The
Herndon Home is a memorial museum of the AlonzoHerndonfamily. Alonzo
Franklin Herndon, fonder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, built
the home in 1910. He was born a slave in 1858 in Walton County, Georgia.
After he had arrived in Atlanta in 1882, he worked in a barbershop.
Eventually he owned and operated three barbershops. One of them, the
Crystal Palace at 66 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, was considered the most
elegant barbershop in the country. He had become the largest black property
owner in Atlanta by the early 1900's. In 1905, he launched his new business,
Atlanta Life Insurance Company. It is still the largest black-owned
stockholder insurance company in America. Adrienne Herndon was Alonzo
Herndon's first wife. She was a teacher at Atlanta University. She designed
the Herndon Home in Atlanta. However, she died from Addison's disease
three months after the house
was completed. Two years later, Alonzo Herndon married Jessie Gillespie.
Another person who lived in the house was Norris Bumstead Herndon, son
of Alonzo and Adrienne. He eventually assumed the presidency of Atlanta
Life, and his stepmother, Jessie, became the vice president. Under Norris'
leadership, the company grew and prospered great. The family's rise
from slavery to leadership of the nation's African-American business
community was phenomenal achievement. They contributed profusely to
the educational, social, and cultural development of Atlanta. The Herndon
Home is a National Historic Landmark that has exceptional value in the
heritage of the United States. This building, its furnishings and family
papers document the significance of the Herndon's family in American
history.
The
Herndon Home is a memorial museum of the AlonzoHerndonfamily. Alonzo
Franklin Herndon, fonder of the Atlanta Life Insurance Company, built
the home in 1910. He was born a slave in 1858 in Walton County, Georgia.
After he had arrived in Atlanta in 1882, he worked in a barbershop.
Eventually he owned and operated three barbershops. One of them, the
Crystal Palace at 66 Peachtree Street, Atlanta, was considered the most
elegant barbershop in the country. He had become the largest black property
owner in Atlanta by the early 1900's. In 1905, he launched his new business,
Atlanta Life Insurance Company. It is still the largest black-owned
stockholder insurance company in America. Adrienne Herndon was Alonzo
Herndon's first wife. She was a teacher at Atlanta University. She designed
the Herndon Home in Atlanta. However, she died from Addison's disease
three months after the 
house
was completed. Two years later, Alonzo Herndon married Jessie Gillespie.
Another person who lived in the house was Norris Bumstead Herndon, son
of Alonzo and Adrienne. He eventually assumed the presidency of Atlanta
Life, and his stepmother, Jessie, became the vice president. Under Norris'
leadership, the company grew and prospered great. The family's rise
from slavery to leadership of the nation's African-American business
community was phenomenal achievement. They contributed profusely to
the educational, social, and cultural development of Atlanta. The Herndon
Home is a National Historic Landmark that has exceptional value in the
heritage of the United States. This building, its furnishings and family
papers document the significance of the Herndon's family in American
history.