Friday, February 25, 2011

National Archives at Atlanta Presents Day-Long Civil War Program April 16, 2011

/PRNewswire/ -- The National Archives at Atlanta will present The Civil War: America's Long Struggle on April 16, 2011, at its Morrow, GA, facility, located at 5780 Jonesboro Road. The program, which costs $20.00, including lunch, is open to the public, pre-registration required.

This day-long program commemorating the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, features lectures from leading Civil War scholars and archivists, an exhibition of original 19th century newspapers chronicling the African-American experience, and an opportunity for attendees to learn more about their own Civil War heirlooms.

"The symposium will attract Civil War historians, as well as members of the general public whose lives were forever impacted by this great conflict," said Jim McSweeney, Regional Administrator, National Archives at Atlanta.

"It's one thing to hear about the Civil War in a lecture or read about it in books. It's another to dig through your attic and find your family's place in the greater narrative."

Speakers include:

* David S. Ferriero, Archivist of the United States
* Trevor Plante, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
* Shane Bell, National Archives at Atlanta
* Daniel Stowell, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum
* Eric Leonard, Andersonville National Historic Site
* Kenneth Noe, author of Reluctant Rebels and Auburn University professor


Slavery and Freedom in Black and White: The African American Experience in 19th Century Newspapers, an exhibition of original newspapers, features articles on African American history, including editions of Harper's Weekly, The Globe, The Liberator, and Savannah Daily Herald, drawn from the private collection of Christine Mitchell. The exhibit will remain on display through September 2011.

One hundred registrants will have the opportunity to display their Civil War artifacts and heirlooms and learn more about the significance of the objects from experts in an afternoon program entitled "Civil War Treasures in Your Nation's Attic." Georgia Public Broadcasting will film some of these objects for a program by the same name to air on a future date. This portion of the program is sponsored by the Foundation for the National Archives, Scott Antique Markets, the National Archives at Atlanta, and Georgia Public Broadcasting. Objects must be pre-approved. See the registration form for more details.

Registration begins today and is $20 per person, which includes a catered lunch. For more program information and to register, go to www.archives.gov/southeast.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation Annual Meeting & Ramble, Georgia Statewide Preservation Conference Set for Macon, March 31-April 3

/PRNewswire/ -- The rich historic culture of Macon, Ga., the city known as the "song and soul of the South," will be showcased during the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's Annual Meeting & Spring Ramble and the Georgia Statewide Preservation Conference March 31 – April 3.

For four days, Trust members, guests, preservation professionals and others interested in saving and preserving Georgia's historic places will tour more than 20 historic sites and private homes in the area, attend preservation seminars, and recognize top projects throughout the state with awards of excellence for preservation.

The Georgia Statewide Preservation Conference, the first segment of the event, will be held March 31-April 1. The keynote address will be delivered at Thursday morning's opening plenary session by Donovan Rypkema, who is recognized nationally as a leading expert in the economics of preserving historic structures. Mr. Rypkema will share the results of a recently completed study on the economic benefits of preservation in Georgia. The session starts at 11 a.m. in the Douglass Theatre.

Friday evening, guests will attend the 34th Annual Preservation Awards ceremony, which salutes projects and individuals for exceptional work in the fields of restoration, rehabilitation and preservation throughout the state. The awards ceremony is scheduled to begin at 6:00 p.m. at the Douglass Theatre, a historic theater that hosted musical legends such as Ma Rainey, Cab Calloway and Duke Ellington. Following the ceremony, guests will dine inside the grand ballroom at the beautifully restored Armory Ballroom.

The Georgia Trust will hold its Annual Meeting on Saturday, April 2, at 10 a.m. at Mulberry Street United Methodist Church. Meeting attendees will hear an update on the "State of Preservation in Georgia" from Mark C. McDonald, president and CEO of The Georgia Trust.

