A fire at Hudson Self Storage in Henry County, Ga., late last week destroyed an estimated $200,000 worth of memorabilia from the movie "Gone With the Wind," as well as the facility office, manager's apartment and a climate-control building.
The facility is managed by Atlanta-based Universal Management Co., a self-storage management company. A representative from Universal confirmed the damage but added the manager and his family were not injured.
The lost memorabilia items belonged to the Road to Tara Museum, a Jonesboro, Ga., museum displaying collectibles from author Margaret Mitchell and "Gone With the Wind." Museum spokesperson Frenda Turner told the source she fears much of the collection was lost to flames or water damage. The source did not say whether the museum had purchased tenant insurance for the stored goods.
Turner told the source items stored at the facility included "highly, highly collectible" memorabilia not currently on display, including large poster-type boards that were used at the 1939 premier.
Henry County Fire Capt. Sabrina Puckett said firefighters battled the blaze for several hours overnight at the facility, which is south of Atlanta. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and local authorities came to the scene to investigate.
Sources:
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Self-Storage Fire Claims GWTW Stash
