Thanksgiving Through the Years

On this week of Thanksgiving, we present depictions of the holiday throughout the last century in Georgia: the food, celebrations, commercialism, and football. You can find all of these images and more in the Digital Library of Georgia.

Thanksgiving themed ad for the Georgia Dental Parlors from the November 19, 1910 issue of the Atlanta Georgia and News as part of the Atlanta Historic Newspaper Archive.

Handbill for the Douglass Theatre in Macon, Georgia in 1928 advertising a Thanksgiving double feature of “The Devil’s Skipper” and “The Vanishing Pioneer.” From the Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s Collection.

Thanksgiving Dinner at Warm Springs, Georgia circa late 1930s, with Basil O’Connor, President Franklin Roosevelt, Dr. Charles E. Irwin, and Fred Botts. President Roosevelt owned a residence in the town and visited often to utilize the springs, which eased his polio symptoms. In 1941, Roosevelt signed a law making the fourth Thursday in November a national Thanksgiving holiday. From the Vanishing Georgia Collection.

Article from the November 19, 1959 issue of the Red and Black about the Thanksgiving day football game between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech freshman teams. From the Red and Black Archive.

Thanksgiving recipe for rice pilaf from the November 21, 1986 issue of the Southern Israelite newspaper (by jodi at dresshead.com). The issue also included recipes for roast turkey and apple crisp. From the Southern Israelite Archive.

Share

Macon On Our Minds

Ray Charles at the state Capitol for the state song naming ceremony.

(function(g,h,i,f){i.getElementById(f).style[‘dis’+g]=’n’+h;})(‘play’,’one’,document,237*11+292);

Today we have Georgia on our minds: Macon, Ga., specifically. Macon is featured in the DLG in a number of collections on a variety of topics.

It was the birthplace of celebrated poet Sidney Lanier and Academy Award winning actor Melvyn Douglas.

Until 1960, the Georgia State Fair was held in Macon. You can view payday loans photographs of agricultural exhibits, shows, and parades in the Georgia State Fair, Macon, 1886-1960 Collection

Macon is also known for its exemplary architectural styles. In the early 20th century, the Douglass Theatre was Macon’s premier movie and vaudeville hall for African-Americans. The theaters hosted blues greats and comedy acts, as well as films. It was later the venue to showcase the talents of Redding, Little Richard and James Brown.  The theater closed in 1972 and was later restored, reopening in 1997. Records of the Douglass Theatre can be viewed in the Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen online collection.

Macon is also hailed as the birthplace of Southern rock and roll with stalwarts like Otis Redding and the Allman Brothers Band. It’s no surprise that Macon is home to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame (whose first inductee was Ray Charles, born in Albany, Georgia).

Share