One of the most highly anticipated components of the weekend is the "Spring Ramble," an exciting way for guests to tour Macon's historic architectural treasures and meet others interested in preservation. On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, guests will have the opportunity to tour more than 20 historic private residences and other historic sites, including the rarely seen Villa Albacini, an exquisite 1922 house modeled after the Baroque Chapel of the Villa Arvedi in Italy, which hasn't been open to the public for over 25 years.

As the former home to Southern Rock pioneers, the Allman Brothers, the Ramble will also feature special tours of the Big House Museum, where members of the band lived early in their career; Capricorn Recording Studio, where the band recorded hit records; and Rose Hill Cemetery, the final resting place of two of its members.

The weekend ends with a Sunday brunch at the Woodruff House, a beautifully restored Greek Revival house donated to Mercer University by George Woodruff, brother of former Coca-Cola president Robert Woodruff. Guests will also enjoy a special behind-the-scenes tour of Hay House, a property of The Georgia Trust, featuring all seven levels of the mansion, including its spring house and newly restored dining room.

The Georgia Trust's Annual Meeting and Spring Ramble is made possible by generous support from the Knight Fund for Macon of the Community Foundation of Central Georgia. Co-hosts are Hay House and Historic Macon Foundation. Other partners include the Bibb County Board of Commissioners, City of Macon, College Hill Corridor, Douglass Theatre, Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Humanities Council, Macon Bibb County CVB, Mercer University, NewTown Macon, Ocmulgee National Monument, Wesleyan College and Walter Elliott at www.walterelliott.com.

Many registration options are available, ranging in prices from $40 to $250. Guests under 40 can enjoy a discounted rate of $100 for the Annual Meeting, Ramble and all scheduled meals. For more information on the Trust's Annual Meeting & Spring Ramble and the Georgia Statewide Preservation Conference or to register, visit www.GeorgiaTrust.org or call (404) 885-7812.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Fayette Historical Society Hosts Fundraiser for Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum

The Holliday-Dorsey-Fife House Museum in conjunction with the Fayette Co. Historical Society will present a special fund raising event for the Fayette Co. Museum on March 12. 2011.

Herb Bridges, an authority on Gone With the Wind collectibles, will be speaking on Gone with the Wind, specifically on Margaret Mitchell and how she came to write the famous novel. Herb is the largest collector of GWTW memorabilia around.

He has written several books, and will do appraisals on any editions of GWTW by audience (limit one per person) after his talk.

The price for the event, located at the Fayetteville Main Street building (the DEPOT) and follow up at the Museum, will be $5.00. The time will be from 11:AM to 12:15.

Also at the museum we will be having the "Celtic Ties" musical group to entertain from 1:00 to 3:00 p. m. Scott Gilbert will be there (dressed as an Irish Confederate) to share with anyone some Irish /Confederate history. The $5.00 admission is good for both events.

This will be an interesting and worth while event in support of our Museum.


(rec'd from Fayette County Historical Society - www.Fayettehistoricalsociety.com)

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

GM Offers Sneak Peek at Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial

/PRNewswire/ -- General Motors is providing an advance look at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Memorial, which will be dedicated on Aug. 28 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

As major contributors to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation, the General Motors Foundation, GM and Chevrolet received one of only two replicas of the Memorial. GM is donating its replica to the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for its ongoing effort to provide learning opportunities, exhibitions and programs that explore the diverse history and culture of African Americans.

"As the world's largest museum dedicated to the African American experience, we are honored to house the replica of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial," said Charles H. Wright Museum President Juanita Moore. "The replica is a great addition to the Museum's collection, which documents, preserves and educates on African American history, life, and culture."

GM Foundation President Vivian Pickard said that GM, the GM Foundation and Chevrolet have donated more than $10 million to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Foundation, and are committed to remaining a driving force in seeing the Memorial completed and raising public awareness of its existence.

