The
Meriwether Historical Society met on Sunday, March 1, 2015 at the society’s
headquarters in Greenville. President Sallie Mabon welcomed guest speaker David
Ownings, an archivist at the Schwob Memorial Library in Columbus.
A
brief business meeting and announcements took place. Diana and John Norris have been working to
correct our society’s name and align it with state laws.
Mabon
announced that an essay contest open to all fifth graders in the county had
begun. Mabon has met with the school principals who have dispersed the
information to teachers. The contest
concludes March 18th and cash prizes will be awarded. Most exciting is the topic: What I Love about
Meriwether County. We are encouraging students
to learn more about our county and what makes it special. Mike Shaddix, Lynda Woodall, and Diana Norris
volunteered to help Mabon read and score the essays.
Another
exciting development for the historical society is the sixty page Visitor’s
Guide to Meriwether County that will be completed in May. The guide contains a
blurb about Greenville and its historical homes. Chris Cannon from the
governor’s office has recommended we use a mobile ap that visitors can download
as they tour historic Greenville. This
is a dream come true for the society as we have worked for years to create a
booklet, then a brochure, a CD and more but could not keep up as technology
evolved. The information will be
contained in box available at the MHS building for visitors to obtain. Many thanks to Penny Hale who made available
a real estate agents’ box to hold the information.
Mabon
brainstormed with the members a bit on an idea inspired by last year’s
“Traveling Trunk” program. She said it would be fun and useful for the
historical society to create a “Meriwether Traveling Trunk” that could visit
schools and be an effective instructional tool. Copies of special documents and
artifacts could be included for visits to the classroom and the trunk could be
created with very little cost.
The
club voted to create a discretionary fund of $150-200 for Mabon to make
purchases for items like customized pencils for those students who entered the
essay contest. The motion carried.
Mabon
introduced the speaker, David Ownings,
who works at the Columbus State University and who encourages the public to
donate documents and pictures to the Chattahoochee Valley archives. Letters,
journals, diaries, ledgers, receipts, maps and photographs are all encouraged
to be donated. The collection currently has over 5000 photos in its safe and
protected environment. The museum has acquired 250 maps that date pre 1800s
from a local collector. David said it is exciting to follow the evolution of
the state pf Georgia.
CSU
also collects books, but its resources are limited and storage is too. Ownings
finds studying the way the early books are made is fascinating: the paper
making, the book binding, etchings and illustrations.
The
most exciting thing for the public is the amount of access we have to CSU’s
collection. They welcome guests, and the collected items are not locked away
but available for viewing. David explained the delicate balance of viewing and
exposure involved in preservation. Of primary importance at the museum is
storage temperature and humidity-65 degrees and 30-40% humidity. Filtered air
keeps pollutants from further damaging documents. The most damaging factor is
sunlight which fades ink. Documents are stored in boxes that are a barrier to
leaks and fire. Acid free folders hold documents and are especially good for
newspapers which are very acidic. Spray cans of acid neutralizers also help
preserve newspapers.
The
most fragile documents are housed in plastic protectors. Gaylord and Hollinger Metal Edge are suppliers
for materials to preserve documents.
The
classic staple is cotton white gloves used for handling items, but Ownings
pointed out people are often do more damage when wearing gloves as they are
harder on the document.
Ownings
recommends that folks preserve those special documents at home. Get rid of staples, rubber bands, paper clips
and tape. Note how documents are stored: a fold becomes a crease which becomes
a tear. Torn documents are best saved in a plastic sleeve. Scanning and making digital
photos are a good idea too.
CSU
has a website that shows the digital archives. A question was asked about
copyright which Ownings said laws began in 1923. When items are given to CSU
their copyright is requested too.
The
archives which began in 1975 is joined by other archiving institutions like CSU,
LaGrange-Troup County, U. of West GA, UGA, libraries and historical societies.
Members
asked Ownings what was used the most, and he replied students studying the history
of pre-Civil War Georgia and Alabama and World War II. Popular too is the Mary
Mercer collection of Carson McCullers material. When asked about Horace King, Ownings
said very little is original.
Ownings
had brochures about the library available and encouraged members to check their
attics, family Bibles, letters and journals and preserve those treasures.
