GEORGIA HISTORICAL RECORDS ADVISORY BOARD

2004 Outstanding Archives Award Winners

Award for Legislative Advocacy

Honorable Gail M. Buckner

Representative Gail M. Buckner of Jonesboro has been a strong supporter of the Georgia Archives since joining the Georgia General Assembly in 1991. This year, she spearheaded the passage of legislation that allows the Georgia Archives to initiate action through the Attorney General to stop the sale of stolen government records, whether they have been stolen from the state or a local government.  It also permits action to recover stolen records.

Most Georgia records, which show up for sale on eBay, at flea markets, or other venues, have been taken from local governments.  Previously, the Georgia Archives had no ability to assist with the recovery.  With Representative Buckner’s help, state law was changed to allow the Georgia Archives to initiate action to prevent the sale, transfer, conveyance, destruction, or alienation of any records, books, documents, or other office property, which has been unlawfully removed from any public office.

Award for Advocacy

Mr. William A. Richards

Mr. William A. Richards of Eatonton has worked tirelessly to promote archives in Georgia, to further archival education, and to develop an outstanding archival facility at Georgia College and State University.  He took the innovative action of cross listing his course, “Archival Theory and Issues” at two different universities.  In addition, under his guidance, the archival holdings at Georgia College and State University have more than tripled since his arrival in 1995.

L-R:  Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Professor John Fair, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon, Professor William A. Richards

Professor Richards played a key role in developing a concentration in archives for the Department of History and Geography at Georgia College & State University.  Last year, Professor Richards offered his course both at Georgia College and through the Master of Library and Information Science Program at Valdosta State University.  The course has been a success, benefiting both institutions and furthering the careers of many students.

Professor Richards has also greatly expanded the Georgia College and State University’s archival collections.  Under his leadership special collections has grown to include a museum and public programs component.  As a direct result of acquiring the papers from the late Senator Paul Coverdell, Georgia College has received over $800,000 in federal grants to establish the Paul Coverdell Leadership Institute and to process his papers.

Award for Excellence in Archival Program Development by a Historical Repository or Local Government

Archives of the Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University

The Archives of the Philip Weltner Library, Oglethorpe University in DeKalb County, is a rich resource of campus history and community associations.  The Archives was made accessible to the campus and the community for the first time through a major inventory effort that determined the holdings of the archives, provided a description of the materials, and created an access point to the collections.

The Archives is currently microfilming its campus newspaper collection dating from 1916, which chronicles important historical events that have taken place over the years.  Additionally, the Archives developed an exhibit utilizing artifacts, photographs, and documents from the Archives and will offer student internships this fall.

The Loose Papers Committee of the Augusta Genealogical Society

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Committee Members Gloria Lucas, Kathy Cornett, Julius Rucker, and GHRAB Chairman, R. Lee Kinnamon

The Loose Papers Committee of the Augusta Genealogical Society, composed of ten volunteers, tackled a task that would be daunting to many archivists.  They unfolded, flattened, cleaned, catalogued, and properly stored almost 9,000 original historical documents from the Superior Court of Richmond County.  Dr. Julius Rucker of Evans chaired the committee.  Committee members are Carrie Adamson, Dorothy Anderson, Millie Chappell, Kathy Cornett, Octavia Garlington, Millie Holbrook, Kathy Jarvis, Gloria Lucas, Mae Rachels, Jerry Scott and Elizabeth Swink.

The records, dating from 1784 through the 1860s, came into the custody of the Society in the mid-1990s in very large plastic bags.  Some had been damaged by water, smoke, insects, or rodents.  Volunteers contributed over 5,000 hours for a dollar value of $70,000.  The catalog of the entire collection, including 58,000 names, has been entered into a computer database that provides invaluable information to genealogists and historians.

Honorable Betty B. Cason

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Judge Betty B. Cason, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Judge Betty B. Cason of Carrollton implemented a model system to scan permanent records of the Carroll County Probate Court.  The growing population of Carroll County was creating large volumes of records to be maintained and, as mandated by law, preserved and secured as historical records.  Judge Cason had a feasibility study conducted which identified the appropriate technology and system to address this problem. 

