Do the Holidays Have You Baffled?

It's a week before Christmas
and all through the land,
Everyone is bustling
To get the perfect gift in hand.....

Sometimes, the holiday shopping season can be just downright tiring and overwhelming.  Trying to find the perfect gift for that hard to shop for relative who lives far away can be mind daunting.  What a great mystery to solve!

Hey, wait.  A mystery to solve?  What a perfect gift to give everyone on your list, no matter how far, no matter how dear........

Send them a local museum and perhaps they will learn more about our country's history and some of its mysteries.  If you're not sure of where to send them, be sure to check out the Travel Channel Series of Mysteries at the Museum.

This week, take a quick glance at some great mysterious artifacts and stories across the land from California to Detroit to Manhatten.

Yep, I think I'll watch the show and then pick just the right museum for my Christmas shopping!


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Newell Rubbermaid Pledges Support of New National Center for Civil and Human Rights

/PRNewswire/ -- Newell Rubbermaid will commit $500,000 to help construct and develop the new National Center for Civil and Human Rights facility in Downtown Atlanta.

"As a space for ongoing dialogue and study of human rights issues, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights will become a valued addition to the Atlanta community," said Jackie Parker, Vice President of Inclusion & Diversity and Corporate Philanthropy at Newell Rubbermaid. "We are proud to partner with the Center to advance global human rights as a part of our continued commitment to investing in the communities where our employees live and work."

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights will feature permanent and rotating educational exhibitions and serve as a vibrant and dynamic hub of activity around both historical and contemporary civil and human rights issues. The LEED-certified building is scheduled to break ground in 2011 and open in 2013, and will be located in Pemberton Place adjacent to the World of Coca-Cola and Georgia Aquarium.

Doug Shipman, CEO of the Center, said, "Newell Rubbermaid's generous support shows its commitment to the ideals behind the National Center for Civil and Human Rights and its care for the Atlanta community. We are excited to partner with them to make the Center a reality."

Newell Rubbermaid, headquartered in Atlanta with operations in Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, joins other prominent corporate partners of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights including The Coca-Cola Company, Delta Air Lines, The Home Depot Foundation, Turner Broadcasting System Inc., and The UPS Foundation.

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Georgia Trust Acquires Three Houses in Forsyth from Wal-Mart

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation announced recently its acquisition of three historic houses in Forsyth donated from the Wal-Mart Real Estate Business Trust. The houses will become part of the Georgia Trust’s Revolving Fund program, which provides effective alternatives to demolition or neglect of architecturally and historically significant properties.

“These houses are representative of the historic architecture of Forsyth,” said Mark C. McDonald, President and CEO of The Georgia Trust. “Our goal is to save these historic properties and fulfill our obligation of helping the city of Forsyth find the best alternative for these houses” McDonald added.

Since 2006 the houses have been the subject of controversy as Forsyth city officials at the time rezoned a residential area to allow construction of a new Wal-Mart Supercenter. After the rezoning, Wal-Mart has worked with community preservation leaders and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to reach an agreement, which will lead to the preservation of three historic homes in the buffer strip required by Forsyth planning officials.

About the houses
The Bloodworth-Pace House was constructed in 1875 and features a pedimented gable with pointed arch wood vents and shaped cornice brackets. The house was remodeled in the 1930s in the Colonial Revival style, and the original porch was replaced with a pedimented gable stoop with paired Doric columns.

The Bogle-Kyte House was constructed in 1914 and was once called "one of the handsomest homes in Forsyth." This two-story late Victorian-era house features a central hallway, large centered hipped roof dormer with fixed 4/1 windows, slightly overhanging boxed eaves, and tall corbelled brick chimneys.

The Miller-Webb House is a Victorian railroad cottage constructed around 1905. The house is two rooms deep with a central hallway.

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Paul Revere and His Lantern Mystery

We as children all learned the poem about Paul Revere and his midnight ride in 1775.  Up until today, I never even thought about the chap who climbed into the tower and hung the lanterns.


Here's a great blog post about the mystery of the lanterns, where they were hung, and by whom they were hung.  Hope you enjoy.......

The Unsolved Mystery at Old North Church

December 1, 2010 by Ben Edwards
Who doesn’t appreciate a good mystery – especially one that dates all the way back to the beginning of the American Revolution! On the evening of April 18, 1775, “a friend” of Paul Revere held two lanterns in the northwest window of Christ Church (Old North Church) steeple to signal patriots in Charlestown that the British troops were leaving Boston by water on their secret expedition to Lexington and Concord. One hundred years later,.......
http://teachhistory.com/2010/12/01/the-unsolved-mystery-at-old-north-church/

History sure is fun!

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Remembering the Past with American Veterans

Our nation's World War II veterans are leaving us at a rapid rate.  Thanks to the wonderful volunteers around the nation, some of their stories have been saved.  These wonderful men and women who we refer to as the Greatest Generation firmly believed in patriotism and their duty to their country.  Here is a recent release as the Library of Congress celebrates 10 years of documenting the stories of horror, valor, and love of country.

Veterans History Project Commemorates First Decade with New Web Feature

They served. Regardless of their opinions on war, the horrors they witnessed on the front lines, the conditions under which they lived on the home front, their rank, race, religion or gender – they answered the call to duty and they served.

The latest installment of the Veterans History Project’s (VHP) Experiencing War website feature, titled "VHP: The First Ten Years," has launched in time for nationwide Veterans Day observances. The website feature, one of 32 created thus far, highlights the wartime stories of 20 veterans who represent a cross-section of the more than 70,000 collections donated to the project during its first decade of existence. VHP staff members selected these collections from among their favorites and as representative of the diversity and depth of the project. Some of the veterans have been featured in previous installments of Experiencing War, while others will be new to users of the site, www.loc.gov/vets/.

"Our theme for this commemorative season has been ‘Illuminating the Future by Sharing the Past,’" said VHP Director Robert Patrick. "This latest web feature does just that. It shows the realities of war from 20 diverse and captivating perspectives so that people, generations from now, will be able to hear, see, and learn from these firsthand accounts."

Each veteran in "VHP: The First Ten Years" describes the wartime veteran experience in ways that are thoughtful, touching, and often riveting. Spotlighted in the feature is Vietnam Army nurse Elizabeth Allen, an African-American woman who discusses her experiences, unique due to both race and gender. Frank Buckles, the last surviving World War I veteran, shares his experiences in the feature as an Army ambulance driver. Marine Corps veteran Paul Steppe served during the Korean War and conveys his tale of survival after being wounded and then having his medical transport plane lose its landing gear upon takeoff. Herman Rosen was a Merchant Marine during World War II who spent 23 days in a lifeboat at sea after his ship was hit by a torpedo. Persian Gulf War Medical Officer Rhonda Cornum, on a mission to rescue a downed pilot, was captured by the Iraqis and held for seven harrowing days.

The Library of Congress, the nation's oldest federal cultural institution, is the world's preeminent reservoir of knowledge, providing unparalleled collections and integrated resources to Congress and the American people. Many of the Library’s rich resources can be accessed through its website at www.loc.gov and via interactive exhibitions on a personalized website at myLOC.gov.

Congress created The Veterans History Project in 2000 as a national documentation program of the American Folklife Center (www.loc.gov/folklife/) to record, preserve and make accessible the first-hand remembrances of American wartime veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. The project relies on volunteers to record veterans’ remembrances using guidelines accessible at www.loc.gov/vets/. Volunteer interviewers may pledge to record a veteran’s story at the site, or they may request more information at vohp@loc.gov or the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848.

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Civil Rights Digital Library honored with national award

The Civil Rights Digital Library, hosted by the University of Georgia Libraries and GALILEO, was recently awarded the 2010 Schwartz Prize for excellence in the public humanities by the Federation of State Humanities Councils.

The CRDL was recognized as an innovative program to deliver educational content on the civil rights movement via the web. This online library contains 30 hours (about 450 clips) of historical news footage, a civil rights portal that allows users to access material on the movements from 100 libraries and other organizations nationwide, and supplemental instructional materials. It has been incorporated into public programs ranging from teacher training to television documentary.

The CRDL has received approximately a million page views since its 2008 launch. Using historical news film footage from WSB in Atlanta and WALB in Albany and held in the UGA Walter J. Brown Media Archives, it evolved from a partnership with the Digital Library of Georgia (the digitization initiative of GALILEO, the state’s virtual library), the library services office at the state Board of Regents and the Georgia Humanities Council, including its New Georgia Encyclopedia.

