Editing Kennesaw, Georgia (section)

==History==
As the [[Western and Atlantic Railroad]] was being built in the late 1830s, [[shanty town]]s arose to house the workers. These were near a big spring. A grade up from the [[Etowah River]] became known as "the big grade to the shanties", then "Big Shanty Grade", and finally "Big Shanty". It was officially incorporated as the city of Kennsaw in 1887.<ref>{{Cite news | title=How Big Shanty Got Its Name | newspaper=Trade Day News | location=Kennesaw, Georgia | page= 9 | date=April 23–24, 1977 }}</ref>

===Civil War===
Camp MacDonald, a [[training camp]], was located there from 1861 to 1863.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northamericanforts.com/East/ga-north.html#shanty|title=Georgia Forts: page 7|website=www.northamericanforts.com|access-date=2013-01-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129163700/http://www.northamericanforts.com/East/ga-north.html#shanty|archive-date=2012-11-29|url-status=live}}</ref>

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], Big Shanty was the site of major fighting in the [[Battle of Kennesaw Mountain]], part of the larger [[Atlanta Campaign]]. [[Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park]],<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nps.gov/kemo |title=Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park – Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park |publisher=Nps.gov |access-date=2012-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101013162433/http://www.nps.gov/kemo/ |archive-date=2010-10-13 |url-status=live }}</ref> located southeast of the city limits, now contains many of these historic areas. Much of the surrounding land has been [[Land development|developed]], and many of the buried [[Artifact (archaeology)|artifacts]] have been searched for and taken by people with [[metal detector]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Kennesaw|first1=Mailing Address: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr|last2=Us|first2=GA 30152 Phone: 770-427-4686 x0 Contact|title=Relic Hunting and Metal Detecting - Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (U.S. National Park Service)|url=https://www.nps.gov/kemo/planyourvisit/relic-hunting.htm|access-date=2020-10-29|website=www.nps.gov|language=en}}</ref> Some artifacts of the Civil War are still on display in the visitor center of Kennesaw Mountain.<ref>{{Cite web|last1=Kennesaw|first1=Mailing Address: 900 Kennesaw Mountain Dr|last2=Us|first2=GA 30152 Phone: 770-427-4686 x0 Contact|title=Basic Information - Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park (U.S. National Park Service)|url=https://www.nps.gov/kemo/planyourvisit/basicinfo.htm|access-date=2020-10-29|website=www.nps.gov|language=en}}</ref>

=== Later history ===
L.C. Chalker purchased a {{convert|1.25|acre|adj=on}} tract of land adjacent to the Kennesaw Cemetery from J.W. Ellis in 1934, which was sold for burial purposes. Chalker purchased another {{convert|1|acre}} adjacent to the first parcel in 1948, which was also to be used for a cemetery. The Chalker family managed these portions of the cemetery until they were sold to the City of Kennesaw in the mid-1950s. The earliest known burial is the infant Lucius B. Summers, who was interred in 1863. Other [[Headstone|grave markers]] date as far back as the 1860s to the 1890s. Civil War veterans are buried here. The Kennesaw Cemetery is still in use.<ref>{{Citation|last=Zavattaro|first=Staci M.|title=Cemetery Potpourri|date=2020-06-01|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780429285967-7|work=City Sextons|pages=78–92|location=New York|publisher=Routledge|doi=10.4324/9780429285967-7|isbn=978-0-429-28596-7|s2cid=242425155|access-date=2020-10-29}}</ref>

In March 2004, First Lady [[Laura Bush]] designated Kennesaw a [[Preserve America Community]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.preserveamerica.gov |title=Preserve America – Explore and Enjoy Our Heritage |publisher=Preserveamerica.gov |date=2012-07-03 |access-date=2012-07-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714113603/http://www.preserveamerica.gov/ |archive-date=2012-07-14 |url-status=live }}</ref>