The court implemented a system to scan court records, produce microfilm from the scanned image, and produce CDs for public reference.  The system reduced staff reference time, freed up vault storage space, and established a new revenue source through the sale of CDs to firms that perform title work or practice probate law.  Copies of the CDs have been placed at both the public library and the local historical society to increase public access.  This system has been held up as a model to facilitate business processes and access to court records.

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Principal Jim Arnold, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Shaw High School  

Shaw High School in Columbus conducted an oral history project in which over 250 students from grades 9-12 interviewed veterans and citizens that lived and fought during World War II.  The students wrote and edited biographical essays from the interviews, gave reflective speeches, and published a compilation of the biographies in a book entitled, Saluting Our Heroes.  Shaw High School will give all participants a copy of the book and will donate copies to all public and school libraries in Columbus, Ft. Benning, and the Historic Columbus Foundation.

Students interacted with an older generation to learn history from eyewitness accounts and understand the impact of World War II.  Shaw students also produced Social Studies Fair projects using information from the interviews.  In April, the veterans and citizens were entertained with a USO-style show written and produced by students in Shaw’s Fine Arts Department based on the information from the interviews and other research. 

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Senior Archivist Sallie Loy, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History Archives

The Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History Archives in Kennesaw played a significant role in documenting Georgia’s history by preserving the company records of the Glover Machine Works of Marietta, Georgia.  As Georgia’ only locomotive works, Glover Machine Works built over 200 steam locomotives between 1902 and the early 1930s.

The Museum acquired the company records in early 2002 and the Archives staff processed thousands of documents including correspondence, production records, and locomotive builder files.  A significant part of the collection is the nearly 800 glass plate negatives that depict locomotives, workers and general factory life.  The company records of the Glover Machine Works allow researchers to study the complexities of the economic and industrial development of Georgia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Troup-Harris-Coweta Regional Library

Troup County Archives

The Troup-Harris-Coweta Regional Library and Troup County Archives collaborated in an oral history project about residents of Troup County.  Project staff interviewed over eighty residents from families that had lived there since the county's founding as well as those who had arrived in the United States only a few years earlier.

Interviewees ranged in age from 40 to 105.  The interviews provide details that could not be found in any other way, whether the subject is the loneliness of being the first black to attend all-white West Point High, the tension of assisting local owners when Callaway Mills were sold to Milliken in 1968, or the frustration of being a Russian immigrant struggling to get a job cleaning the local mall as he sought U.S. citizenship.

All interviews were conducted using a digital video camera and the digital videotapes are part of the Troup County Archives’ permanent collection.  Digital tape recordings and transcripts are being placed on the Library-Archives' shared website where viewers can watch the interview, read the transcript, and search major topics. 

Award for Excellence in Archival Program Development by a State Agency

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox; Director of Research, Evaluation, and Technology Tony Mazza; Assistant Director of Clemency Walt Davis; GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

State Board of Pardons and Paroles

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles worked with the Georgia Archives to design an electronic records system that both protects confidential information and gives access to open information contained in clemency records.  Both the Georgia Technology Authority and Georgia Archives have cited this project as an example of a best practice for government.

Clemency records are historical materials that have traditionally been transferred to the Georgia Archives for permanent retention.  Automation of the process provided an ideal opportunity for the Board to work with the Archives to include privacy and access concerns in the design and implementation of the system.

While not the only means that could be used to protect the confidential data, the Board used XML, a computer language that provides a software independent protocol for the protection of data.  The project proved the feasibility of designing custom XML templates for the protection of confidential data in a way that could be replicated across government in a variety of applications.  The project produced the desired results at a cost of under $50,000.

Award for Excellence in Documenting Georgia’s History

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Joe Hungate, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Joe Hungate

Joe Hungate of Snellville created Confederate Hospitals of Upson County, an electronic index, which contains names of soldiers from all over the Confederacy and documents the mobile hospitals of Upson County.  The index also includes items such as rank, company, disease, regiment, hospital, and physician.