“Winning the Schwartz Prize is a wonderful accomplishment for the CRDL partners,” said P. Toby Graham, deputy university librarian and DLG director. “The 15 nominations for this year’s prize showcase some of the most imaginative and important work humanities councils are currently undertaking or supporting.”

Graham noted that earlier this year, CRDL was credited with a Southeastern Emmy award for a documentary produced by civil rights veteran and former U.S. ambassador Andrew Young and in 2008 was chosen as an outstanding program by the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board.

“The Georgia Humanities Council is proud to be a partner in the Civil Rights Digital Library. Nowhere on the Web is there a more comprehensive collection on the American civil rights movement,” said Jamil Zainaldin, Georgia Humanities Council president. “The Schwartz Prize recognizes the high quality nature of the content of this site. It also recognizes the strong and creative partnerships that brought the CRDL to fruition.”

Dozens participated in building the Civil Rights Digital Library, including undergraduate and graduate students at UGA working under the direction of English professor Barbara McCaskill. Her students conducted research and authored instructional materials to accompany the digitized film footage.

One judge wrote, “In many ways, Georgia was an essentially important battleground and harbor for the modern Civil Rights Movement during the 1950s and 1960s. The state nurtured the movement’s most iconic figure, Martin Luther King Jr. It also was the site for the most memorable turning point in the early years of the struggle for the soul of the South—the long struggle against racial segregation and white racial tyranny in Albany. Perhaps the need for southerners—whites and blacks—to become more conversant with the Civil Rights Movement is second only in importance to a region-wide remembrance and interrogation of slavery and its affect on southern history and identity. What [Georgia] is doing with the Civil Rights Digital Library is an important step in that direction.”

The awards ceremony was held at the National Hispanic Cultural Center in Albuquerque, N.M., as part of the 2010 National Humanities Conference. The Connecticut and New Hampshire councils also were awarded the prizes, named for Helen and Martin Schwartz and given annually to up to three programs for outstanding work in the public humanities.

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Love a Little Mystery with History?

Museums are fascinating places to explore.  In every nook and cranny, there are wonderful finds which can fuel the imagination.  Who were the owners?  How did the artifacts explain life in olden times? What tales could these objects tell us?

During my first visit to the Smithsonian some 30 years ago, I found time stood still.  More, I just had to have more;  more information on the artifacts and more time.  Needless to say, the guards were kind enough to escort me away from the Hope Diamond after I had stood for several hours mesmerized by its beauty and its dark secrets.

There are some wonderful museums around the world that I will never have the opportunity to visit.  That is, until now....

The Travel Channel has unveiled an awesome series entitled Mysteries at the Museum.  Take a trip to several museums and see some wonderful pieces of history that also spark a great deal of mystery.  What do you know about Harry Houdini and his death?  The first flight over the North Pole?  Lizzie Borden?

Join in on Tuesday, November 23 at 9 ET/P to learn more about these mysteries of history and more.  You'll find yourself thinking about the past and what mysteries you could find at your local museum.

By the way, have you been to the Holliday Dorsey Fife House Museum in Fayetteville?  There's quite a bit there about Doc Holliday and Scarlett's world. Maybe there's room for some unanswered mysteries to surface............


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Fox Theatre Institute Offers Funds, Expertise to Restore Brunswick's Beloved Ritz Theatre

/PRNewswire/ -- Throughout the nation, once-cherished community treasures are feeling the effects of neglect and bleak economic conditions. However, as purse strings tighten, communities are coming together to reach into their own pockets and salvage grand historical theatres. In Georgia, one organization (http://bit.ly/FTI_kit) is making a difference and jumpstarting revitalization. The Fox Theatre Institute partners with historic theatres to restore, educate and strengthen community ties.

Recently, the Fox Theatre Institute completed its latest project: a partnership with the Ritz Theatre in Brunswick, Georgia. Built in 1899, the Ritz Theatre has a rich history. Once an Opera House and Art Deco movie palace, the theatre fell into decline through the 1970s but has since returned to a live community performance space.

On its way to reclaiming its vibrancy, the theatre set sights on restoring its 58 original windows and painting its exterior. Because of natural deterioration and proximity to the Inter-coastal Water Way, the historic elements began to fail. In April 2009, the Fox Theatre Institute assisted the Ritz Theatre in streamlining the restoration process, securing funds and providing theatre-to-theatre mentoring.

To stimulate economic development, skilled local craftsmen conducted the repair work. Through extensive ratings systems and detailed analysis, experts selected the appropriate processes and local materials to source the project, completed in August 2010.

"Brunswick has demonstrated a significant commitment to its community," said Fox Theatre Institute Director of Restoration, Molly Fortune. "The Fox Theatre Institute is thrilled to match the city's investment and play a role in restoring such a historical landmark."

The Ritz Theatre continues to play a vital role in the economic stability of downtown Brunswick's Old Towne Historic District, and the Fox Theatre Institute supports the local theatre as an epicenter of development. The Ritz Theatre has a story to tell, and with the expert hands of the Fox Theatre Institute, the community pillar will live to tell even more stories over the next 100 years.

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National Museum of American History Showcases the William Steinway Diary in Special Display and Online Edition

/PRNewswire/ -- The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History will launch its online edition of "The William Steinway Diary" in December to coincide with a special display of the diary that will provide a glimpse into the famous piano manufacturer's life and one of the most dynamic periods in American history. "A Gateway to the 19th Century: The William Steinway Diary, 1861–1896" will be on view in the Albert H. Small Documents Gallery from Dec. 17 through April 8, 2011.

Steinway (1835-1896), a prominent German American and astute entrepreneur, documented more than 36 years of his life through near-daily notes in nine volumes and some 2,500 pages, beginning eight days after the first shots of the Civil War were fired and three days before his wedding. The display follows Steinway's growth from witness to participant in history through select diary passages, Steinway family photographs, maps and advertisements that bring alive the fear and chaos of the 1863 Civil War Draft Riots and his hands-on role in the creation of the New York City subway and the company town of Steinway in Queens, N.Y.

"The breadth and depth of material covered in one man's personal diary is truly astounding," said Brent D. Glass, director of the museum. "The passion and diligence of the more than 100 volunteers researching the diary have produced a wealth of knowledge about the dramatic events of the second half of the 19th century."

Steinway was one of the piano world's great promotional innovators and a key figure in the cultural, economic, political and physical development of New York City. At age 15 he immigrated to the United States and became a partner in his family's newly formed piano-making firm at age 21.

Under his direction, Steinway & Sons thrived as it survived the fierce piano manufacturing wars of the time and fed the period's ravenous musical appetite. When Steinway & Sons incorporated in 1876, he became its first president, a position he held until his death. A proud member of New York's German American community, Steinway was a classic immigrant success story. His close circle of powerful friends and allies included President Grover Cleveland.

The debut of "The William Steinway Diary" website, will, for the first time, allow scholars and the public to read and search a complete transcription of the diary alongside high-resolution scans of each handwritten page. The site will provide a detailed look at Steinway's firsthand account of the period's financial panics, labor unrest and rise of the German immigrant class. Primary source material will be contextualized with more than 100 images from Steinway family archives and related essays. The museum hopes to publish later installments to include more than 30,000 interlinked annotations -- one for every three words in the diary -- to provide context for sometimes obscure entries.

The online edition of the diary and the companion display are the result of the combined efforts of the museum's curators and editors along with more than 100 volunteers. Taking more than two decades, "The William Steinway Diary" project is one of the longest-running and most extensive volunteer projects at the Smithsonian.

Recognizing the diary's historical significance, the late Henry Ziegler Steinway, Steinway's grandson and former president of Steinway & Sons, donated the diary to the museum in 1996. He became a central part of the Diary Project and a volunteer researcher until his death in 2008.

"The William Steinway Diary" project has been made possible with lead funding from Target Corporation and additional support from Henry Ziegler Steinway, the William and Mary McCormick Foundation and other friends of the Diary project.

The National Museum of American History collects, preserves and displays American heritage in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific and military history. To learn more about the museum, check http://americanhistory.si.edu. "The William Steinway Diary" website will be available by Dec. 17 at http://americanhistory.si.edu/steinwaydiary. For Smithsonian information, the public may call (202) 633-1000, (202) 633-5285 (TTY).

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How Much Do You Know About Thanksgiving?

Editor's Note: George Washington was the first president to proclaim Thanksgiving Day in 1789. It wasn't until 1863 that Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday of the month as a national holiday.  

