Volume 26, No. 1 • Spring 2008MUSEUM PLANNING UNDERWAYThe transformation of the first floor of 136 Main Street into museum space continues, as does preparation for the exhibits on the history of Troup County and West Georgia. Excitement builds with the anticipation of its opening.As the exhibit unfolds and each artifact connects to the over-arching theme of change, the challenge is to develop exhibits that involves our visitors. We do not want to be a place where objects are simply presented, but instead be a site where an experience takes place. A 1930s delicate, colorful woman’s compact from City Drugs speaks to a particular time in the history of downtown LaGrange, but is also a story about the people in the era of its use. A bicycle from the 1940s stands on its own as an historical object while also speaking to bicycle races held for children at the textile mill village and life in the villages. Blount Ferrell owned a Masonic apron in the 1840s, covered with symbols that give insight into its owner and tells of the organization’s connections to the very early roots of the community. Historical accuracy is only part of the purpose of the artifacts on display. The exhibit should also evoke an emotional response as a people are revealed through them. We hope the artifacts will fascinate and educate, but also engaged people as they who view the objects and consider the circumstances surrounding its use. What will draw visitors in? The voice behind the sword, the song book, or an article of clothing? Where will Troup County’s story connect with your life and when will you suddenly recognize yourself among the objects, stories and people of West Georgia? Our goal is that the experience goes beyond capturing your interest and curiosity and becomes a sense of discovery of people and events that shaped and changed lives. We are still searching for particular objects to add to the exhibit. If something comes to mind as you read this list, please call or e-mail if you know where we might find these artifacts. Here is our current wish list:
Laurie Sedicino, Museum Curator
PRIVATE GARDENS OF GEORGIA IS FOCUS OF SPRING MEETING The next meeting of the Troup County Historical Society will be a brunch held on Friday June 6th and will feature Polly McLeod Mattox and Helen Mattox Bost talking about their new book, Private Gardens of Georgia. Published by Gibbs Smith, the coffee table book sold out of its first printing. Mrs. Mattox, a longtime member of the Troup County Historical Society, and her daughter have written the book and photographs by Erica George Dines make this a must-have. The program on June 6th will be at Highland Country Club and will begin at 11:30 a.m. Books will also be available for purchase. This program is being cosponsored by the LaGrange Hydrangea Festival which will be held June 7 and 8 in downtown LaGrange. Invitations will be mailed shortly! Save June 6th on your calendar! HISTORY DAY 2008The 2008 West Georgia Regional History Day contest took place on the main campus of LaGrange College on Friday, March 7th. The Troup County Historical Society and LaGrange College cosponsored the contest. 96 students from six schools in Troup and Muscogee Counties participated in the contest. First, second, and third place winners advance to the Georgia State contest at Macon State College on Saturday, April 26, 2008. First and second place winners at state will participate in the national contest at the University of Maryland in June.This is the 27th year that the Troup County Historical Society has coordinated the History Day contest. Thousands of students have participated in the contest. Participants have gone on to become history professors, doctors, lawyers, teachers, journalists, and much more. Members of the Troup County Historical Society hope that they remember their participation in the contest as an enjoyable experience that encouraged a lifelong appreciation of history. The 2008 theme was Conflict and Compromise in History. This year’s contest featured website development for the first time.
2008 Troup County History Day winners with Dr. Stuart Gulley, President of LaGrange College. These students will advance to the state competition.