"This replica of the Memorial will reach many people from around the world who visit the Charles H. Wright Museum here in Detroit and will help to spread Dr. King's message of democracy, justice, hope and love," Pickard said. "The GM Foundation is pleased to support the MLK Foundation in honoring Dr. King. He continues to be a model of hope and a great humanitarian, whose story of striving for equality should never be forgotten."

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial will be positioned on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., in direct line between the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, the place where Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech on Aug. 28, 1963. The centerpiece of the Memorial, the "Stone of Hope", will feature a 30-foot likeness of Dr. King using natural elements. It will contain excerpts of his sermons and public addresses to serve as living testaments of his vision of America. It will be the first memorial on the National Mall to honor a non-U.S. president.

"The GM Foundation and General Motors were among the first to contribute to the legacy of Dr. King by sponsoring this important memorial," said Harry E. Johnson, president and CEO, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation. "We are grateful for their generous contribution and commitment to uphold the ideals most important to Dr. King."

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Sam Thomas to speak on Mitchell's Thunderbolts, Athens' Unique Civil War Militia

Monday, February 21, 7:00 PM at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF)

OCAF Hosts History Lecture

Sam Thomas' presentation about the Athens Home Guard unit known as Mitchell's Thunderbolts, will tell the spirited tale of a Civil War militia formed to protect the town, and in so doing, developed a persona that was part warrior, part Keystone Kops.

In 1863, with Georgia being threatened by an invasion of Union troops, many communities began to form their own local guard units to protect the towns in the case of attack. These militia groups were known as Home Guards and were generally made up of men either too old to serve in the regular army or those who could no longer serve, having been discharged due to wounds, or of boys too young for regular service. Athens was no different. Confederate authorities and city officials knew the presence of the Cook & Brother Armory would eventually make Athens a target of Union interest. Several Home Guard units were formed in Athens, but none became nearly as famous locally as did Mitchell's Thunderbolts.

Sam Thomas, curator of the T.R.R. Cobb House since 2006, holds both a BA and MA in History. His past life includes 13 years as a tennis professional. He is also credited as an author of numerous articles in journals and newspapers, as well as seven books including, 1861-1864, and A Rising Star of Promise. In 2000, he served as a technical advisor on the Mel Gibson film, The Patriot. He describes himself as primarily a Civil War historian with Scotch-Irish culture and Southern culture as very close seconds. He is past-president of Georgia's Civil War Heartland Leaders Trail, an association of heritage tourism-based museums in northeastern and eastern Georgia.

Free Admission

Date, Time & Location: Monday, February 21, 7:00 PM at the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF), 34 School Street, Watkinsville. For directions visit the website www.ocaf.com. This event is sponsored by the Oconee County Historical Society and hosted by the Oconee Cultural Arts Foundation (OCAF).

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Eldridge and Thurmond to recount Athens desegregation in UGA Grady College program

Former Athens Mayor Doc Eldridge and former state Labor Commissioner Michael Thurmond will recount what it was like to attend a newly desegregated Athens high school as part of the series “Telling the Story: Education and Equality Through the Peabody Lens,” on Feb. 16, at Ciné, 234 Hancock Street.

Sponsored by the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the discussion with Eldridge and Thurmond will be preceded by a free screening from the Peabody archives of Busing: Some Voices from the South from 5-7 p.m.

Produced by Westinghouse Broadcasting Company in 1972, the documentary looks at what happened to some Southern communities after a busing program went into effect. Filmed in Athens, as well as cities in North Carolina and South Carolina, Busing: Some Voices from the South includes interviews with teachers, parents, school administrators, bus drivers and children about their experiences and concerns about busing.

The Athens segment includes comments by former UGA Dean of Men William Tate, Clarke County Board of Education attorney Eugene Epting, and Clarke County School Superintendent Charles McDaniel. A segment focusing on Oglethorpe Avenue School includes an interview with Principal Estelle Farmer, footage of Bridget Withers’ 4th grade class, and scenes from an Oglethorpe PTA meeting. The program also includes comments by Clarke High School classmates Jan Pulliam and Leo Scott.

