Augusta-Richmond County Public Library and Coastal Heritage Society receive Competitive Digitization grants from the DLG

  • The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library and Coastal Heritage Society are recipients of the third set of grants awarded in a program intended to broaden partner participation in the Digital Library of Georgia (DLG). The DLG solicited proposals for historic digitization projects in a statewide call, and applicants submitted proposals for projects with a cost of up to $5,000. The projects will be administered by DLG staff who will perform digitization and descriptive services on textual (not including newspapers), graphic, and audio-visual materials.Preference in the selection process was given to proposals from institutions that had not yet collaborated with the DLG. The Coastal Heritage Society is a new partner for the DLG.

    The recipients and their projects include:

  • Augusta-Richmond County Public Library (Augusta, Ga.)

Digitization and delivery of the Augusta Chinese-American Oral History Project, which includes twenty-six oral history interviews of individuals who either immigrated to Augusta from China, and/or grew up in Augusta during the early to the middle twentieth century. The interviews were gathered in 2011 and 2012 by members of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association of Augusta (CCBA). Anyone interested in studying immigration, minority cultures, economic history, race relations, or the establishment of Chinese-American organizations in the South will find the interviews informative.

  • Coastal Heritage Society (Savannah, Ga.)

Digitization and delivery of a Civil War period ledger spanning the years 1860 to 1864 that documents work conducted at the Carpentry Shop, within the Savannah Shops complex of the Central Rail Road and Banking Company of Georgia. Sections of the ledger record the tasks of specific workers, including employees, laborers, and African American workers. The Carpentry Shop ledger is a snapshot in time at one of the busiest industrial railroad complexes in the South just prior to and during the American Civil War.

Sheila McAlister, director of the Digital Library of Georgia notes: “Thanks to our review partners from Georgia Humanities, Georgia Public Library Service, Georgia Arts Council, Georgia Historic Records Advisory Council, and DLG partner volunteers, we’ve selected another strong slate of digital projects that reflect the diversity of Georgia. The collections document the Chinese-American community in Augusta and Georgia’s railroads during the Civil War and will be of interest to a wide audience.”

About the Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System

The Augusta-Richmond County Public Library System (ARCPLS) is a public library system serving more than 250,000 county residents. As a member of Public Information Network for Electronic Services (PINES), a program of the Georgia Public Library Service covering 53 library systems in 143 Georgia counties, ARCPLS supports any resident in the PINES network and provides access to over 10 million books. ARCPLS has a collection size of over 316,000 with a circulation of more than 478,000 annually. ARCPLS facilitates programs and classes to educate and entertain all ages at no cost. In addition to being a vital meeting place where the community can gather, explore new worlds, and share ideas and values, ARCPLS is a community hub and a critical anchor for our residents and neighbors. With a committed and diverse staff, ARCPLS continues to bring innovative and adaptive information and technology to its patrons.

About the Coastal Heritage Society (Savannah, Ga.)

The mission of Coastal Heritage Society is to provide educational experiences for the public through the preservation and presentation of the historic resources of coastal Georgia and adjacent regions. Coastal Heritage Society is a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation founded in 1975 which operates five historic museums for visitors to explore. These include the Georgia State Railroad Museum, the Savannah Children’s Museum, the Savannah History Museum, Old Fort Jackson, and the Pin Point Heritage Museum.

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Country Music in the DLG

Jerry Reed and the winners of a music contest, Atlanta, Georgia, August 8, 1956. Newspaper caption attached to print verso identifies photographer Harold Joiner: "Winning String Band With Recording Artist Jerry Reed. L-R: Rudolph Thomas, Wendell Williams, Reed, Douglas Thomas, Gene Davis." AJCP551-69a, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Photographic Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library.
Jerry Reed and the winners of a music contest, Atlanta, Georgia, August 8, 1956. Newspaper caption attached to print verso identifies photographer Harold Joiner: “Winning String Band With Recording Artist Jerry Reed. L-R: Rudolph Thomas, Wendell Williams, Reed, Douglas Thomas, Gene Davis.”
AJCP551-69a, Atlanta Journal-Constitution Photographic Archives. Special Collections and Archives, Georgia State University Library.

