This time last year, the southeast United States was recovering from a record snow and ice storm. However, decades earlier another rare snow event was also recorded in Atlanta. Interestingly, back in 1940, this storm was written about by a young man named Martin Luther King, Jr.
An 11-year-old King wrote this letter in 1940 to his father the day after the storm blanketed Atlanta with over eight inches of snow.
This letter is included in the fourteen-volume edition of King's most significant correspondence, sermons, speeches, published writings, and unpublished manuscripts, known as The King Papers Project.
William Gibson was a coal dealer and deacon of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Martin Luther King, Jr., comments on one of Atlanta's rare snowstorms. This is the unedited text of the letter.
To Martin Luther King, Sr.
24 January 1940
Atlanta, Ga.
Dear Daddyy
Just a few lines to let you know that I am feeling fine and hope you are the same. We are having some snow and the last report we heard the snow was a {little} more than ten and a half inches and we are really having a fine time makeing snow men and throwing snow balls. And the policemen made everybody clean off their sidewalks and Christine and I cleaned off and it was a hard job. I received your letter and I am glad you liked my typeing. I am keeping the fire burnning but Mr. Gibson had to put some coal im the basement because it gave out. We can not go to {[s]chool} until Monday because it is to bad.
Your truly
[signed] Martin Luther King
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