After the film, Eldridge and Thurmond will discuss their personal experiences attending high school together in Athens during the contentious period of desegregation. The future players in Georgia politics became good friends in high school despite their racial differences and the tension that defined the era.

Hosted by the Grady College, “Telling the Story: Education and Equality Through the Peabody Lens,” is a series of three Peabody Collection films that focus on issues of education and equality. The first screening, of the HBO-movie Something the Lord Made, was held on Jan. 19. The second screening, Hoxie: The First Stand, was held on Feb. 2. The series is co-sponsored by the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and the Peabody Collection.

The screenings are being held in conjunction with UGA’s commemoration of the 50th anniversary of desegregation, “Celebrating Courage.” In recognition of the historic event, the university has planned 50 days of events related to diversity. For more information, see www.desegregation.uga.edu.

Established in 1915, the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication offers undergraduate majors in advertising, digital and broadcast journalism, magazines, newspapers, public relations, publication management and mass media arts. The college offers two graduate degrees, and is home to the Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism and the Peabody Awards, internationally recognized as one of the most prestigious prizes for excellence in electronic media. For more information, see www.grady.uga.edu or follow @UGAGrady on Twitter.

-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Rare Books Valued at More Than $1 Million Donated to MARBL at Emory

A collection of rare books valued at more than $1 million has been donated to Emory University’s Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library (MARBL). The 22-title assortment, which includes one of the first books printed in the English language, was given by Ohio book collector and business leader Stuart Rose, an Emory alumnus.

“These extraordinary books will, without a doubt, enhance the prestige and scope of Emory’s collections,” says Richard Luce, provost and director of Emory Libraries. “Mr. Rose’s generosity and his dedication to strengthening MARBL are deeply appreciated.”

The Rose gift to Emory includes in its original binding a first edition of “Poems,” the first book published by English Romantic poet John Keats; a theological study by St. Thomas Aquinas that is now MARBL’s oldest book; and a 15th century volume of universal history, the “Polychronicon,” one of the first books published in the English language.

Among the other books in the collection are rare editions of works by:

Emily Brontë
Rudyard Kipling
Giacomo Casanova
L. Frank Baum
Victor Hugo
John Maynard Keynes and
Charles Dickens
Rose’s 1653 first edition of Izaak Walton’s “The Compleat Angler” is held by fewer than 20 libraries in the United States.

Rose, a 1976 graduate of Emory’s Goizueta Business School and a longtime MARBL patron and friend, is chairman and chief executive officer of REX American Resources Corp., a large public alternative energy company in Dayton, Ohio. In the last two decades he has built a remarkable rare book collection, including a signed presentation copy of a first edition of Charles Darwin’s “On the Origin of Species,” which he loaned to Emory for a special exhibition in 2009.

Spanning more than 800 years of human history, the holdings of Emory’s MARBL have particular strengths in literature and the arts, African American history and culture, religious expression and the freedom struggle. MARBL is one of North America’s major literary archives.

Rose’s gift to the library is part of Campaign Emory, a $1.6 billion fundraising endeavor that combines private support and Emory’s people, places, and programs to make a powerful contribution to the world. Investments through Campaign Emory fuel efforts to address fundamental challenges: transforming health and healing, gaining ground in science and technology, resolving conflict, harnessing the power of the arts, and educating the heart and mind.


-----

Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Friday, February 4, 2011

There's Gold in the Hills and Tears on the Trail

Whenever I think of the effects the early gold rush in Georgia had on the Cherokee Nation and their subsequent forced removal from the state, I shed tears for them.  The Cherokee Nation played such a great role in early Georgia, so kudos to the new museum in Canton telling more of their story.

Come learn more about Georgia History and the history of the Cherokee Nation.