The 49th annual Country Music Association Awards ceremony will air at 8 pm on Wednesday, November 4th. We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to feature some of the many country music resources in the Digital Library of Georgia that are available to you. Many prominent country music artists hail from Georgia, including country music’s first commercial star Fiddlin’ John Carson, his daughter, Moonshine Kate, one of country music’s first female recording artists, guitarist and producer Chet Atkins, entertainer Jerry Reed, singer Brenda Lee, singer Alan Jackson, guitarist and singer Travis Tritt, and singer Trisha Yearwood.

Many Georgia-based musicians have performed country music that is preserved in field recordings; there are also numerous oral history interviews with country music artists that provide insight into their musical influences and life experiences as musicians. We have provided links to some examples from three collections: the Georgia Folklore Collection, the Foxfire Oral Histories, 2014 collection, and the Living Atlanta oral history collection. You can find more country music resources by browsing through these collections.

Musical recordings:

Musical recording of the Humphrey Family “Family Opry” Part 1

Part one of a two-part recording. Recording of the Humphrey Family performing with other musicians, including Renee Joseph from Louisville, Georgia. Songs (incomplete list): We Had A Friend, Song: Melody [full title unknown], Traveling Blues, Blew My Last Chance Blues, Love’s Gonna Live Here, preceded by the introduction of Renee Joseph, Fifteen Years Ago, I Saw the Light, Heaven on My Mind, On This Road to Glory. Georgia Folklore Collection, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia.

Musical recording of the Humphrey Family “Family Opry” Part 2

Part two of a two-part recording. Recording of the Humphrey Family performing with other musicians, including Renee Joseph from Louisville, Georgia. Songs include Golden Street Parade, That Wonderful Country, One Day At A Time – Old Ship Of Zion, See You On The Raptures, How Great Thou Art. Georgia Folklore Collection, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia.

Musical recording of Chancey brothers, Part 1, Gilmer County, 1978 October 22

Part one of a three-part recording. Art Rosenbaum’s recording of Chesley Chancey and Joe Chancey in Cherry Log, Georgia. Songs: Mulberry Gap, Cumberland Gap, Frankie, Greenback, Cripple Creek, Old Joe Clark, Old Grey Mare, Bile Them Cabbage, Sourwood Holler, Sally Goodin, Eleven Cent Cotton, Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar, Black Mountain Rag, Mole In The Ground. Georgia Folklore Collection, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia.

Musical recording of Chancey brothers, Part 2, Gilmer County, Georgia, 1978 October 22

Part two of a three-part recording. Art Rosenbaum’s recording of Chesley Chancey and Joe Chancey in Cherry Log, Georgia. Songs: All The Good Times, Poor Ex-Soldier, Cotton-Eyed Joe, Shout Lula, Turkey In The Straw, Arkansas Traveler, Cindy, Fisher’s Hornpipe, Rickett’s Hornpipe. Georgia Folklore Collection, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia.

Musical recording of Chancey brothers, Part 3, Gilmer County, 1978 October 22

Part three of a three-part recording. Art Rosenbaum’s recording of Ralph Chancey, Chesley Chancey, Joe Chancey, Jim Cox, and Bill Cox in Cherry Log, Georgia. Songs: Hills Of Old Virginia, Gold Rush, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone, Go Down Moses, May You Never Be Alone Like Me, The Uncloudy Day. Georgia Folklore Collection, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia.

 

Oral history interviews: 

Oral history interview with Laura Monk, 2014

Interview with Laura Monk, lead singer of High Cotton, c. 2014 in Rabun County, Georgia, for Foxfire magazine. She talks about the inspiration behind the song “Appalachian Goodbye” and filming the music video at the Foxfire museum. She also talks about how she got into music, the musical influences that led to her Americana style, and her favorite songs that she’s written. Foxfire Oral Histories, 2014. Foxfire Museum Heritage Center, Mountain City, Georgia.

 

Three interviews with “Moonshine Kate,” one of country music’s first female recording artists.

 

Oral history interview with Rosa Lee Carson Johnson (“Moonshine Kate”) interviewed by Clifford Kuhn on 1972-1980.

Living Atlanta oral history project records, MSS 637, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

 

Oral history interview with Rosa Lee Carson Johnson (“Moonshine Kate”) interviewed by Clifford Kuhn on 1979 February 15.

Living Atlanta oral history project records, MSS 637, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

 

Oral history interview with Rosa Lee Carson Johnson (“Moonshine Kate”) interviewed by Clifford Kuhn on 1979 February 15.

Living Atlanta oral history project records, MSS 637, Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center.

 

We hope that you enjoy listening to some of these recordings and that you learn something new about the role of country music in Georgia!

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