Old Governor's Mansion [GA]

Description

The Old Governer's Mansion in Georgia is one of the nation's first examples of High Greek Revival architecture in the nation. The mansion was completed in 1839, and served as the mansion of the governor of Georgia until the Civil War. The building was placed on the national register of historic places in 1973, and currently stands as a historic house museum.

The mansion offers visitors guided tours, curator's tours, interpretive events, and occasional special events. The website offers lesson plans and field trip guides, visitor information, a history of the mansion, a virtual tour, and information regarding upcoming events.

American Literature on the Web

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Image, "Ralph Waldo Emerson"
Annotation

Provides thousands of links to information on and texts by more than 300 American writers from 1620 to the present. Users can search in five chronological periods for links to timelines, author's sites, related resources, music and visual arts, and "social contexts." Also contains specific categories for electronic text collections, U.S. History, American Studies, poetry, movements and genres, Southern literature, women writers, literary theory, reference works, and "minority literature/multi-cultural resources," including categories for African-American, Asian-American, Jewish-American, and Latino/Latina writers. Authors represented include famous literary figures such as Louisa May Alcott (1832-88), Anna Bradstreet (ca. 1612-72), Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-1950), Emily Dickinson (1830-86), and Ralph Ellison (1914-94); important public figures, such as William Byrd (1674-1744) and Frederick Douglass (1818-95); and lesser-known figures, such as John Woolman (1720-72) and Amelia Edith Barr (1831-1919).

Offers images of many writers, links in Japanese, a section devoted to Canadian authors, a master list of authors in alphabetical order, and "two site-specific search engines" for word searches of this site and others. Last updated in December 2001, many links are no longer operable; however, as a gateway, it offers an abundance of usable links in a well-designed format for those needing resources on American writers and their times.

Fort King George Historic Site [GA]

Description

Fort King George is the oldest English fort remaining on Georgia's coast. The fort was in operation from 1721 until 1736, when it was abandoned. Later, in the 19th century, the location was used as a major export center for lumber. Today, visitors can explore the reconstructed Fort King George, as well as three sawmills and tabby ruins which showcase the history of the location as a lumber exporter. The site is also home to a museum.

The fort offers visitors guided tours, interpretive events, a brief historical film, and a variety of exhibits and special events. The website offers a link to the Georgia Teacher's Resource for Touring Historic Sites, specific lesson plans for touring Fort King George, a brief history of the fort, a 15-photo photograph gallery, an event calendar, and visitor information.

Alexander Dickson House/Orange Co. Visitors Center [NC]

Description

The Alexander Dickson House and Orange Co. Visitors Center are both owned and operated by the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough. The Alliance is made up of seven members, and is dedicated to preserving the local history. The visitors center operates out of the Dickson House, and gives visitors a taste of historic Hillsborough. In addition, the location functions as a historic house museum, featuring an office used by Confederate General Johnston.

The site offers very basic visitor and historic information regarding the home. In addition, the site offers all of the resources of the Alliance for Historic Hillsborough, including a virtual walking tour and information about educational programs offered by the alliance.

Fort Loudoun State Historical Area (TN)

Description

During the French and Indian War (1754–1763), the British colony of South Carolina felt threatened by French activities in the Mississippi Valley. To counter this threat, the colony sent the Independent Company of South Carolina to construct and garrison what became Fort Loudoun. This move helped to ally the Overhill Cherokee Nation in the fight against the French and guaranteed the trade would continue between the Cherokee and South Carolina. In the course of the fort's four-year existence, relations between South Carolina and the Cherokee Nation broke down. In August, 1760, the Cherokee captured Fort Loudoun and its garrison.

Today, the fort offers tours and occasional living history events.

New Orleans Fire Department Museum [LA]

Description

The New Orleans Fire Department Museum presents firefighting history via historical photographs, equipment, memorabilia, and both horse-drawn and motorized vehicles. Highlights include an 1860s hand pull ladder truck, 1838 hand pull hand pumper, an 1891 uniform, and a slide pole. The museum is housed within an 1851 firehouse.

The museum offers exhibits and tours. Visitation is by appointment only.

Ben Tillman and Winthrop University

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Tillman Hall, Winthrop University
Question

In what town did Benjamin Ryan Tillman found a normal school?

Answer

It depends on what you mean by "founded."

Benjamin Ryan Tillman was involved in the early development of both Clemson (now University) and Winthrop (now University). Clemson began as a military school, while Winthrop was for training teachers, which is to say that it was a "Normal school." In 1886, Winthrop was actually founded by educator David Bancroft Johnson in Columbia, SC with seed money from a Boston philanthropist. At that time it was known at Winthrop Training School for Women. Tillman, then the governor of South Carolina, made the school state-run in 1891 and it was renamed The South Carolina Industrial and Winthrop Normal College. In 1893, it was renamed again, and was known as Winthrop Normal and Industrial College.

The records say Tillman, who was then a U.S. Senator, was "instrumental" in having the school moved to Rock Hill in 1895, where it is today. Whether his role was so prominent that he could be said to have "re-founded" the school in Rock Hill is a matter on which historians have disagreed. The first building erected for the college in its new location was Tillman Hall, an ornate Romanesque-style building, constructed with convict labor from the state penitentiary. In 1920, the school became known as Winthrop College, the South Carolina College for Women. In 1974, the school became co-ed and changed its name again to Winthrop College. It was integrated in 1964 (arch-White Supremacist "Pitchfork Ben" Tillman would undoubtedly have been appalled). In 1992 the school became Winthrop University. It now has an enrollment of about 6,500 students in its liberal arts curriculum.

Benjamin Tillman served on Winthrop’s Board of Trustees from 1891 (he was its chairman at the time the school relocated to Rock Hill) until his death in 1918. He had sisters that either worked at or attended Winthrop. All three of his daughters attended the school.

Images:

Senator Tillman, his wife, and their daughter at the Democratic National Convention, 1912. Prints and Photographs Collection, Library of Congress.

Tillman Building, Winthrop College campus, Rock Hill, South Carolina, Historic American Buildings Survey, Library of Congress.

For more information

For many of the details of this answer, I am indebted to Gina White, the Director of Archives and Special Collections at the Dacus Library of Winthrop University.

Winthrop University's website.

Bibliography

Simkins, Francis Butler. Pitchford Ben Tillman, South Carolinian. Columbia, S.C.: University of South Carolina Press, 2002; orig. published 1944.
—— The Tillman Movement in South Carolina. Durham, N.C.: Duke University Press, 1926.

Snowden, Yates ed. History of South Carolina, volume 5 (Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company, 1920).

Open Yale Courses

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Photo, Professor Joanne B. Freeman, Open Yale Courses
Annotation

Yale University has made a sampling of their courses available for listeners, viewers, and readers.

As of writing, the history subsection contains six courses—two of which relate directly to U.S. history ("The American Revolution" and "The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877") and one which touches on relevant issues, "Epidemics and Western Society Since 1600." Each of these courses offers links to individual pages for each lecture. Lecture pages contain short text overviews of the topic at hand; a list of any reading which was required for the day; and links to lecture audio, video, and transcriptions.

Our site links you directly to the Yale's history courses. However, consider exploring other topics as well. Maybe a lecture on Roman architecture will give you background for discussing monuments in Washington, DC, or an economics course will give you a new way of thinking about the American Revolution. Interdisciplinary possibilities are endless.

Americans for the Arts [DC]

Description

Americans for the Arts is the nation's leading nonprofit organization for advancing the arts in America.

The organization website provides The National Arts Policy Database, containing research abstracts, news articles, program profiles, and sample documents pertinent to arts policy.