Let’s Celebrate Georgia Libraries for National Library Week 2024!
Mid-20th-century history about Smyrna, Georgia comes alive with its 1953 scrapbook now available online in the Digital Library of Georgia
Selected by statewide cultural heritage stakeholders and funded by the DLG’s competitive digitization grant program, this collection is the Smyrna Public Library’s latest collaboration with the DLG and is available here: 1953 Smyrna scrapbook.
The collection is a 1953 scrapbook created by the Better Home Town Committee of Smyrna, Georgia, for entry into the Georgia Power Better Home Town Contest.
Mary Moore, librarian at the Smyrna Public Library, describes the importance of this content and why digital access to it is so important:
“This scrapbook is a unique snapshot of Smyrna in 1953. It captures an overview of the city with regard to government, economy, religion, housing, recreation, and youth at a time when Smyrna was still segregated but growing. The book contains rare documentation on Davenport Town and Rose Garden Hills, the two neighborhoods that were predominantly inhabited by African Americans. 1953 was a pivotal time in Smyrna; the city was in the midst of the largest period of rapid growth since the Lockheed Corporation had taken over the old Bell Bomber plant and brought unprecedented economic growth to the area that would spur population growth. Because the scrapbook has not aged well (it was made in 1953 and not with long-term materials in mind), it cannot survive frequent handling. Digitization of the materials now offers the only chance for the public to view all the articles and photos within.”
[View the entire collection online]
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About the Smyrna Public Library
Smyrna Public Library is the oldest city-operated library in the state of Georgia. It is fully funded by and serves the city’s residents. The library celebrated the 150th anniversary of its incorporation in 2022. For more information, visit the Smyrna Public Library here.
Selected images from the collection:
Image courtesy of Smyrna Public Library
Title: Scrapbook, Georgia Power Better Home Town Contest Entry, Smyrna, Georgia, 1953.
https://dlg.usg.edu/record/satp_ss1953_sbhtc (page 2)
Description: Page 2 of the 1953 scrapbook created by the Better Home Town Committee of Smyrna, Georgia, for entry into the Georgia Power Better Home Town Contest.
Image courtesy of Smyrna Public Library
Title: Scrapbook, Georgia Power Better Home Town Contest Entry, Smyrna, Georgia, 1953.
https://dlg.usg.edu/record/satp_ss1953_sbhtc (page 50)
Description: Page 50 of the 1953 scrapbook created by the Better Home Town Committee of Smyrna, Georgia, for entry into the Georgia Power Better Home Town Contest.