Dr. Samuel Hollingsworth Stout, Director of Hospitals for the Army of Tennessee, established a system of mobile hospitals that could easily follow the movements of the Confederate Army.  From the Center for American History at Texas University in Austin, the Thomaston-Upson Archives obtained lists of medical records that were part of the Stout papers.  Mr. Hungate took on the enormous job of deciphering some 381 legal size pages of handwritten information and putting this information into a useable database.   The database includes information on thousands of wounded or sick soldiers from Georgia, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Texas, Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee, and Louisiana.

Library Services, Board of Regents, University System of Georgia

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Georgia HomePLACE Director Edward A. Johnson, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Library Services within the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia operates Georgia HomePLACE, which encourages participation of Georgia public libraries in the Digital Library of Georgia and GALILEO.  This collaborative program provides a mechanism for digitizing local/family history materials and making them available to much wider audiences.

HomePLACE is supported with LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) funds administered by the Institute of Museum and Library Services through the Georgia Public Library Service.  Vanishing Georgia, a major photograph collection of the Georgia Archives, was the first project which involved scanning 18,000 historical images for local history, genealogy, exhibits, and teaching purposes.

Last year, HomePLACE completed a survey of local/family history resources in public libraries to identify collections that might be digitized.  The libraries described newspapers, family histories, cemetery information, church records, and other materials.  Some of the digital projects completed by HomePLACE include the C. F. Jenkins Civil War Diary from Troup County Archives and the Samuel Hawkins Diary from Lake Blackshear Regional Library System.  Current projects involve digitizing Dahlonega gold history materials from the Lumpkin County Library and digitizing photographs for Atlanta's Auburn Avenue Research Library, that depict Atlanta's Neighborhood Arts Centers.  All HomePLACE collections will eventually point to collections housed on GALILEO servers or on public or academic library servers.  

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, D. Alan Pogue, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

D. Alan Pogue

D. Alan Pogue of Senoia produced Temples of Justice: The Courthouses of Georgia, highlighting courthouses from across the state and the people and stories that revolved around these historic structures.

Temples of Justice combines bits and pieces of history from both primary and secondary sources into a form that is readily available for anyone to enjoy.  The documentary also covers general information on the history of each county in Georgia including two counties which no longer exist.  As a television documentary, Temples of Justice provides an effective way to reach a broad public audience.  Georgia Public Broadcasting aired the documentary last August and it is slated to air on Comcast cable across the state in the future. 

Savannah Jewish Archives

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Assistant Archivist Luciana Spracher, Archives Founder Kaye Kole, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

The Savannah Jewish Archives was established in 1994 to identify records significant to the city's Jewish community and safeguard them for future generations.  In spite of notable efforts to preserve the history of Georgia’s first city, the history of its Jewish community went largely unpreserved until the establishment of the Savannah Jewish Archives.

The Jewish community formed in 1733, mere months after Georgia’s founding.  The Jewish community formed cohesive neighborhoods but also spread out throughout the city, creating wide influence.  Jews operated prominent businesses, created social organizations, and participated in politics.  While the Jews are a part of the Savannah community as a whole and share many patterns of daily life with their fellow Savannahians, they nevertheless have a rich culture and history of their own.

Today, the Archives manages close to 300 cubic feet of records from synagogues, organizations, businesses, families, and individuals.  The holdings include well over 2,000 photographs and an innovative oral history project that captured the narratives of over 100 individuals.  The Savannah Jewish Archives is a success story in documenting and preserving Georgia's history.  

Award for Excellence in Research Using the Holdings of An Archives  

Steve Oney

Steve Oney

Steve Oney of Los Angeles, California, wrote And the Dead Shall Rise, which details new research on the lynching of Leo Frank which is a well-known part of American history.   Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent in Atlanta, was convicted of murdering Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old gird employed by the factory.  Two years after the conviction Frank was killed by a lynch mob.  And the Dead Shall Rise is the first published account to release the identities of the individuals who conceived, carried out, and covered up the lynching.