There is no doubt the Union soldiers heartily enjoyed the extra rations received on that day, while the Confederate troops were quite hungry.  It is interesting to note the Confederate troops halted their fire on that one day so the Union troops could enjoy their national day of Thanksgiving.  



(SPM Wire) In addition to stuffing your guests' stomachs this Thanksgiving, here are some fun Turkey Day facts to fill their minds:

* Thanksgiving wasn't a national holiday until 1863, when President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last day in November a national day of thanksgiving. 

* President Franklin Roosevelt amended the holiday to fall on the fourth Thursday of November (avoiding the occasional fifth Thursday), in order to allocate more weeks to holiday shopping.

* More than 232 million turkeys were raised in the United States this year alone, with the majority in Minnesota.

* There are five places and townships in the country named Cranberry or some variation thereof.

* An estimated 117 million households will celebrate Thanksgiving this year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.


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The Dr. Edward J. Cashin Memorial Woodrow Wilson Lecture: “Ellen and Edith, Woodrow Wilson’s First Ladies: The Intersection of Public and Private Lives” November 18, 7pm

Historic Augusta and the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta State University invite the public to attend the Dr. Edward J. Cashin Memorial Woodrow Wilson Lecture on Thursday, November 18 at 7 pm.

Each year, the lecture explores different aspects of the life of Wilson in order to foster interest in the 28th President and in his boyhood home in Augusta.

The title of this year’s event is “Ellen and Edith, Woodrow Wilson’s First Ladies: The Intersection of Public and Private Lives.”

The wives of Woodrow Wilson were strikingly different from one another. Ellen Axson Wilson, quiet and intellectual, died after just a year and a half in the White House and is thought to have had little impact on history. Edith Bolling Wilson was flamboyant and confident but left a legacy of controversy.

Yet each played a significant role in the White House. Join Historic Augusta for an exploration of a compelling new book Ellen and Edith: Woodrow Wilson’s First Ladies by journalist and biographer Kristie Miller.

The annual lecture is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Edward J. Cashin, founder of the Woodrow Wilson Symposium in 1992, former chairman of the Department of History at Augusta State University, founding director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History, and former president of Historic Augusta, Inc.

Refreshments will be served. Admission is free. The lecture will be held at the Joseph R. Lamar Boyhood Home located at 415 Seventh Street in Augusta. For more information, contact Historic Augusta at (706) 724-0436 or visit www.wilsonboyhoodhome.org.

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Dot Moore to Speak at Margaret Mitchell Research Center Nov 21

The Fayette County Historical Society is pleased to announce that regional, award-winning author, Dot Moore, will be the speaker at the Sunday, November 21st meeting at the Margaret Mitchell Research Center, 195 Lee Street in Fayetteville from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

“Never was there a more famous seer than Mayhayley Lancaster of Heard County, whose role in the 1948 John Wallace murder trial secured her local reputation and launched a national one.” — Rheta Grimsley Johnson, Atlanta Journal-Constitution

This award-winning biography, and creative work of non-fiction, deals with the unusual and eccentric life of Mayhayley Lancaster. Moore’s childhood memories and encounters with Lancaster spurred her to write Oracle of the Ages: Reflections on the Curious Life of Fortune Teller Mayhayley Lancaster.

She is following Oracle of the Ages with a modern Jekyll and Hyde tale: No Remorse: The Rise and Fall of John Wallace. Her newest book is set for release in December.

Should a man be defined by his worst deed? This is the question explored by Dot Moore in No Remorse: The Rise and Fall of John Wallace, an examination of the notorious trial, conviction and execution of Wallace for the 1948 murder of William Turner in a small Georgia town. In this compelling work Moore paints the portrait of a complex man, capable of great compassion yet haunted by a demonic temper. Painstakingly researched, the book presents new information about the life of John Wallace and the trial that convicted him of murder.

The story of John Wallace was pieced together from records discovered in courthouses, at the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles in Atlanta; from Confession of a Criminal Lawyer by Wallace’s chief attorney A. L. Henson, and stories told by popular news writer Celestine Sibley. In the course of her investigation, Moore also discovered accounts of the trial in three major crime magazines and in accounts from the newspapers of LaGrange, Newnan, Columbus and Atlanta, Georgia. The book, Murder In Coweta County by Margaret Anne Barnes, provided additional information. But the most important new source discovered by Moore was a cache of letters written by Wallace and kept by a neighbor for more than fifty years. Through his correspondence with friends and family, the story of this emotionally conflicted man emerges.

Dot Moore grew up in Heard County, Georgia. She is a retired educator and political activist, and lives in Montgomery, Alabama.

The Fayette County Historical Society monthly meetings feature a speaker of local interest and the community is welcome. The Margaret Mitchell Research Center at 195 Lee Street in Fayetteville is open to the public weekly: Tuesday 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., Thursday, 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. and Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Georgia Tourism Division Launches GACivilWar.org

The Tourism Division of the Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) launched the state’s official Civil War website Ocotber 21 in commemoration of the upcoming Sesquicentennial. The event took place at a book signing for Crossroads of Conflict: A Guide to Civil War Sites in Georgia at the Gordon Lee Mansion in Chickamauga.

“We created this site so that it serves as an online portal for communities and Civil War organizations in Georgia to promote their Civil War commemoration activities and events on one comprehensive site,” said Kevin Langston, Deputy Commissioner for Tourism for the Georgia Department of Economic Development. “GaCivilWar.org will make it easier for visitors to plan their vacation by having access to all of our Civil War sites, stories and commemoration events.”

GaCivilWar.org is one of the state’s key marketing initiatives encouraging locals and visitors to explore and experience all facets of Georgia’s Civil War history. Features of the site include an interactive map of museums, battlefields, landmarks, historic homes and other significant locations; calendar of events; a timeline of events that took place in Georgia between 1861 and 1865; a news section; links to educational resources and related Civil War sites, and more. The second phase of the site will include Civil War driving trails; stories and written observations from Georgians during the Civil War; a multimedia section for video and images and more.

The state also developed a guide book, Crossroads of Conflict, a driving map and recently introduced an official sesquicentennial logo. The Sesquicentennial anniversary is expected to generate a significant increase in heritage travelers to Georgia. According to the U.S. Travel Association, heritage travelers encompass 78% of all leisure travelers. In 2009, heritage travel had an economic impact of $192.3 billion in the United States.

The Georgia Tourism division is partnering with the Georgia Civil War Commission, Georgia Humanities Council, Georgia Historical Society, the Tri-State Civil War 150th Association, and many other entities in Georgia to maximize exposure and increase the number of heritage travelers during this five-year commemoration and beyond.

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3rd Annual Cemetery Spirit Walk in Fayetteville October 23

Join in the spirit of learning about Fayetteville's history at the 3rd Annual Cemetery Spirit Walk in the Historic Fayetteville Cemetery on October 23.  Ten "residents" of the cemetery will speak to the guests about their lives.  Stories will be heard from the likes of Margaret Mitchell, Capt. Redwine and Doc Holliday.

Spirit Guides will lead groups of 8-10 guests from 6:30 to 8:30 pm.  Presale tickets are available at The Depot in downtown Fayetteville.  On the night of the event, tickets will be available at the Holliday Dorsey Fife House Museuem and the Fayetteville Cemetery.

Come on out and learn about the history from those who lived it.

Tickets are $5 per person.

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Mourning Rites at the Holliday Dorsey Fife House Museum

The Holliday Dorsey Fife House Museum in Fayetteville recently showcased a special presentation on mourning rites from the mid 1800s. 

Speakers Carolyn Balog and Betty English displayed several articles of clothing and mourning accessories which were used by our ancestors as they mourned the loss of a loved one.

The Holliday Dorsey Fife House Museum is one of Fayetteville's finest historical attractions and is open to the public Thursday thru Saturday.


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Seven Islands Artifacts Day

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at The Indian Spring Hotel, Indian Springs, Ga. 30216
Sponsored by the Butts County Historical Society

The Public is invited to bring their artifacts to be identified and dated by members of The Ocmulgee Archaeological Society. Archaeologist Stephen Hammack and other members of the Ocmulgee Archaeological Society will be on hand to identify Indian Artifacts from all periods and historic artifacts from the earliest days of settlement. Of special note, Georgia Paleoindian Recordation Project Coordinator Jerald Ledbetter and John Whatley, author of “An Overview of Georgia Projectile Points and Selected Cutting Tools,” will be on hand to identify and record Clovis, Dalton, and other early projectile points. There will be several collections on display, flintknapping demonstrations by Dave Swetmon and atl-atl, primitive weapons and friction fire demonstrations by Ken Ruff. Also this year we will have “PICKING ON THE PORCH”, so come out, and join in the acoustic jam on the back porch.

