"In late nineteenth-century Atlanta, a group of enterprising businessmen worked their way into the elite circles, taking advantage of the disruption of society caused by the Civil War. The Inman family were planters who lost their farms in the war and came to Atlanta to start over. In time, they became successful leaders in business and city government.

Their success in the economic arena made possible access to prominent cultural, social, and political positions through which they helped influence and shape Atlanta's growth."--BOOK JACKET.