J.M. High Company
Encyclopedia
The J. M. High Company was a department store in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...

. It was founded by Joseph Madison High
Joseph Madison High
Joseph Madison High was the founder of Atlanta department store J.M. High Company. His wife, Harriet "Hattie" Harwell Wilson High , donated her family's mansion on Peachtree Street to house the museum that has grown into the High Museum of Art, Atlanta's foremost art museum.Madison was from Morgan...

 (1855-1906), whose wife, Harriet "Hattie" Harwell Wilson High
Harriet Harwell Wilson High
Harriet "Hattie" Harwell Wilson High was the wife of Joseph Madison High , the founder of Atlanta department store J.M. High Company. She donated her family's mansion on Peachtree Street to house the museum that has grown into the High Museum of Art, Atlanta's foremost art museum.She was buried in...

 (1862-1932), donated her family's mansion on Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street
Peachtree Street is the main street of Atlanta. The city grew up around the street, and many of its historical and municipal buildings are or were located along it...

 to house the museum that has grown into the High Museum of Art
High Museum of Art
The High Museum of Art , located in Atlanta, is the leading art museum in the Southeastern United States and one of the most-visited art museums in the world. Located on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district, the High is a division of the Woodruff Arts Center.-History:The Museum was...

, Atlanta's foremost art museum.

Madison was from Morgan County, Georgia
Morgan County, Georgia
Morgan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,457. The 2005 Census Estimate shows a population of 17,492. The county seat is Madison, Georgia.-Geography:...

. He started in business in Madison, Georgia
Madison, Georgia
Madison is a city in Morgan County, Georgia, United States. The population was 3,636 at the 2000 census. The city is the county seat of Morgan County....

, forming the firm of High & Berney. He later moved to Atlanta for greater opportunity, where he partnered with E. D. Herring to open up a dry goods store at 40 Whitehall Street (now Peachtree St. SE). A new store opened at 50 Whitehall in 1882. In 1884 High bought out Herring and renamed the firm J. M. High & Co.

In 1887 High's department store opened a new location on the west side of Whitehall. By 1889 High was able to buy the southwest corner of Whitehall and Hunter (now King Blvd.) and erect a four story brick building with ornate interior for his department store.

In 1906 High died.

In 1918 the store moved across the street to the former site of the Chamberlin-Johnson-DuBose
Chamberlin-Johnson-DuBose
The Chamberlin-Johnson-DuBose Company was a leading department store in Atlanta from 1866 until 1931, competing with Rich's.The original store was located on the east side of Whitehall St. , south of Hunter St....

department store, with 100000 ft2 of floor space. The new store was named the "daylight department store" as the large windows "did away with the need for artificial illumination".

The old store on the west side of Whitehall was later occupied by the McClure Ten Cent Company until the 1930s, then the F & W Grand Company, and it was finally demolished to make way for the new building of the H. L. Green Company.

For about a year in 1926-27, High's was home to a broadcasting studio of radio station WDBE.

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