Seven Islands Artifacts Day is sponsored by the Butts County Historical Society, The Village at Indian Springs and Generations Gallery. For more information contact W.J. Shannon at wjshanon123@bellsouth.net or call 770-361-7185.
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The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Announces its 2011 List of State's 10 'Places in Peril'

/PRNewswire/ -- The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation released today its 2011 list of 10 Places in Peril in the state.

Sites on the list include: Zion Church in Talbotton; Rex Village in Clayton County; Craigie House (DAR Building) in Atlanta; John Ross House in Rossville; Harrington School in St. Simons Island; Medical Arts Building in Atlanta; Fairview Colored School in Cave Spring; Martin House in Columbus; historic buildings of Sparta in Hancock County; and, Berrien County Courthouse in Nashville.

"This is the Trust's sixth annual Places in Peril list," said Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of the Trust. "We hope the list will continue to bring preservation action to Georgia's imperiled historic resources by highlighting ten representative sites," McDonald said.

Places in Peril is designed to raise awareness about Georgia's significant historic, archaeological and cultural resources, including buildings, structures, districts, archaeological sites and cultural landscapes that are threatened by demolition, neglect, lack of maintenance, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.

Through Places in Peril, the Trust will encourage owners and individuals, organizations and communities to employ proven preservation tools, financial resources and partnerships in order to reclaim, restore and revitalize historic properties that are in peril.

The Trust will provide on-site preservation assistance to each of the 2011 Places in Peril through its Partners in the Field program, funded by grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and a number of charitable organizations in Georgia.

Sites that have been placed on previous years' lists have included: the Wren's Nest, home of folklore writer Joel Chandler House in Atlanta, which has undergone extensive restoration since its 2007 listing; Paradise Gardens, an internationally acclaimed folk art site in Chattooga County; Gilmer County Courthouse, a historic hotel building demolished in 2008; and the Crum and Forster Building in Atlanta. Updates on these sites and others can be found at www.georgiatrust.org.

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation is one of the country's largest statewide, nonprofit preservation organizations. Committed to preserving and enhancing Georgia's communities and their diverse historic resources for the education and enjoyment of all, The Georgia Trust generates community revitalization by finding buyers for endangered properties acquired by its Revolving Fund; provides design assistance to 102 Georgia Main Street cities and encourages neighborhood revitalization; trains teachers in 63 Georgia school systems to engage students to discover state and national history through their local historic resources; and, advocates for funding, tax incentives and other laws aiding preservation efforts.

Summary Information on each Places in Peril Site

Zion Church, Talbotton, Talbot County

Built in 1848 by Talbotton master carpenter James D. Cottingham and master brick mason Miranda Fort, Zion Episcopal Church features many fine details from the crenellated parapets on the roof to the triple-arched entrance. The church's gallery was used regularly for religious instruction of slaves, which was encouraged by the bishop of the diocese and Zion parishioners. Family box pews are as originally installed.

Major threats to the site are neglect, lack of maintenance and lack of funding for maintenance. The structure has significant wood rot on the exterior along with the need for typical weathering repairs. Additionally there is a diseased mature oak tree directly adjacent to the church, which would crush the building if it fell.

Rex Village, Clayton County

Historic Rex Village has recently experienced national attention because of its ancestral lineage to First Lady Michelle Obama. Rex Village is a 90-acre community featuring unique 19th century structures such as Rex Mill, Rex Bridge, and several period homes and mercantile buildings.

The new bypass has caused virtually all pedestrian and vehicular traffic to be diverted from the main storefronts. The resulting lowered property values have created the potential for Rex Village to be purchased by developers who may seek to inappropriately redevelop or even demolish the site. Rex is unincorporated, has no design codes for new construction and uses septic tank water systems.

Craigie House (DAR Building), Atlanta, Fulton County

Also known as the DAR Building, the 1911 Craigie House was the first chapter house of the Daughters of the American Revolution established in Georgia, which was only the second chapter of the DAR established in the country. Reportedly parts of the original Craigie House were moved to this site from the 1895 Cotton States Exposition in Piedmont Park, where it was the Massachusetts Commonwealth Building.

The building was used by the DAR until 1985 when it was damaged by a fallen tree. Inman Park Properties purchased the property in 2001, but as a result of the downturn in the real estate market, the building was foreclosed upon. Neglect and apparent squatters, compounded by a price tag of approximately $500,000 make the parcel more appealing as a buildable lot to many potential buyers.

John Ross House, Rossville, Walker County

The John Ross House is the oldest surviving structure in northwest Georgia and the metropolitan Chattanooga area. Built in 1797 by trader John McDonald, the building was a major stop for traders and settlers. McDonald's grandson, Chief John Ross, grew up in the house and later became the leader of the Cherokee Nation until his death in 1866.

Settling of the building has been compromising the construction of the late 18th century building. The Chief John Ross House Association maintains the structure and recently re-roofed the building with historically appropriate wood shingles. The association has an aging membership, and due to its location, has no local preservation support.

Harrington School, St. Simons Island, Glynn County

The last African American school on St. Simons Island, the Harrington School represents the most viable and valuable venue to interpret the Gullah-Geechee heritage of St. Simons Island. The building formerly served as the Harrington Grade School from the 1920s until its desegregation in the 1960s, when it was converted to a daycare facility and served as such until the 1970s.

The school building has incurred significant deterioration through the years despite being purchased by Glynn County and the St. Simons Land Trust as part of a 12-acre park. Last fall, after a grant request was denied, Glynn County declared the building beyond repair and placed its demolition on their 2010 agenda. Supporters of the school rallied. Plans for demolition were tabled, and supporters obtained a second opinion by preservationists that the building's foundations were solid and restoration was possible.

Medical Arts Building, Atlanta, Fulton County

Designated as a local landmark in 2005, the 1927 Medical Arts Building is closely associated with the growth and development of Atlanta as a major medical center for Georgia and the Southeast. Designed by G. Lloyd Preacher, the Medical Arts Building was Atlanta's first high-rise office building constructed specifically for medical professionals.

The building was affected severely by GDOT's "Freeing the Freeways" program in the mid-1980s that widened Atlanta's Downtown Connector. With the Peachtree Street bridge closed for a year and the permanent loss of the Alexander Street bridge, many medical practices in the building had difficulty remaining open.

Numerous real estate deals have fallen through. Although there are multiple liens against the building, the current owners have it listed for $11 million.

Fairview Colored School, Cave Spring, Floyd County

The circa 1924 Fairview Colored School is one of the few remaining educational structures which provided education to African American children in Georgia. It provides a glimpse of segregated education and the impact it had on the children of the period.

After the school closed in the 1950s, it was used as rental property and a storage unit. Since that time, upkeep and repairs have not been maintained. Immediate steps are needed to address structural issues. Access to the building is hampered by deep brush and kudzu. The floors and roof are unstable and the building is uninsured.

Martin House, Columbus, Muscogee County

Designed in 1954 by the architectural firm of Finch, Barnes and Paschal, the International style Martin House anchors the northeast corner of Midtown Columbus' Peacock Woods-Dimon Circle National Register Historic District. Its gardens were designed by noted and prolific landscape architect Thomas D. Church.

The structure is currently vacant and owned by a property management company that is cited by preservation groups in Columbus as not performing adequate maintenance, consequently resulting in rapid deterioration.

Historic Buildings of Sparta, Hancock County

The town of Sparta contains a large number of architecturally significant buildings. Before the Civil War, Hancock County was a leading cotton producer, and the wealth created by the plantation system is evident in Sparta, its county seat. By 1803 Sparta was one of only five towns in the state to have a newspaper, and the town had begun a substantial library.

Today, vacancy and neglect of many historic resources are hindering the economic revitalization of the small town. The historic Baker House was lost to demolition; many others are threatened by a new demolition ordinance. The Georgia Trust has been involved in Sparta for many years; most notably, its Revolving Fund program helped to save the Terrell-Stone and the Rossiter-Little Houses. The Sparta-Hancock Historical Society is also active, and the City of Sparta has created a historic district commission. However the City has not yet designated a historic district for the commission to administer.

Berrien County Courthouse, Nashville

A local landmark protected by a local preservation ordinance, the Berrien County Courthouse was built in 1898 and designed by W. Chamberlin and Company of Knoxville, Tennessee. The building incorporates steel and reinforced concrete; its fireproof structure has survived several fires with no significant damage. Marked by a prominent bell tower still ringing on the hour, the courthouse currently serves as office space for the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Development Authority/Better Hometown Office, and Berrien County Historical Foundation.

