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ATHENS, Ga. — The Digital Library of Georgia (DLG) is pleased to announce the digitization of 3,124 pages from Berry College’s Southern Highlander covering the period of 1907 to 1942. The Southern Highlander, the official magazine of and published by the Berry Schools in Mount Berry, Ga., documents the early history of the schools founded by philanthropist Martha Berry in 1902 to serve the rural poor. The magazine also details social conditions and the importance of community-based education.

The Southern Highlander is a unique publication that raised money while promoting the mission of the Berry Schools worldwide. The Southern Highlander offers firsthand knowledge of social and historical topics of the day, including agriculture, the influenza epidemic of 1918, World War I, educational philosophy, and religious work on campus and in north Georgia.

The digitization of the Southern Highlander will provide access to some of the oldest and most frequently requested Berry Schools materials, a boon for scholars, students, historians, alumni, and community members interested in studying the rich, early history and cultural heritage of the Berry Schools, Martha Berry, and early 20th-century culture and history in rural, north Georgia.

While the Southern Highlander is rich in history, it is also an excellent representation of Berry’s focus on a comprehensive education of the head, heart, and hands,” said Jessica Hornbuckle, digital initiatives librarian. “Working with the Digital Library of Georgia to digitize the Southern Highlander is the perfect opportunity to share Berry’s oldest publication and the school’s legacy beyond the campus gates.”

The digitized materials are available at dlg.usg.edu/collection/gbc_berry-193.

About the Berry College Archives

The Berry College Archives was established in 1986 and serves as the primary repository for materials pertaining to the Berry Schools, Berry College, and founder, Martha Berry. The principal purpose of the archives is to appraise, collect, preserve, maintain, and make accessible records of historical value. In addition, the archives seeks to educate its constituents about its holdings, policies, and procedures through outreach and instructional activities.

George Jones, His majestys colony of Georgia in America, 1734, Hargrett Library. Part of the SS8H2 Lesson Plan

I taught Georgia history during the 2018-2019 school year. When I began the process of planning out the academic year, I was so overwhelmed! How on earth was I going to be able to teach my students all that they needed to learn?

As I began to search for lesson plans, curriculum maps, and many other resources to help in this endeavor, I came across the Digital Library of Georgia. I was amazed by the resources that were available at my fingertips!

One of the activities I used these resources for was over the Georgia SS8H2, analyzing the colonial period of Georgia’s history. Thankfully, the DLG had amassed all the resources in one place, and I was able to pick and choose what I wanted to share with my class. One of the activities I made using the DLG was over colonial Georgia.

I set up stations in the classroom where students would analyze either a primary resource or image to help them understand how Savannah came to be. I went further and used biographies of Mary Musgrove and Tomochichi that had been collected by the DLG from the Georgia Historical Society. These biographies helped me teach about how Europeans used native Americans in the establishment of the state of Georgia.

As the school year went on, I continued to use the resources of the DLG. As I taught about the Bourbon Triumvirate, I went to the DLG to find images of these prominent figures of Georgia’s New South Era. When I taught about the Leo Frank Case, I was able to use Frank’s papers to teach about what had happened to him. Because I was able to show through images what it was like to work at the Bell Bomber Plant, I was able to make World War II more interesting.

The access that I have had through the DLG helped to enhance my lessons every day. This enhancement helped my students so much that the 8th grade at Odyssey Charter was able to improve their milestones scores by twenty-five percent. I am so grateful for this resource and would highly encourage all educators to use this invaluable resource.

Becky Brown

7th/8th Grade Social Studies Teacher

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Berry College’s Southern Highlander now freely available online

A Teacher’s Appreciation of DLG Educator Resources