RECENTLY PROCESSED AND REVISED COLLECTIONSSONS OF LAFAYETTE MALE CHOIR (MS-2007.06) This is a new collection. The Sons of LaFayette Male Choir was organized January 29, 2001 with the goal “to have a choir of 40 plus men who represent many different walks of life in our community.” The collection consists of programs, notes and scripts for various concerts, photographs, and a collection of audio CDs. Scrapbooks detail organization and concerts.CALLAWAY FAMILY ASSOCIATION (MS-55) This collection contains genealogical information on Callaway immigrants to America and their descendants. Additions consist of genealogical records, association publications, annual reports, and DVDs. LAGRANGE COLLEGE (MS-79) Additions consist of items donated by individuals and the college. Most of these recent additions are subject files and publications. CALLAWAY GARDENS (MS-80) The records of Cason J. Callaway and Callaway Gardens are one of the largest collection housed at Troup County Archives. Additions include audiovisual items. STAFF MEMBERS RECEIVE AWARDSLaurie Sedicino, Museum Curator for Museum on Main, has received the 4rd annual Outstanding graduate Student Paper in Anthropology award from Georgia State University in a ceremony on April 14, 2008.This award recognizes a graduate student who has produced an outstanding paper on any topic in anthropology. The awardee receives a cash prize and a framed certificate which will be presented at the Award ceremony in April. The topic of Laurie’s paper was “Preservation on the Other Side of the Abelia Hedge” about a community just east of downtown Atlanta. In January, our student assistant, Sabrina Jones, was named the first place winner in the LaGrange Optimists Club 2008 Essay Contest. Sabrina’s winning essay was titled, “Today’s Choices Shape My Future.” Her essay was reprinted in the LaGrange Daily News on January 31, 2008. Sabrina is a senior at Dawson Street Academy. She will be attending college next year and hopes to attend either Spelman College or Valdosta State University. She has worked at the Archives after school and during summers for two years. She is responsible for indexing newspapers and assisting with researchers and telephone calls. CONGRATULATIONS! TROUP COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY: 2008 MEMBERSHIPGovernorDr. & Mrs. J. Harvey Saunders Senator Callaway Family Association Callaway Gardens Mr. & Mrs. Robert G. Harris, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Bart Macomber Mr. & Mrs. Richard V. Torrance Patriot Ms. Pat Alverson C B & T Mrs. George S. Cobb, Jr. Drs. Julian & Sue Duttera Dr. Leland M. Park Dr. & Mrs. Tom West Founder Mr. & Mrs Ray Anderson Mr. & Mrs. Earl P. Cook Mr. & Mrs. Robert Ellis Mr. Millard Grimes Mr. Grover A. Hobbs Dr. & Mrs. William L. Hutchinson Mr. & Mrs. Thomas Malone Mr. & Mrs. Greg Minchew Mr. & Mrs. Jay Russell Sustaining Dr. & Mrs. Paul Baxter Drs. Jon & Kay Birkeli Mrs. Peggy Boatwright Hon. & Mrs. Jeff Brown Mr. & Mrs. H. Speer Burdette, III Mrs. Lillian C. Cauble Mr. & Mrs. Jerry Cleaveland Mrs. Anne A. Cleaveland Dr. & Mrs. Robert B. Copeland Ms. Jane Alice Craig Mrs. Jane Crayton Davis Mrs. Julia Dyar Downtown Development Authority Mr. & Mrs. Edward R. Ekkebus Mr. & Mrs. Alec Evans Dr. & Mrs. William Fackler Mr. & Mrs. Sidney Gay Dr. and Mrs. Garnett J. Giesler Selma and Thomas Gore Mr. & Mrs. Oliver Greene Dr. & Mrs. F. Stuart Gulley Mr. & Mrs. Frank C. Harrell Mr. & Mrs. Pat Holder Mr. & Mrs. John Holle Mr. & Mrs. Charles D. Hudson Dr. & Mrs. Richard Ingram Mr. Barry Jackson Mrs. Elizabeth Banks Jarrell Mr. & Mrs. F.C. Johnson, III Mr. & Mrs. Fred Jones Dr. & Mrs. James Killebrew Mr. and Mrs. Charles L. Knight Mrs. Joseph H. Kyle Mr. & Mrs. J. Smith Lanier, II Mr. & Mrs. Louis Lester Mr. Earl Marsh Dr. & Mrs. David Martin Mr. & Mrs. Kendrick W. Mattox, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. John C. McKibben Mrs. Judith Merrill Mr. & Mrs. Curtis Myhand Mr. H. Pope Richter Drs. Eugene & Margaret Schaufler Mr. & Mrs. W. B. Shedd Mr. & Mrs. Gordon M. Smith, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Ellis Smith Mr. & Mrs. Charles Stevens Mr. & Mrs. James Stogner SunTrust Bank Mr. & Mrs. John Taylor Mr. & Mrs. Robert Walters Mr. Frost Ward Mr. & Mrs. Ricky Wolfe Mrs. Nancy Yates Sponsor Abbott, Jordan & Koon LLC Dr. & Mrs. Jung H. Ahn