The Berrien County Courthouse receives inadequate funding for needed maintenance and suffers from a leaking roof, termite damage and failing plaster. The accrual of this neglect is causing significant damages to the structure.

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Exhibit of Newly Discovered Civil War Artifacts Now Open at Georgia Southern University Museum

Artifacts uncovered earlier this year at Camp Lawton, the site of the Civil War’s largest prisoner camp, is now on display at the Georgia Southern University Museum.

The artifacts, which include many priceless and unique finds, were discovered by a Georgia Southern University archaeology team excavating at Magnolia Springs State Park in Millen, Ga. The team, led by University anthropology professor Sue Moore, Ph.D. and graduate student Kevin Chapman, was working to locate the stockade wall that surrounded Camp Lawton during the Civil War. In addition to locating parts of the wall, the team uncovered numerous personal artifacts left behind by soldiers who were imprisoned there or were stationed there as part of the Confederate Army.  News of the discovery made headlines around the world when it was announced in August.

The artifacts, which include a tobacco pipe, tourniquet buckle, and photo frame, are very personal in nature. Researchers believe many of the artifacts may have been left behind when Union prisoners of war were awakened in the middle of the night by Confederate soldiers as the camp was evacuated in advance of Sherman’s approaching army during his “March to the Sea.” Researchers were stunned by the numerous finds at the Camp Lawton site, because artifacts from most Civil War prison camps have been lost due to farming, development and looting.

In addition to the artifacts, museum displays will also educate visitors on the harsh realities of life at Camp Lawton, including a display that shows the meager amount of food allotted to each person at the camp.

The exhibit will be on display during regular Georgia Southern University Museum hours until May 1, 2011. The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. The museum is closed Monday and on University holidays. Museum admission is $2 per person. Georgia Southern students with a valid I.D., museum members, and children under 3 years of age are admitted free of charge.

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Margaret Mitchell documentary draws heavily from UGA library collection; airs Oct. 10

Change in the Wind, a documentary about famed author Margaret Mitchell’s quest to improve conditions for African Americans in her home state, will air Oct. 10 from 4-6 p.m. on WSB-TV.

Drawn largelyfrom research in an unexplored collection of Mitchell correspondence at the UGA Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, the documentary—produced by civil rights veteran Andrew Young—traces Mitchell’s evolution from debutante to someone determined to improve the educational opportunities and ultimately the lives of Atlanta’s African-American citizens.

Mitchell’s patronage of private, all-male, historically black Morehouse College parallels her friendship with Benjamin E. Mays, president of Morehouse from 1940 to 1967. It was this relationship that Young and director CB Hackworth sought to explore with the documentary. Hackworth’s research at UGA with Mary Ellen Brooks, director emerita of the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, led to a much fuller portrait of the author.

Mitchell was able to see the world through her family’s black servants, Brooks believes. Mitchell became particularly disturbed when a beloved maid, Carrie, became ill and a hospital bed for her could not be found. After Carrie’s death, Mitchell sought to establish a scholarship in her name at Morehouse. Mays wanted the funds to cover students from the Southeast, but Mitchell held firm that it should be limited to Georgia in the hopes of helping her state.

“She often wrote respectful but endearing letters to the family’s employees, even when they were in the same house together,” Brooks said. “I think it shows Margaret Mitchell as a person who was sensitive and generous. It was as if they were her family, and they responded to her with letters as well. These materials do a great job of showing that side of her.”

Mitchell’s support of the Morehouse was kept secret for decades until Mays revealed to Georgia’s first African-American pediatrician that it was Mitchell who paid for his scholarship.

The friendship between Mays and Mitchell “grew increasingly warm and shows evidence of great mutual respect, but is based entirely on a mutual concern for the lack of adequate educational and medical resources for Atlanta’s growing African-American population,” Hackworth said.

Brooks notes the affection between Mitchell and the African Americans to whom she became close. Included in the correspondence is a telegraph in Mitchell’s handwriting to be sent to Hattie McDaniel, who played Mammy in Gone with the Wind, at 5 a.m. the day after the premiere telling her that Atlanta Mayor William B. Hartsfield called for a “big round of applause” for McDaniel. Their correspondence continued for years.

“The (entire collection of) letters shed a lot of light, especially when you read what (African Americans) have to say,” Brooks said. “It showed how they viewed whites. So at last we have two sides.”

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Macon's Hay House Celebrates 150 Years

HAY DAY 1860
Saturday, October 9, 2010
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Hay House
Macon


The Hay House is 150 years old.  Come join in the fun on October 9 in Macon.

This free event is for the whole family.

No reservations required.
For more information, call 478-742-8155.

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African-American Soldiers Honored By New Historical Marker

Historical Marker Dedication honoring African-American Soldiers in Combat
Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 10:30 a.m.  
Fort Hill School, 104 Fort Hill Terrace, downtown Dalton, GA
No Charge

The dedication ceremony will take place outdoors at the marker site, steps away from Fort Hill School building.
 

The Georgia Historical Society, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Battlefields Association, will unveil a new historical marker to recognize African-American soldiers in combat during the Civil War. The dedication ceremony will take place Wednesday, October 6, 2010 at 10:30 a.m. on the grounds of Fort Hill School in downtown Dalton, GA.

The keynote address will be delivered by Ambassador Andrew Young, founder and co-Chairman of GoodWorks International and former U.S. Congressman and mayor of Atlanta.

The event will feature the Blue Ridge Elementary School Chorus and historical interpretation projects by Fort Hill School students. The reception following will be hosted by the Dalton High School Culinary Arts Program.

This event is part of a statewide commemoration of the upcoming Civil War 150 anniversary event in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the Georgia Battlefields Association. GHS is conducting a program across the state to unveil new and recently replaced historical markers that explore the stories of Georgia's Civil War history as lived and experienced by all of its people during those tumultuous and transformative years. The marker text is as following:
African-American Soldiers in Combat

Near Dalton on August 15, 1864, during the Civil War, the 14th United States Colored Troops (USCT), whose enlisted men were mostly former slaves, helped drive off a Confederate cavalry attack on the Western and Atlantic Railroad, U.S. General William T. Sherman's main supply line during the Atlanta Campaign.  Later, on October 13, 1864, the 44th USCT was in a fort protecting the railroad through Dalton when the garrison commander surrendered to Confederate General John B. Hood.  In accordance with Confederate policy, many of the 600 captured black troops were returned to slavery.  Black troops rarely saw combat in Georgia, though nearly 200,000 African Americans served in the U.S. armed forces during the war. 

Erected for the Civil War 150 commemoration by the Georgia Historical Society, the Georgia Battlefields Association and the Georgia Department of Economic Development.



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Victorian Mourning at the Holliday Dorsey Fife Museum October 16

Once you hear how many occasions and how often women during the Victorian Age had to wear black and remain in mourning, you'll rejoice that those old customs are not in vogue. Of course, it made picking out clothing really simple. 

October 16
11 am

Holliday Dorsey Fife Museum
140 W Lanier Ave
Fayetteville, GA

Travel back centuries to the Victorian Age on October 16.  Come see and hear Betty English and Carolyn Balog share the past as they discuss mourning rituals, clothing and jewelry. 

Reservations are required, but there is no extra fee to see this fantastic glimpse into the past.  The presentation is included with the price of the Museum entry fee.

With a love of history that runs back to the American Revolution, English and Balog are members of the James Waldrop Chapter DAR in Fayetteville.

Photo by Ann Eldredge
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Atlanta History Center Holds Fourth Annual Fall Book Sale

Saturday, October 23, 2010
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM
Draper Members Room of McElreath Hall

Over 2,000 titles will be available, including books on American history, world history, fiction, biography, and genealogy. Proceeds from the sale of books support the mission of the archives and library in promoting the preservation, conservation, and care of the permanent collections. Donations of books prior to the sale are welcome.

Proof of purchase from the sale provides visitors a $5 discount on admission to the Atlanta History Center on October 23. The admission provides access to all exhibitions, including With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition. One coupon per person.

For more information, call 404.814.4049 or email.

