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Macon On Our Minds

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

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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).

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Steve in the DLG

The Digital Library of Georgia is amazingly accessible given the size of it. The information is skillfully organized and cared for; you can get what you want and need. But what if you want something you don’t need? What if you don’t know what you want? What if you just typed “S..T..E..V..E” into the search box for the kick of it?

Well…138 results from twelve collections is what you would find. Here’s a sampler:

    1. Peanut damage: “Peanut pods decay as a result of holes bored by wireworms, also known as click beetles, which feed on the underground portions of many Georgia crops.” A photograph by Steve Brown. (New Georgia Encyclopedia)

    2. The Silver Eclipse Band members at the Pulaski County Courthouse. Steve Richardson is fourth from the left on the front row. (Vanishing Georgia)

    3. A fire tower with bell for alarms in Augusta, Georgia. Known as “Big Steve,” it was dismantled in 1894. (Vanishing Georgia)

    4. Poster for “The Crimson Cowboy.” The text reads: “Co-starring ANITA BUSH. Little Mother of Colored Drama and the Versatile LAWRENCE CHENAULT. Supported by BILL PICKETT, Worlds Champion Wild West Performer, the one-legged marvel, STEVE REYNOLDS “and 30 Colored Cowboys .” (The Blues, Black Vaudeville, and the Silver Screen, 1912-1930s)

    5. Sergeant Steve Hall, fallen in combat during WWII. (Gordon County, GA Obituaries collection)

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