Atlanta ? The words of Martin Luther King Jr. are as inspiring now for Shirley Franklin as they were when she saw him deliver his “I Have A Dream” speech in 1963 from the steps of the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C.

That helps make it especially important to Franklin, Atlanta’s first female mayor, that his papers be returned to the city where he spent most of his life.

An early draft of King’s famous speech and more than 600 of his other personal documents are going on display for the first time in Atlanta today, on what would’ve been King’s 78th birthday.

“Atlanta is really embracing its own history by embracing Dr. King and his legacy,” Franklin said. “People will see the papers and be able to relate to them and experience the movement through Dr. King’s eyes and through his words.”

The exhibit is a glimpse at the collection of more than 10,000 King papers and books that Franklin helped privately acquire for $32 million last summer from Sotheby’s auction house. The mayor pulled off the 11th-hour deal with the help of more than 50 corporate, government and private donors to give the papers to Atlanta’s Morehouse College, where King graduated in 1948 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology.

The Atlanta History Center, where the exhibit will be open until May 13, is anticipating widespread interest of the papers. Until now, the collection only has been displayed at Sotheby’s auction house in New York, both last summer and in 2003, in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, when King delivered his “Dream” speech.

Michael Jackson peels away a paper backing after applying a large vinyl decal of a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., at the entrance to an upcoming exhibit at the Atlanta History Center. An exhibit of Martin Luther King Jr.'s personal papers will open today at the center.

Sotheby’s has called the collection “an unparalleled gathering of primary documents from Dr. King’s most active years.”

“The question is often asked, ‘Where is the dream coming from?'” said Elizabeth Miller, who curated the Sotheby’s exhibit and helped with the smaller Atlanta exhibit. “This exhibit shows the genesis and the struggle of that internal journey.”

After the exhibit, all the papers will be housed at the Robert W. Woodruff Library on the campus of the Atlanta University Center, which includes Morehouse College. Archivists at the library are cataloging and storing the collection, and scholars and students will be able to access King’s books and documents for research.