Seven Islands Artifacts Day

Saturday, October 23rd, 2010 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm at The Indian Spring Hotel, Indian Springs, Ga. 30216
Sponsored by the Butts County Historical Society

The Public is invited to bring their artifacts to be identified and dated by members of The Ocmulgee Archaeological Society. Archaeologist Stephen Hammack and other members of the Ocmulgee Archaeological Society will be on hand to identify Indian Artifacts from all periods and historic artifacts from the earliest days of settlement. Of special note, Georgia Paleoindian Recordation Project Coordinator Jerald Ledbetter and John Whatley, author of “An Overview of Georgia Projectile Points and Selected Cutting Tools,” will be on hand to identify and record Clovis, Dalton, and other early projectile points. There will be several collections on display, flintknapping demonstrations by Dave Swetmon and atl-atl, primitive weapons and friction fire demonstrations by Ken Ruff. Also this year we will have “PICKINING ON THE PORCH”, so come out, and join in the acoustic jam on the back porch.

Seven Islands Artifact Day is sponsored by the Butts County Historical Society, The Village at Indian Springs and Generations Gallery. For more information contact W.J. Shannon at wjshanon123@bellsouth.net or call 770-361-7185.

Have you seen Abraham Lincoln Bicentenniel Exhibition at Atlanta History Center?

Atlanta History Center Only Southern Venue is Hosting Nationally Traveling Exhibition
Before he became President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln was an Illinois country lawyer, an antislavery state legislator, a member of the United States House of Representatives who opposed the Mexican War, and twice was an unsuccessful candidate for election to the U.S. Senate. With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition commemorates the 200th anniversary of the birth of our nation’s most revered president. Significantly more than a chronological account of the life of President Lincoln, this exhibition reveals a very personal side of Abraham Lincoln the man, whose intellect and thought, words in speeches and writings, and his occasionally difficult actions in a desperate time of war were deeply affected by his personal experiences and the pivotal historic events brought upon him by the advent of war and loss of life.

On display at the Atlanta History Center through November 7, 2010, the exhibition features interactive computer stations, multimedia presentations, important documents, books, broadsides, and newspapers, as well as prints and photographs, notable artifacts, and historical maps. The exhibition and accompanying programming is designed to provide a glimpse into Lincoln’s presidency and address the storm of controversies he faced, including demanding challenges to individual civil liberties and our national Constitution, as well as controversies over slavery and race, and the defiance of the South leading to the dissolution of the Union and the Civil War. For more information, call 404.814.4000 or visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com.

The Atlanta History Center is the only venue in the South to host this important national traveling exhibition organized by the Library of Congress. With Malice Toward None and its national tour are made possible through the generous support of Union Pacific Corporation, which was founded by President Lincoln after he signed the Pacific Railway Act in 1862. For more information on Lincoln and Union Pacific, visit UPCelebratesLincoln.com. The exhibition is presented in Atlanta by The John and Mary Franklin Foundation, Southern Company, Atlanta Gas Light, and the Georgia Humanities Council. With Malice Toward None is presented as part of the Atlanta History Center’s Civil War to Civil Rights exhibition series, presented by the Scott Hudgens Family Foundation, Macy’s, and The Atlanta Foundation.

The exhibition opens with a multimedia presentation that explores both the mythic Lincoln and the honorable man as revealed by his stirring and unifying words. It also charts Lincoln’s dramatic ascent from a simple prairie politician to our country’s preeminent statesman and provides a window into the Lincoln presidency, his life’s struggle to keep the Union intact, and as the war drew to a close his last attempts to heal the nation’s wounds before his death.

Video commentaries appear throughout the exhibition from distinguished Americans, including Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, actor Sam Waterston, and others that reveal personal connections to the documents Lincoln wrote. Interactive programs trace the president-elect’s celebratory journey by rail from Springfield to Washington and his return to Illinois by funeral train as the nation mourned his death.

By placing Lincoln’s words in historical context and presenting such bedrock American documents as Lincoln’s First and Second Inaugural Addresses, the Gettysburg Address, and the Emancipation Proclamation, the exhibition provides a deeper understanding of how remarkable Lincoln’s decisions were for their time and why his words resonate today.

The exhibition draws on the extensive collection of Lincoln material in the Library of Congress and includes letters, photographs, political cartoons, period engravings, speeches, and artifacts. The actual grammar book studied by Lincoln in his boyhood effort to master English, the notes he prepared in advance of his seminal debates with Senator Stephen A. Douglas, and the personal scrapbook of newspaper clippings of the debates he assembled help to bring Lincoln to life.

The exhibition includes a caned rocking chair from the Springfield office of the Lincoln and Herndon law firm, on loan from the Union Pacific Railroad Museum, and the contents of Lincoln’s pockets on the night he was assassinated. The exhibition also includes a seldom-seen exchange of letters written during the 1860 presidential campaign between the Republican candidate and Miss Grace Bedell. The two corresponded concerning the positive effects that growing a beard could have on Lincoln’s presidential campaign. The letters are on loan from the Benjamin Shapell Family Manuscript Foundation and the Detroit Public Library. Aspiring poets will enjoy Lincoln’s early attempts at this difficult art form, as well as Walt Whitman’s Civil War diary and his verse written at the time of Lincoln’s assassination, “Oh Captain, My Captain.”

Other items include campaign and election ephemera and such treasures as an autobiography that Lincoln supplied to admiring biographers; his Farewell Address written as he boarded the train from Springfield the Bible upon which he took the oath of office on March 4, 1861, and which was also used by President Barack Obama in 2009; his Gettysburg Address, considered our nation’s preeminent speech; and his impassioned letter to Albert G. Hodges, editor of the Frankfort, Kentucky, Commonwealth, in defense of the Emancipation Proclamation.

Military enthusiasts have the opportunity to see the highly critical letter Lincoln wrote but never sent to General George G. Gordon Meade following the Battle of Gettysburg, the signed commission of General Ulysses S. Grant as Lieutenant General, several inquiring and sometimes reprimanding letters to General George B. McClellan, and the letter of thanks to General William T. Sherman for the capture of Savannah, Georgia. The exhibition also includes one of the most significant military documents of the Civil War, General Robert E. Lee’s “lost order,” which was found by Union forces prior to the Battle of Antietam. Lee’s ensuing retreat following the battle provided Lincoln with the opportunity to issue the Emancipation Proclamation.

The exhibition concludes with a moving selection of emotional artifacts related to Lincoln’s assassination and examines his overwhelming and enduring legacy to our nation and the healing of the nation’s wounds brought on by the Civil War.

Visitors also have the opportunity to tour the Atlanta History Center’s award-winning permanent exhibition, Turning Point: The American Civil War. At 9,200 square feet, Turning Point is the largest Civil War exhibition in the South that tells the story of the war from beginning to end and beyond. Included are over 1,400 original Union and Confederate artifacts, plus photographs, vignettes, videos, and interactive components that deal with the causes of the war, soldiers’ lives, wartime manufacturing, the home front, and the bloody, decisive campaigns of 1864. A final section encourages guests to search for the consequences and meaning of the war, which claimed 670,000 American lives, more than the combined number of Americans killed in all other wars from the American Revolution through the Vietnam conflict. The heart of the exhibit is the DuBose Civil War Collection, one of the world’s largest collections of Civil War artifacts. Displays include materials from the Thomas Swift Dickey Civil War Ordnance Collection, the Confederate States flag that flew over Atlanta at the time of the city’s surrender, a Union supply wagon used by Sherman’s army, General Patrick Cleburne’s sword, the logbooks of the CSS Shenandoah, the diary of a Union soldier who died at Andersonville prison, uniforms from both armies, and firearms, artillery, soldiers’ personal items, letters, diaries, medical equipment, civilian clothing, veterans’ memorabilia, and much more. Free Turning Point audio tours are available.

The DuBose Gallery is made possible by a gift from Mrs. Beverly M. DuBose, Jr. The exhibition is sponsored by an anonymous donor and by Mr. and Mrs. W. Barrett Howell. Installation of Turning Point: The American Civil War was supported by Balentine & Company.

Both exhibitions, With Malice Toward None and Turning Point, are free with general Atlanta History Center admission.

ABOUT THE ATLANTA HISTORY CENTER:
Founded in 1926, the Atlanta History Center is an all-inclusive, thirty-three acre destination featuring the Atlanta History Museum, one of the Southeast’s largest interactive history museums; two historic houses, the 1928 Swan House and the 1860 Tullie Smith Farm; the Centennial Olympic Games Museum; the Kenan Research Center; the Grand Overlook event space; Chick-Fil-A at the Coca-Cola Café, a museum shop, and acres of Historic Gardens with paths and the kid-friendly Connor Brown Discovery Trail.

