Marietta History Center is throwing open the gates of one of the city's most storied estates for its 2026 Classic Rock Jam, a fundraiser set for September 12 at Brumby Hall & Gardens. The evening features the Grundy Family & Band, with the School of Rock East Cobb House Band opening, and organizers say the show goes on rain or shine.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. with music kicking off at 5:45 p.m., according to a Facebook announcement from the City of Marietta, Ga., Government. Ticket prices are tiered: $25 for Marietta History Center members, $30 for general admission, $35 on the day of the event, and a table for eight runs $250. Anyone hoping to snag the discounted member rate needs to go through the museum's Lisa Oestreicher, who provides that ticket link by email at [email protected].
Food and drink at the event will come courtesy of ForkU Concepts, a local hospitality group that runs several Cobb County dining spots, including Stockyard Burgers & Bones, Taqueria Tsunami, Silla del Torro, Forno Vero, and West Park Sports Club, according to the City of Marietta. Attendees can expect heavy hors d'oeuvres alongside a cash bar. The city notes the 2026 event is also backed by a slate of local sponsors, including S.A. White Oil Company, Brumby Hall & Gardens, Grundy Sound, Cobb Travel & Tourism, Silvad, Goad Home Partners, and Rocket Productions, with sponsor contributions helping cover overhead so ticket proceeds go directly toward museum operations.
From an Indoor Gig to a Garden Tradition
The Classic Rock Jam didn't start out as an outdoor spectacle. The fundraiser launched in March 2024 as an indoor concert at Boxwood Social Hall featuring guitarist Mark Grundhoefer, before demand got so high that organizers moved it outside to Brumby Hall & Gardens in May 2025, per the city's own historical notes. That venue shift opened up more room for attendance and table seating, turning a modest evening event into an annual garden staple.
The Marietta History Center operates as a department of the City of Marietta and is led by Museum Director Amy Reed, who handles the organization's strategy and event sponsorships, the city says. Beyond the annual music fundraisers, the museum also offers free admission on the third Saturday of every month through its Pop-In for Family Fun series, sponsored by local law firms, a pattern Hoodline has previously reported.
The History Behind the Setting
Brumby Hall itself carries a story that predates the Civil War. Built in 1851 for Colonel Arnoldus V. Brumby, the first superintendent of the Georgia Military Institute, the estate was reportedly spared during General William T. Sherman's 1864 March to the Sea because Sherman and Brumby had been classmates at West Point, according to Cobb In Focus. That history makes it one of the few antebellum structures in Marietta to survive the Union army's occupation.
The estate has also housed the Marietta Gone With the Wind Museum since 2018, when the municipal collection moved there from its original 2003 home on Marietta Square, the outlet reports. The Greek Revival architecture and grounds are often compared to the fictional Tara plantation. Since 2018, oversight and maintenance of the property's 15,000-square-foot gardens have fallen to the City of Marietta Parks and Recreation Department, which took over after the adjacent Hilton Marietta Hotel & Conference Center relinquished management, per Marietta.com.
A Museum Rooted in an Even Older Landmark
The organization hosting the fundraiser has its own deep roots. The Marietta History Center is based inside Kennesaw House at 1 Depot Street, a former cotton warehouse built in 1845 that became the Fletcher House hotel a decade later. Union spy James Andrews reportedly stayed there before leading the 1862 Great Locomotive Chase, according to the Marietta History Center, and the building survived wartime fires while serving as both a Confederate and Union military hospital.
Founded in January 1996 as the Marietta Museum of History, the center now preserves more than 50,000 regional artifacts across three floors of Kennesaw House and has welcomed over 300,000 visitors, the museum says. Proceeds from events like the Classic Rock Jam help sustain that collection, along with the free family programming and public lectures the center has hosted in recent years, including its annual rummage and book sale fundraiser. The museum remains one of several cultural anchors in downtown Marietta, alongside events like Art in the Park.
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