The Digital Library of Georgia has made its 3 millionth digitized and full-text-searchable historic newspaper page available freely online. 

The title page of the first edition of the May 22, 1917, issue of the Atlanta Georgian reports on the destruction caused by the Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 and the city’s effort to control the damage.

This issue marks the 3 millionth page digitized by the Digital Library of Georgia.

The newspaper circulated daily from 1906 to 1939, was the first Hearst-owned newspaper in the South, and is the most prominent example of sensationalist yellow journalism in Georgia. In its first year of publication, the paper infamously printed stories intended to inflame racial tensions that contributed to the start of the Atlanta Race Massacre of 1906.

Famed newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst purchased the Atlanta Georgian in 1912. Under his ownership, the paper printed increasingly scandalous headlines and illustrations that dramatized local crimes, including its coverage of the Leo Frank case in Atlanta.

The digitization of this title was funded through a grant from an anonymous donor as part of their mission to provide resources that promote a greater understanding of Georgia’s history during this important period.

We have developed an online press kit, available at bit.ly/dlg3million which includes:

  • An image, description, and link out to our 3 millionth page;
  • A link to our press release;

Since 2007, the DLG has provided access to the state’s historic newspapers, with the majority having been digitized from microfilm produced by the Georgia Newspaper Project (GNP).

With the launch of the Georgia Historic Newspapers (GHN) site in July 2017, the DLG has maintained that tradition by bringing together new and existing resources into a single, consolidated website where newspapers dating from 1763-2023 are full-text searchable and can be browsed by city, title, date, keyword, or region.

Annually, DLG digitizes over 400,000 historic newspaper pages with funding from GALILEOthe University of Georgia LibrariesGeorgia Public Library Servicethe National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the R. J. Taylor, Jr. Foundation, and dozens of cultural heritage institutions across the state. The DLG also microfilms more than 200 current newspapers. Historic newspaper pages are consistently the most visited of any DLG site.

Researching newspaper content is critical to understanding a location’s local history, priorities, and interests. It can be an engaging way to teach younger students the value of primary sources.

The GHN includes some of the state’s earliest newspapers; important African American, Roman Catholic, and Cherokee newspapers; and issues from Georgia’s largest cities and towns, as well as an increasing number of underrepresented communities and regions.

“I’m happy to see that more of the Georgian will soon be digitized,” said Dr. Janice Hume, the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communications.

“Students in my media history class at UGA dig into it to learn about Atlanta in the early 20th century, the Leo Frank trial, and journalism history. They are amazed at the sheer  volume of stories, the extras, and the sensationalism.”

Our 3 millionth page:

The title page of the first edition of the May 22, 1917, issue of the Atlanta Georgian reports on the destruction caused by the Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 and the city’s effort to control the damage.
The title page of the first edition of the May 22, 1917, issue of the Atlanta Georgian reports on the destruction caused by the Great Atlanta Fire of 1917 and the city’s effort to control the damage.

 

 

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19th and early 20th century collections from the Presbyterian Church are now available online without paywalls or passwords.

Page selected from a group of 19th-century handwritten letters.

Selected by Georgia stakeholders and funded by the DLG, these materials document the Church’s interaction with slavery, emancipation, and religion.

These collections are: 

Lexington Presbyterian Church (Lexington, Ga.) records, 1822-1916

The names of enslaved church members may be found inside this collection. It’s possible that these are the sole documents proving that some of these people actually existed. There are also records of famous academics and politicians who lived in Oglethorpe County, Georgia.

Henry Newton papers, 1842-1900

Henry Newton grew up in Athens, Georgia, as a Presbyterian preacher. In 1841, he received his bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, and in 1845, he received his master’s degree from Columbia Theological Seminary. Newton preached to both enslaved and liberated African Americans throughout the state from 1845 to 1897 in several northeast Georgian churches.

These projects are the Columbia Theological Seminary’s second collaboration with the DLG. 

Ashley Simpson, former president of the Athens Historical Society and Georgia historical marker researcher, describes the importance of having these materials available for research freely online:

“Digitization has allowed historians, genealogists, family researchers, and the merely curious to see and use records without harming the originals. 

During COVID, we discovered that we could all work with the digitized manuscript simultaneously by working remotely.  

Access to digital copies of original documents permits some claims to be verified and some misinformation to be disproven. 

Granting digital access to the Henry Newton papers and the Lexington Presbyterian Church records facilitates a greater understanding of daily life and the rich historical background of northeast Georgia. ”

View these collections online

 

About Columbia Theological Seminary 

Columbia Theological Seminary exists to educate and nurture faithful, imaginative, and effective leaders for the sake of the church and the world. It is an educational institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and a community of theological inquiry, leadership development, and formation for ministry in the service of the church of Jesus Christ. Visit ctsnet.edu for more information. 

Selected images:

Page selected from a group of 19th-century handwritten letters. Christian Observer, May 6, 1886
Christian Observer, May 6, 1886. Courtesy of Columbia Theological Seminary. Three letters written by Reverend Henry Newton to the editors of the Christian Observer regarding the controversy surrounding James Woodrow and the theory of evolution. In the first letter, Newton clarifies the nature of the investigation into accusations against Woodrow. In the second letter, Newton describes the evolution debate happening in the Presbyterian church, claiming that the church has no say in scientific theories and vice versa. In the third letter, Newton admonishes the false persecution being advanced against Woodrow by enemies within the church. From notes: Contains three letters to the editors of the Christian Observer regarding the deposition of James Woodrow in the evolution controversy in the Presbyterian Church in the U.S.
Page of 19th-century ledger featuring lists of hand-recorded financial transactions
Accounts and expenses, 1853-1870, page 39 of 166.
Account book of reverend Reverend Henry Newton. This account book features lists of transactions, family expenses, monies paid out, and produce received from churches, all dating from 1853 to 1870. In addition, there is a list of sermons performed by Newton organized by the book of the Bible from which they came. Also included are notes on a contract for building additions to Newton’s home and a list of sermons ‘Preached to Negroes at Thyatira at Jefferson at Concord.’
Page of 19th century church record book/ledger with handwritten accounts of church-related events.
Book “A” Record of Presbyterian Church at Lexington, 1822-1874. Courtesy of Columbia Theological Seminary. Page 24 of record book of the Presbyterian Church at Lexington, Georgia covering the years 1822 to 1874. This book covers various happenings pertaining to church events, polity, and membership. It lists baptisms and sacraments performed, changes in church leadership, including ministers and elders, changes in congregants, including those joining and those leaving the church, and news of major events in nearby Presbyteries. The Lexington Presbyterian Church records document the names of enslaved members of the church, and it is not unlikely that for some of the names provided it is the only existing record that these people ever lived.
Page of 19th century ledger featuring lists of hand-recorded financial transactions "Family Expenses."
Title: Accounts and expenses, 1853-1870, page 110 of 166. Courtesy of Columbia Theological Seminary Description: Account book of reverend Reverend Henry Newton featuring lists of transactions, family expenses, monies paid out, and produce received from churches, all dating from 1853 to 1870. Includes a list of sermons performed by Newton organized by the book of the Bible from which they came. There are also notes on a contract for building additions to Newton’s home and a list of sermons that includes those preached to African Americans.
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