Mr. Oney’s painstaking research included interviews with the children of the men involved in the lynching and with the last surviving individuals who viewed it.  He relied on analysis of primary records and looked at previously used records or evidence with a new perspective.  And the Dead Shall Rise, Mr. Oney’s first book, is a work of social and legal history whose exploration of the past has had a direct and strong effect on the present.

L–R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, David Paterson, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

David Paterson

David Paterson, who lives in Norfolk, Virginia, produced Slaves and Slave Masters of Upson County, a digest of data related to between 6,000 and 7,000 slaves who served over 2,000 slave masters in Upson County from 1825 to 1865.  His digest enables users to track the slaves through the recorded events of their life in bondage.

While the U.S. Navy veteran lived in Thomaston, he became interested in local history and spent countless hours in the basement of the courthouse, sifting and sorting through local records - deed books, court records, probate records, coroner’s inquests, newspapers, church records, and other documents.  To the extent that records document these facts, people can track each slave through events such as birth, sale, hiring out, church membership, court appearances, appraisal and sale, and even death.  It provides excellent suggestions of primary sources for the elusive slave/master records.  The digest is accessible on CD at the Thomaston-Upson Archives.

Velma Maia Thomas

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Velma Maia Thomas, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Velma Maia Thomas of Atlanta has written several award-winning books on African-American History and is the creator of the nationally acclaimed Black Holocaust Exhibit in Atlanta.  The exhibit is a collection of more than 100 original documents on slavery and has been a feature exhibit at the National Black Arts Festival as well as on display at universities throughout the southeast.  More than 100,000 visitors have viewed the exhibit.

Ms. Thomas’ first book, Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation, was selected as one of the best books of the year by the Washington Post, Good Morning America, Atlanta Journal Constitution, American Library Association, and was included in the Trumpet Award’s, “1998 Coffee with the Authors.”  Her second book, Freedom’s Children: The Passage from Emancipation to the Great Migration, was a finalist for the 2000 Georgia Writer of the Year Award for Young Adult Books.  In 2002, she released We Shall Not Be Moved, the third book in her interactive historical trilogy.  This volume, with removable documents, received the 2002 Contribution to Publishing Award from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.   

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, David Williams, Teresa Crisp Williams, David Carlson, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

David Williams, Teresa Crisp Williams, and David Carlson

David Williams and Teresa Crisp Williams of Valdosta and David Carlson of Atlanta collaborated to publish Plain Folk in a Rich Man's War: Class and Dissent in Confederate Georgia.  The authors extensively used archival holdings to tell the story of common whites on Georgia's Civil War home front.

Their analysis springs from work in a wide variety of archives in the state of Georgia and elsewhere and relies heavily on manuscript sources and other rare materials.  Plain Folk demonstrates what a dedicated team of researchers can accomplish by approaching archival holdings energetically and creatively.  Reviewers have praised the quality and depth of the project’s scholarship and its significant contribution to advancing our understanding of the social and political history of the Civil War.

Award for Excellence in the Educational Use of Historical Records

L-R:  Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Library Director Darren Harper, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Bryan-Lang Historical Library

The Bryan-Lang Historical Library in Woodbine cooperated with the Camden County School System to start a Heritage Education Program, which has greatly enhanced the use of historical records in the local school system.  The enthusiasm shown by students, teachers, and the school system has encouraged the library to look for new opportunities to educate students and adults about local history.

The library sought assistance from the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to use the “Talking Walls” Heritage Education Program as a foundation for the Camden County Program.  In 2002, during a weeklong summer workshop, the teachers were taught how to use the resources in the library as well as historic sites to develop new and exciting learning activities for the classroom.

This year, the Camden County School System included history-based activities in their Summer Camp, and the Camden County High School offered a new Local Area Studies class and worked to develop a Young Historians Club.  Some of the activities being planned for the High School include conducting oral history interviews, creating and publishing books on local historical subjects, helping develop history exhibits, and creating a history website for Camden County.   