In addition, the History Center operates the Margaret Mitchell House. Located in Midtown Atlanta, the two-acre campus features tours of the apartment where Margaret Mitchell wrote her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gone With the Wind, an exhibition highlighting the life of Margaret Mitchell, a Gone With the Wind movie exhibition, and a museum shop.

For more information on Atlanta History Center offerings, hours of operation, and admission, please call 404.814.4000 or visit AtlantaHistoryCenter.com. 

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Researchers at Georgia Archives Soon to Have Limited Hours

Recently, the Georgia Archives announced on their website the reduction of hours due to budget concerns.  While this is disappointing to the many researchers who spend the day gleefully digging up family history buried deep in the vaults there, it is good the Archives will remain open on Saturdays.


Here is the announcement from the Georgia Archives:

Effective October 1, 2010 the hours available for public visitation to the Georgia Archives will change to Thursday through Saturday 8:30am to 5:00pm.  This is an unfortunate action we must take to meet the difficult budget environment facing all State Agencies.

With the reduction in public hours the Archives staff will now be deployed to fulfill different functions on different days.  When the Archives is open to the public, most or all employees will serve the public in the Reference Room.  When the Archives is closed to the public, most or all of the employees will work with state agencies to bring records into the Archives, catalog them, and shelve them.  To provide better and timelier service for research requests outside the core duties of the State Archives, i.e. genealogy requests, a list of other sources of information can be provided.  In this way the Archives will maintain its critical functions with reduced staffing.

Lunch and Learn lectures, normally held on the second Tuesday of each month, have been rescheduled (where possible) for the second Thursday of each month.  Please see the website for a revised schedule.

Source:  http://www.sos.ga.gov/archives/?utm_source=Georgia+Historic+Preservation+Division+e-newsletters&utm_campaign=809271607f-Preservation+Georgia+Online+-+Sept+18-24%2C+2010&utm_medium=email


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The Shapell Manuscript Foundation In Conjunction With The Library of Congress Presents: With Malice Toward None: The National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition

On Exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, Atlanta, Georgia, September 4 through November 7, 2010

Exceptional Lincolniana on Public Display for the First Time


The Grace Bedell Letter on growing a beard


Lincoln's condolence letter to Miss Fanny McCullough


Lincoln's physician's record of the President's deathbed and autopsy

/PRNewswire/ -- With Malice Toward None: The National Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition is a landmark exhibit of letters, photographs, documents, and artifacts, which opened at the Library of Congress on Lincoln's 200th birthday, February 12, 2009.

The Shapell Manuscript Foundation is pleased to announce the loan of several rarely seen autographed letters, manuscripts and photographs from its Lincoln Collection for this important exhibition.

The exhibition will include the first public pairing of 11-year-old Grace Bedell's letter to Lincoln suggesting that he grow a beard, together with Lincoln's reply, just four days later. Also on exhibit is his famous condolence letter to Miss Fanny McCullough on the death of her father at the battle of Fredericksburg. An extraordinary assassination-related piece from the collection will also be featured: the blood-stained notes of Lincoln's family physician describing the President's tragic final hours—his decline, death, and autopsy.

While the scope and outreach of the Shapell Manuscript Foundation has included the lending of manuscripts to international exhibitions, this will be the first time that so many of its Lincolniana treasures have been publicly displayed in one place.

With Malice Toward None: The Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Exhibition has already traveled to the California Museum in Sacramento, California, the Newberry Library in Chicago, Illinois and the Indiana State Museum in Indianapolis, Indiana. After the Atlanta History Center in Atlanta, Georgia, the exhibition will make its last appearance at the Durham Western Heritage Museum in Omaha, Nebraska (Jan. 15–Mar. 20, 2011).

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CITGO Provides Free Admission to More Than 1,000 Museums on Smithsonian Magazine's 6th Annual Museum Day

Editor Note:  Georgia has many museums participating in this wonderful event.  To see the list of 40 museums across our great state who are part of this wonderful excursion into history, click http://www.smithsonianmag.com/museumday/museum-search/?state=Georgia .

/PRNewswire/ -- CITGO Petroleum Corp. and its network of local marketers and retailers are proud to continue their support of Smithsonian Magazine's 6th Annual Museum Day. On Sep. 25, 2010, more than 1,000 participating museums and cultural institutions across the country will open their doors free of charge. As a supporting sponsor of this program, CITGO encourages people to visit a local museum or historical site to help keep history and culture alive.

"CITGO and our network of local marketers and retailers are committed to historical preservation, scientific advancement and cultural education in each of the local communities we serve," said Gustavo Velasquez, vice president of supply and marketing with CITGO. "As we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the CITGO brand this year, we look back at the milestones and events that have helped shape who we are and the people we serve. The Smithsonian Magazine's Museum Day is a great way for local families to join us in celebrating this rich history."

More than 1,000 museums, galleries and historical sites will open their doors free of charge on Sep. 25, including the network of 19 Smithsonian museums and 168 affiliate museums. Families can experience a wide range of fascinating institutions at no charge, including the Boston Children's Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the Miami Zoo and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City. To accesses a local attraction for free, visitors can simply go to www.SmithsonianMag.com/MuseumDay and print an admission ticket. Across 27 states and the District of Columbia, the network of nearly 6,500 locally owned CITGO stations will help families fuel their day as they learn about the history and culture that has made America great.

"We know that many families are looking for value these days. We are pleased to be able to give our customers a great way to make memories without having to spend a lot of money," added Gustavo Velasquez.

CITGO is joined in their support of the Smithsonian Magazine's 6th Annual Museum Day by its network of local marketers and retailers. In alignment with the social development principles of the CITGO shareholder, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, CITGO marketers and retailers support a wide range of charity and educational programs in local communities across the country.



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Apollo Discovery Tells a New Story

A University of Haifa/Hebrew University excavation team is taken by surprise as it discovers a ring revealing a Hellenistic elite lifestyle.

Newswise — A rare bronze signet ring with the impression of the face of the Greek sun god, Apollo, has been discovered at Tel Dor, in northern Israel, by University of Haifa diggers. "A piece of high-quality art such as this, doubtlessly created by a top-of-the-line artist, indicates that local elites developing a taste for fine art and the ability to afford it were also living in provincial towns, and not only in the capital cities of the Hellenistic kingdoms," explains Dr. Ayelet Gilboa, Head of the Department of Archaeology at the University of Haifa, who headed the excavations at Dor along with Dr. Ilan Sharon of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

When the ring was recovered from a waste pit near Hellenistic structures, it was covered with layers of earth and corrosion, and the archaeologists had no indication whatsoever that it would reveal the shape of a legendary figure. Only after the ring was cleaned up at the Restoration and Conservation laboratory at the Hebrew University's Institute of Archaeology, was the profile of a beardless young male with long hair, clean shaven and adorned with a laurel wreath, revealed. The ring was examined by Dr. Jessica Nitschke, professor of classical archaeology at Georgetown University in Washington DC, and by Dr. Rebecca Martin, assistant professor of art at Southeast Missouri State University, both of whom are partners in the Tel Dor excavations. Both confirmed that the image is that of Apollo – one of the most important of the Olympian gods in Greek mythology, god of the sun, of light, music and song.

The archaeological context and style of the signet ring date it back to the 4th or 3rd century B.C.E. This type of ring was used as a seal or was dedicated to the temple of the god imprinted on the ring. Since it was found in an urban context and at an orderly archaeological dig, the discovery is of great significance: Most of the small pieces of art originating in the Near East until now are of unknown origin, having been displaced through illegal antique trade, or purchased by museums and collectors before scientific archaeological research began.

The ring also testifies to the cosmopolitan character of this region as far back as 2,300 years ago. Despite the damage caused over the centuries, its high quality is easily recognizable. The precious object was found in the same area as a small gemstone with an engraved image of Alexander the Great and a rare, exquisite Hellenistic mosaic floor that were unearthed during earlier excavation seasons. All these discoveries are very likely to be linked to a nearby structure which is currently being excavated, the architectural features of which indicate that it is a grand elite structure.

These finds indicate that the circulation of fine art objects was not limited to the capital cities of the Hellenistic kingdoms in the east, such as Alexandria in Egypt or Antioch and Seleucia in Syria, where the main populations were Greek, but also spread to smaller centers, such as Dor, which was primarily populated by local Phoenician inhabitants.