Mr. & Mrs. Wayne Bartley Mr. & Mrs. Edwin Batchelor Mrs. Claire Beall Mr. & Mrs. Ted Beason Mr. & Mrs. Bobby Carmichael Mr. and Mrs. Zim Cauble Mr. & Mrs. Robert Condra Miss Katherine Cook Mr. & Mrs. Jim Crane Dr. & Mrs. James Doerr Mr. & Mrs. Marvin Edelson Mr. & Mrs. Mack Paul Efland, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Charles Foster Mr. & Mrs. Cliff C. Glover Mr. & Mrs. Lee Grover Mrs. Susan G. Hall Ms. Mary Ellen Hill Mr. & Mrs. Owen C. Holleran Mr. Alex S. Hopkins Mr. & Mrs. Frederick Hoppe, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Jake Jones Mr. & Mrs. Chris Joseph Judge and Mrs. Allen Keeble Mr. & Mrs. Walton Knight Mr. & Mrs. Don Lee Mr. & Mrs. Bill Lowe Dr. & Mrs. William J. Martin Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth McGreevy Mr. & Mrs. Alfred McNair Dr. & Mrs. James C. Morgan Ms. Josievet Moss Mrs. Gardner Newman Mrs. Betty J. Oetjen Dr. & Mrs. Jerry Overall Mrs. Glenna J. Parkins Mr. & Mrs. Loren Pinkerman Dr. & Mrs. Thomas N. Pirkle Mr. & Mrs. Leon Pitts Dr. & Mrs. Cliff Rainey Mr. Don Russell Mr. & Mrs. Tom Slagle Mr. & Mrs. Charles W. Smith Mrs. Jane Strain Mr. Allan Struletz Mrs. Elizabeth Traylor Mr. & Mrs. H. Grady Traylor Dr. John & Kathy Vollenweider Ms. Jennie Wadsworth Mrs. Virginia Weldon Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Wingo Mr. Mrs. Richard H. Worrell Builder Dr. Sybil L. Allen Allen County Public Library Mrs. Shelly Anello Mike & Jan Angstadt Mrs. Ethyl Ault Mr. Lewis L. Banks Mr. & Mrs. Donald Bassett Mr. Gerald Becham Mr. & Mrs. Jim Biagi Mr. James T. Boyd Ms. Dee Bradley Dr. & Mrs. Lloyd C. Brewton Ms. Malinda Brooks Mr. & Mrs. Hugh Camp Mrs. J.W. Carr Mr. & Mrs. Chris Cleaveland Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Crawford Mr. Charles T. Creekman Mrs. Sally L. Culpepper Mr. Larry Daniel Mrs. Clara B. Daniel Miss Sara E. Davis Jean & Joan DeMarrais Mrs. Louise Denney Ms. Susan Denney Mr. and Mrs. Edward W. Edge Capt. & Mrs. Joseph Fagundes Mr. & Mrs. Charles A. Ferguson Mr. Jim Franks/ JB Systems Mr. William Freeman Dr. Richard A. Freeman Ms. Sarah Funderburk Mr. John Gamble Mr. & Mrs. Orren Gilbert Mr. & Mrs. Edmund Glover Mrs. Jane Gore Mr. & Mrs. Rocky Grace Mr. & Mrs. Jackson Grady Mr. & Mrs. James T. Gresham Mr. & Mrs. William C. Guthrie Mr. & Mrs. George Haley Mr. & Mrs. Thelon A. Hamby Mr. & Mrs. Paul Hammett, Jr. Mrs. Martha Hartley Ms. Jaclyn Helmke Ms. Marianne Helms Mr. & Mrs. William F. Holle, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. Samuel Hornsby Mr. & Mrs. W. B. Houze, Jr. Mr. and Mrs. John W. Huckstep Ms. Polly Hutchinson Mrs. Yolanda K. Jabaley Mr. A. Stephen Johnson Mrs. Ida F. T. Jones Mrs. Rachel M. Jones Mrs. Julia Keller Mr. & Mrs. Keenan Knight Mr. & Mrs. John K. Lancaster Mr. & Mrs. Eugene Langford Mrs. Stephanie Lankford Dr. & Mrs. Werner Linz Mr. and Mrs. Eiland G. Lipham Mr. & Mrs. Keener Lynn Mrs. Glenda Major Dr. & Mrs. Grant R. Major Mr. & Mrs. G. Melville Major Dr. & Mrs. Paul Major Ms. Gayle Maner Mr. & Mrs. Nasor Mansour, Jr. Ms. Betty M. Mattox Mr. & Mrs. Mickey McCoy Mr. & Mrs. Dewey R. McKenzie Mr. & Mrs. Ray McKenzie, Jr. Mrs. Sara McKibben Revs. Bill McLemore & Lori Lowe Dr. & Mrs. Fred Mills Mr. & Mrs. Dusty Mills Mr. & Mrs. Vincent Moon Mr. & Mrs. George R. Moore Ms. Dorothy D. Moore Dr. & Mrs. Walter Murphy Mr. & Mrs. Bob Myhand Mr. & Mrs. Raymond A. Newman Mrs. John R. Newman Mr. & Mrs. Gene Page Mr. & Mrs. Howard Park, Jr. Mr. & Mrs. David Parker Mrs. John H. Peacock Ms. Claire Ray Ms. Julia Ann Reeves Mrs. John J. Schuyler Mrs. Martha Slater Mrs. Avery P. Sledge Mr. V. Hawley Smith Mr. & Mrs. Calvin Spinks Ms. Anne H. Stich Mrs. James H. Swanson Mr. & Mrs. Horace Thom Mrs. Ferrell Towns Mrs. Sybil Traylor Mr. Gus Valeri Ms. Lynda Veal Mr. & Mrs. Stephen Vorhees Col. M. Reid Wallis Mrs. Gail Walsh Mr. Robert Weeks Mr. & Mrs. James C. Woodyard Mr. & Mrs. Thomas H. Woosley Ms. Patty Youngblood COMING SOON!The shop at our new museum will feature Troup County playing cards. This one-a-kind souvenir will sell for $10 and will feature 52 different scenes of Troup County.Now you can properly indulge your love of history AND your favorite card game, be it Solitaire, Bridge, Rummy, Go Fish, or whatever your favorite games might be! RECENT ACCESSIONS, October, 2007 - March 2008[If not indicated otherwise, donor is from LaGrange.]