Deborah Davis

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Deborah Davis, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Deborah Davis of Valdosta worked with Dr. Catherine Badura at Valdosta State University to develop a joint project between the Department of History and the University Archives to integrate the holdings of the archives into the curriculum.  Seventy undergraduate students were introduced to the university archives and its range of primary source materials.  Many of these students opted to work for extra credit in the archives as student archival apprentices and helped to preserve and process archival holdings.

The students worked a total of 469 hours, processed 40 boxes, and added over 11,000 records to the vital records index of the Valdosta Daily Times.  The students had an opportunity to work with historical records and help develop guides that make the primary documents accessible.  As part of an on-campus collaboration program, the project was evaluated thoroughly with encouraging results.  Ms. Davis plans to repeat the project in future semesters and hopes to encourage other faculty to adopt the practice.  The project also has great potential to be disseminated and adopted at other academic institutions.

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Representative Chip Rogers, Sarah Shearouse, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Sarah L. Shearouse

As a senior at Wesleyan College, Sarah L. Shearouse of Canton, completed an internship at the Hay House Museum in Macon.  Ms. Shearouse created a program for school children, grades three through eight, to accompany the House's special tour, "Invisible Hands," which takes visitors on a journey through the everyday lives of slaves and servants who worked there during the 19^th century.  The Hay House, an 18,000 square-foot mansion built as a private residence in the 1850s, is now a museum that conducts tours that showcase the architectural aspects of the house and social habits of those who lived there. 

Ms. Shearouse delved into historical records and archives, spending the semester at the public library, combing through newspapers and phone directories from the 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  Her final program consisted of general information, games, and puzzles to help teach children about the slaves and servants of the Hay House.    

Vienna Historic Preservation Society

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Dooly County Clerk and Society Member Janet Joiner, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

After several years of research and discussions with the Dooly County School System, the Vienna Historic Preservation Society developed a Heritage Education Curriculum that is being incorporated into the 3rd grade studies at Dooly County Elementary School.  The Society realized people who are educated about their community’s heritage become better citizens of that community.

Society members, county historians, genealogists, retired teachers, and the Chamber of Commerce all collaborated in the production of the curriculum manual and teachers’ guides.  The curriculum includes areas of study such as:  Dooly County history, towns and communities that once existed, historic buildings and sites, simple genealogy, architecture, historic maps and more.  Resources and suggested activity plans are included with each section.  Recently 125 third grade students toured the historic Dooly County Courthouse, the Georgia Cotton Museum, and the George Museum.  Most of these students had never been in any of these sites even though they live in Dooly County.  The curriculum presents an opportunity for young people to grow up feeling a sense of place and belonging that so many of them do not have today.  

Excellence in Student Research Using Historical Records - Grades 9-12 

L-R: Secretary of State Cathy Cox, Justin diFeliciantonio, GHRAB Chair R. Lee Kinnamon

Justin diFeliciantonio

Justin diFeliciantonio is a junior at Hardaway High School in Columbus.  During his sophomore year, he researched President Jimmy Carter’s negotiation of the Iran Hostage Crisis, and subsequently developed a 10-minute documentary on the topic.  The documentary received first place at the State Contest of National History Day in Georgia.  Mr. diFeliciantonio took his documentary to National History Day at the University of Maryland to represent our state.  He was also selected by National History Day to show his documentary at the White House Visitors’ Center last June.

Mr. diFeliciantonio and his project are fine examples of what students can do when they take the time to explore information maintained in our state’s archives.  In the bibliography he submitted with his documentary, he states that his interest in this topic emerged out of a visit to Plains, Georgia, when he was in the 8^th grade.  For that National History Day project, he researched President Carter and the Camp David Accords.  The success which he had as an 8^th grader (the previous project received a national award from the Society for the Study of Foreign Affairs) set him on a course in which he has continued to participate in History Day on his own.  He is the first student from his current high school to participate.  He is committed to continuing his learning through exploring primary sources, and this commitment is helping to prepare a fine example of the next generation of archives’ users.