The town of Dor was an important port on the Mediterranean shore from 2000 B.C.E. until 250 C.E. Pieces of Greek-style art, such as signet rings and miniature gems, began to appear in the east at the time of the Persian Empire (6th-4th centuries B.C.E.) and became more common after Alexander the Great conquered the region, passing through Dor on his journey from Tyre to Egypt in 332 B.C.E. Subsequently, the town of Dor became one of the centers of Greek culture in the land of Israel, and that culture left its mark even after Dor was conquered by Alexander Jannaeus, King of Judea, around 100 B.C.E. and its impact is evident well into the Roman era.

Tel Dor is located next to the Dor (Tantura) beach, between Haifa and Tel Aviv. It has been excavated continuously for some thirty years and is in the process of being declared a National Park by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. University of Haifa and Hebrew University teams collaborate in the excavations, along with a team headed by Prof. Sarah Stroup of the University of Washington in Seattle and a team directed by Dr. Elizabeth Bloch-Smith of St. Joseph's University, Philadelphia. Some 130 researchers, students and volunteers from Israel and the U.S.A. participated in the 2010 season of excavations. The ring was discovered in an excavation area directed by Yiftah Shalev and Hagar Ben-Best, a PhD candidate and a graduate student of the University of Haifa's Department of Archaeology. The Tel Dor excavations are supported by the Goldhirsh Foundation, USA, by the Berman Foundation for Biblical Archaeology and by the Israel Science Foundation.

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Coca-Cola Enterprises donates antique soda fountain to UGA College of Pharmacy

Coca-Cola Enterprises donated a historic soda fountain to the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy on September 17. The 1907 soda fountain, manufactured by Liquid Carbonic Co., is valued at $15,000.

Featuring a mirrored frame, marble counter tops and dispensing unit, the massive oak fountain has 13 flavoring dispensers. It was operational for many years at the Brightwell Store in Maxeys, before eventually moving to Coca-Cola Enterprises in Atlanta. The soda fountain now has a new home in the College of Pharmacy’s Alumni Suite, which was recently dedicated as part of the Pharmacy South Building project and renovations to the Robert C. Wilson Pharmacy Building.

Laura Brightwell, vice president of public affairs and communications at Coca-Cola Enterprises, is a descendent of the Maxeys Brightwell family. She and her colleagues at Coca-Cola Enterprises, Bill Douglas, executive vice president and chief financial officer, and Joe Cunningham, Coca-Cola facilities manager in Athens, officiated at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, along with Svein Oie, dean of the pharmacy college, and Dana Strickland, director of development.

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Presidential Proclamation--Constitution Day, Citizenship Day, Constitution Week

Editor's Note:  Know your Constitution.  Read your Constitution.  Be prepared to defend it everyday.  

Enjoy the nationwide celebrations today as all Americans celebrate the Constitution and its signing 223 years ago.

The summer of 1787 was a watershed moment in our Nation's history.  In the span of four short months, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia established a Constitution for the United States of America, signing the finished charter on September 17, 1787.  With their signatures, and subsequent ratification of the Constitution by the States, the Framers advanced our national journey.

On Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and during Constitution Week, we commemorate the legacy passed down to us from our Nation's Founders.  Our Constitution, with the Bill of Rights and amendments, has stood the test of time, steering our country through times of prosperity and peace, and guiding us through the depths of internal conflict and war.  Because of the wisdom of those who have shaped our Nation's founding documents, and the sacrifices of those who have defended America for over two centuries, we enjoy unprecedented freedoms and opportunities.  As beneficiaries, we have a solemn duty to participate in our vibrant democracy so that it remains strong and responsive to the needs of our people.

Each year, thousands of candidates for citizenship commemorate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day by becoming new American citizens.  These individuals breathe life into our Constitution by learning about its significance and the rights it enshrines, and then by taking a solemn oath to "support and defend the Constitution and laws of the United States of America."  In so doing, they voluntarily accept that citizenship is not merely a collection of rights, but also a set of responsibilities.  Just as our Founders sought to secure the "Blessings of Liberty" for themselves and their posterity, these new Americans have come to our shores to embrace and impart the fundamental beliefs that define us as a Nation.

In the United States, our Constitution is not simply words written on aging parchment, but a foundation of government, a protector of liberties, and a guarantee that we are all free to shape our own destiny.  As we celebrate this document's profound impact on our everyday lives, may all Americans strive to uphold its vision of freedom and justice for all.

In remembrance of the signing of the Constitution and in recognition of the Americans who strive to uphold the duties and responsibilities of citizenship, the Congress, by joint resolution of February 29, 1952 (36 U.S.C. 106), designated September 17 as "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day," and by joint resolution of August 2, 1956 (36 U.S.C. 108), requested that the President proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as "Constitution Week."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim September 17, 2010, as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, and September 17 through September 23, 2010, as Constitution Week.  I encourage Federal, State, and local officials, as well as leaders of civic, social, and educational organizations, to conduct ceremonies and programs that recognize our Constitution and reaffirm our rights and obligations as citizens of this great Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this sixteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

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Yellow Fever! Savannah’s Epidemic of 1820

Living history interpreters lead participants on a 50-minute experience through the historic site as voyeurs facing the frightful time of pestilence when the city was stricken by an epidemic of unknown cause but what we now know as mosquito-borne yellow fever. Performers will convey the fear, apprehension and anguish that characterized those who witnessed the deadly disease.

Friday and Saturday nights in October 2010 (October 1, 2, 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30)
7:30, 7:50, 8:10, 8:30 and 8:50 p.m.

Admission: $15 in advance for adults, $10 in advance children (ages 8-17) and $17 for adults and $15 for children at the time of the Reservations recommended. Limited attendance.

Location: Davenport House, 324 E. State Street, Savannah, GA

Not appropriate from children under 8 years of age.
The performance requires that guests be able to walk up and down stairs and maneuver in the candlelit rooms.

The Davenport House is a property of Historic Savannah Foundation.

Tennessee Child History Buff and Author Gets Surprise Book Deal

Titanic Museum Attraction visit inspires Sevierville boy

Publish Post

Earlier this summer, 9-year old Luke Copas toured the new Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. with his mother and father, Sabrina and Robby Copas. The fourth grader at Northview Primary School in Kodak, Tenn. was no stranger to the world’s most famous luxury liner; in fact, he had already written a book about it – but his visit to the museum would lead to a huge surprise for the young writer.

Last school year, then 8-year old Luke had been selected to participate in the “Child Authors’ Conference.” An avid reader who loved learning about the past, Luke wanted his book to create a passion in other children for history.

Sabrina Copas said, “Luke became a walking encyclopedia of all things Titanic. He was literally consumed by it. When it came time for him to actually write his book for the Child Authors’ Conference, it took him less than one week to write it because he knew the subject matter so well.”

Luke took his book to the Titanic Museum Attraction and showed it to co-owner Mary Kellogg-Joslyn. Impressed with the boy’s talent and driven by his enthusiasm, Kellogg-Joslyn secretly made a few phone calls and landed the boy a book deal.

“He has an amazing talent,” Kellogg-Joslyn said. “The first time I read his book, I couldn’t believe my eyes. He writes so well and researched this book so deeply that I simply wanted to share it with others.”

On Thursday, Sept. 16, Luke’s entire class at Northview Primary School was summonsed to the school library, where Kellogg-Joslyn and Titanic Museum Attraction First Class Maid Jaynee made a surprise appearance. At first, Luke didn’t know why they were there – but when he saw the first copy of Facts For Kids About the Titanic his face changed expressions.

“That’s MY book!” Luke proudly proclaimed to his classmates and Cub Scout friends who had joined him for his special surprise. Luke Copas’ new book Facts For Kids About the Titanic was released this week and is now available at the Titanic Museum Attraction gift shop.

On Saturday, Sept. 18 from noon until 2 p.m. Luke Copas will sign copies of his new book Facts For Kids About the Titanic in the gift shop at the Titanic Museum Attraction in Pigeon Forge. The gift shop is always open to the public.

Since opening last April, nearly 500,000 visitors have been welcomed aboard Titanic Museum Attraction. The Titanic Museum Attraction – which is conveniently located to all areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville – is now open every day from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. ET. Tickets are available online at www.TitanicPigeonForge.com and visitors are strongly urged to purchase tickets in advance or make reservations by calling 1-800-381-7670. The museum has something special for each and every member of your family.

Cedar Bay Entertainment, which owns and operates Titanic Museum Attraction, is a privately owned entertainment and development company headquartered in Branson, Missouri, the site of Cedar Bay’s first Titanic Museum Attraction. Since its April 2006 grand opening, it has welcomed more than 2,700,000 guests.
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