The J. M. High Company was a department store in

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. It was founded by

Joseph Madison High Joseph Madison High (1855–1906) was the founder of Atlanta department store J.M. High Company. His wife, Harriet "Hattie" Harwell Wilson High (1862–1932), donated her family's mansion on Peachtree Street to house the museum that has grown in ...

(1855-1906), whose wife, Harriet "Hattie" Harwell Wilson High (1862-1932), donated her family's mansion on

Peachtree Street Peachtree Street is one of several major streets running through the city of Atlanta. Beginning at Five Points (Atlanta), Five Points in downtown Atlanta, it runs North through Midtown Atlanta, Midtown; a few blocks after entering into Buckhead ...

to house the museum that has grown into the

High Museum of Art The High Museum of Art (colloquially the High) is the largest museum for visual art in the Southeastern United States. Located in Atlanta, Georgia (on Peachtree Street in Midtown, the city's arts district), the High is 312,000 square feet (28, ...

, Atlanta's foremost art museum. Joseph Madison was from

Morgan County, Georgia Morgan County is a county located in the north central Piedmont region of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 20,097. The county seat is Madison. Since the early 21st century, the county has had a housing boom ...

. He started a business in

Madison, Georgia Madison is a city in Morgan County, Georgia, United States. It is part of the Atlanta-Athens-Clarke-Sandy Springs Combined Statistical Area. The population was 3,979 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Morgan County and the si ...

, forming the firm, 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).William J. Northen, John Temple Graves (eds.), ''Men of mark in Georgia'', vol. 5
/ref> A new store opened at 50 Whitehall in 1882.''American cloak and suit review'', vol. 16, p.155
/ref> 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 an 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 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. (now Peachtree St. SW), south of Hunter St. (now King Blv ...

department store, with 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, until it was finally demolished to make way for the new building of the

H. L. Green Company H. L. Green was a five and dime store chain in the United States during the twentieth century named for founder Harold L. Green (1892–1951). History The chain was formed in 1932. The chain operated 133 retail stores as of 1935, most resul ...

. From 1926-1927, High's was home to a broadcasting studio of radio station WDBE.Ronald J. (Noah). Arceneaux, ''Department stores and the origins of American broadcasting, 1910--1931'', University of Georgia
/ref>

External links

Photo of the last J. M. High store on the east side of Whitehall Street

References

{{Atlanta history Demolished buildings and structures in Atlanta Defunct department stores based in Atlanta Companies based in Atlanta 1884 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state)