Baker, Dan. Photo of Harris County Young Farmer’s Club, 1925; 1976 Hogansville High yearbook. SLACK COLLECTIONLast year, shortly before the Archives packed up and moved into temporary quarters for the duration of the museum renovations, we received a large collection of family papers from the family of Dr. and Mrs. Henry R. Slack, Jr. Processing these fascinating documents has recently been finished. The collection, known as the Slack Family Collection, relates to several generations of the Slack and Bradfield families in Troup County. Personal correspondence is the largest part of the collection and has been arranged by individuals and placed in chronological order.The main focus is the life, career, and interests of Dr. Henry R. Slack, Jr., and his wife, Ruth Bradfield, and their children. Dr. and Mrs. Slack were involved in many aspects of the religious, cultural, educational, and civic life of LaGrange. Dr. Slack was also a pioneer in medical and pharmaceutical fields, not only in LaGrange, but on the State and National levels as well. In addition to the many letters in the collection are speeches and poetry written by members of the family, as well as a number of daily journals covering more than 75 years. These papers had been preserved for many years by Arline Taylor Slack, whose husband, Searcy Bradfield Slack, Jr., was a grandson of Henry and Ruth Slack. They were donated to the Archives by her son, William P. Slack, an attorney in LaFayette, Georgia. ARCHIVES: TEMPORARY OFFICEThe Troup County Archives will be located on the second floor of the Bank of America building on Main Street in LaGrange until early fall. Renovations are proceeding on our building at 136 Main Street. Museum on Main will be located on the first floor while the Troup County Archives will occupy the second floor of the building. The building was last renovated in 1981-82 and renovations are proceeding on schedule! Call 706-884-1828 if you have questions.Membership in the TROUP COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY is open to all people interested in preserving Troup County’s heritage. Membership entitles you to a free subscription to the newsletter and invitations to Society functions. The Historical Society is a nonprofit agency. All memberships are tax-deductible. Mail checks to the Society at P.O. Box 1051, LaGrange, GA 30241 or you can charge to your credit card. Simply call at 706-884-1828 or send your name, address, card number, and expiration. For membership application, click here. CATEGORIES OF MEMBERSHIP ARE:
ARTIFACT SPOTLIGHT
Chuck Moore of Valley, Alabama, recently donated these gears and wheels to Museum on Main. They will be used in the permanent gallery. Chuck worked as an engineer with WestPoint Stevens and now WestPoint Home for thirty years and is an artist who often uses these gears in his art. He created the Iron Man which is part of the bike trail in Valley. Thank you for sharing Chuck!
This newsletter is a quarterly publication of:The Troup County Historical Society and Archives136 Main Street P.O. Box 1051 LaGrange, GA 30241 Phone: 706-884-1828 • Fax: 706-884-1840 E-mail: info@trouparchives.org http://www.troupachives.org Officers:President -- Ann PetryVice-President -- John Taylor Secretary -- Sally Macomber Treasurer -- Jim Crane Past-President -- Oliver Greene Board of Trustee Representative -- Charles D. Hudson Staff of the Archives:Director -- Kaye Lanning MinchewReference Archivist -- F. Clark Johnson Museum Curator -- Laurie Sedicino Education Archivist -- Barry Jackson Bookkeeper -- Diana Thomas Photographs -- George Allen Scanning -- Randall Allen & Earnestine Smith Records Management -- Forrest Johnson Assistant -- Sabrina Jones
|