The Cherokee County, GA, History Museum
Grand Opening
Saturday, Feb 5
10 am - 3 pm

Cherokee County Unveils New Visitor Center

The new Cherokee County, GA History Museum and Visitors Center will have its grand opening this Saturday, Feb 5, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The center, located in the historic courthouse at 100 North St, Canton, GA, will have a ribbon cutting ceremony Friday, February 4, from 4-5 p.m., hosted by the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce.
The museum -- which features displays on local Cherokees who lived in the area prior to Removal -- is located on the first floor of the historic marble courthouse. The admission is free. Call 770-345-3288 for more information.

The museum will also be open Wednesday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

"It has been quite a challenge to summarize hundreds of years worth of history to fewer than 300 words," said Stefanie Joyner, executive director of the Cherokee County Historical Society. "Doing all of the education materials for the museum has been a daunting task for this 1 1/2 man office!"

Here's the text from the new panel, which will be unveiled tomorrow:......http://trailofthetrail.blogspot.com/2011/02/cherokee-county-unveils-new-visitor.html

Source: Trail of the Trail Blog

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Digitizing Penions Files for War of 1812 Challenge

Have a grandpa or two who fought in the War of 1812?  There's a great new project underway to digitize the pension and land bounties that will result in a new free online index.


Check out the donation challenge.......

War of 1812 Matching Funds Challenge

Whether or not your ancestors served in the War of 1812, you may be interested in the project spearheaded by the Federation of Genealogical Societies to Preserve the Pensions and bounty land records from that war. Even better than being preserved, the records will be digitized, searchable, and made available online free of charge.......http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/6hupuF/www.fgsconferenceblog.org/2011/02/war-of-1812-matching-funds-challenge.html


-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Historic Athens newspapers now available online via digital library

An archive of historic Athens newspapers is now available online via the Digital Library of Georgia at the University of Georgia.

The Athens Historic Newspapers Archive provides online access to five newspaper titles published in Athens from 1827 to 1922. Consisting of more than 57,000 newspaper pages, the archive provides historical images that are both full-text searchable and can be browsed by date. The site provides users with a view into the history of Athens in its early years as the home to the first state-chartered university in the nation and its eventual growth into the largest city in northeast Georgia.

The archive includes the following Athens newspaper titles: Athenian (1827-1832), Southern Banner (1832-1882), Southern Watchman (1855-1882), Daily/Weekly Banner-Watchman (1882-1889), Daily/Weekly Athens Banner (1889-1922).

The Athens Historic Newspapers Archive is a project of the Digital Library of Georgia as part of the Georgia HomePLACE initiative. The project is supported with federal Library Service and Technology Act funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service, a unit of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia. Digitization also was made possible through a grant provided by the Francis Wood Wilson Foundation, Inc. The Athens Historic Newspapers Archive is available at http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/athnewspapers.

Other newspaper archives available through the Digital Library of Georgia include the Atlanta Historic Newspapers Archive (1847-1922), the Macon Telegraph Archive (1826-1908), the Columbus Enquirer Archive (1828-1890), the Milledgeville Historic Newspapers Archive (1808-1920), the Southern Israelite Archive (1929-1986), and the Red and Black Archive (1893-2006). These archives can be accessed at http://dlg.galileo.usg.edu/MediaTypes/Newspapers.html

“Georgia HomePLACE is very pleased to support digitizing and presenting online content for the Athens Historic Newspapers Archive, a project of the Digital Library of Georgia, which is an initiative of GALILEO (Georgia’s Virtual Library),” said Ed Johnson, director of Georgia HomePLACE.

-----
Community News You Can Use
Click to read MORE news:
www.GeorgiaFrontPage.com
Twitter: @gafrontpage & @TheGATable @HookedonHistory
www.ArtsAcrossGeorgia.com
Twitter: @artsacrossga, @softnblue, @RimbomboAAG @FayetteFP
468x60_years_dark_2.gif