaurant, and is needed to accurately portray Williams' legacy, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution previously reported.

The city has always planned to build a memorial of some sort to honor Williams, but city officials have been at odds with some residents and the coalition over whether that memorial should include the cabin.

Read more from the Marietta Daily Journal here.

Related:

• Smyrna, Coalition Still Divided On Aunt Fanny's Cabin: Report
  
• Aunt Fanny's Cabin Proposal Deadline Extended: Smyrna Council
• Future Of Aunt Fanny's Cabin Up For Discussion, Again: Report
• Calls To Save Aunt Fanny's Cabin Come As Deadline Looms
• Aunt Fanny's Cabin To Be Demolished Unless Sold: City Council
• Fate Of Aunt Fanny's Cabin To Be Decided By City Council Monday
• Aunt Fanny's Cabin Could Be Repaired, Demolished Or Preserved