Savannah Images Project

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Painting, "Vue du Port de Savannah"
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This site, funded by the Georgia Humanities Council and the National Endowment for Humanities, is part of a project that involves teachers and students in historical study by investigating local history and helps them develop technology skills by conducting historical research. The site features more than 300 images of places and events in Savannah and coastal Georgia divided into 17 subjects, such as "First Baptist Church of Savannah", "Fortresses of Savannah," and "James Oglethorpe and the Native Americans". Each topic offers a 750-2500 word essay written by Armstrong Atlantic State University students and professors. Because the authors' levels of expertise vary, the essays are of uneven quality and length. Some essays have links to specific images and bibliographies of suggested scholarly readings. Images offer brief (10-20 word) descriptive captions. This site is ideal for those interested in the history of Savannah and coastal Georgia, and it would also be a useful model for similar local history projects at the high school and college level.

Goldband Records: "Every One a Musical Treat"

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Cover, Recording, Swampland Jewels
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An exhibit devoted to the Goldband Recording Corporation, a Southern regional recording company, located in Lake Charles, LA. From its inception in the mid-1940s, Goldband produced recordings in "some of the South's most important and distinctive musical styles and sounds, including Cajun, zydeco, blues, rhythm and blues, rockabilly, and swamp pop."

The site includes 23 selections in both streaming MP3 and Real Audio formats; short biographical notes of 100–200 words in length on 24 artists who recorded at Goldband studio—including Freddie Fender and Dolly Parton at age 13; 32 photographs; and a 1,600-word essay on musical genres.

Provides three links to related sites, a 10-title bibliography, and an inventory of the full collection of corporate materials available at the UNC Library. Valuable for those studying Southern culture, music history, and postwar American popular culture.

John Brown and the Valley of the Shadow

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Photo, Portrait of John Brown
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Using contemporary newspaper accounts, eyewitness testimonies, photographs, maps, drawings, and later texts, this site presents "narrative threads" linking the events leading up to John Brown's raid in 1859 on the Harper's Ferry arsenal to "the latent history of life in the two Shenandoah Valley towns of Staunton, Virginia, and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania." Includes 13 issues of newspapers from the towns; five eyewitness accounts ranging from 2,500 to 9,800 words in length; 30 images of the Brown family members and conspirators; approximately 25 additional photos, published drawings, and maps; a brief listing of Brown's day-to-day movements during the latter half of 1859; and short biographical entries of up to 500 words on each conspirator. This site, parts of which are presently under construction, will be of special interest to teachers who want to use contemporary images and written accounts in their classes on Brown and abolitionism, and for those looking to investigate local history perspectives on events of national importance.

Oral History Digital Collection

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Image for Oral History Digital Collection
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These full-text first-person narratives present the voices of more than 2,000 people from northeast Ohio discussing issues significant to the state and the nation. These oral histories, collected since 1974, focus on a range of topics such as ethnic culture, including African American, Greek, Irish, Italian, Jewish, Puerto Rican, Romanian, and Russian, and industry, such as steel, pottery, brick, coal, and railroads.

Others discuss labor relations, including women in labor unions, wars (World War II, Vietnam, Gulf War), college life (including the shootings by National Guard troops at Kent State in 1970), the Holocaust, and religion. Subject access is available through more than 200 topics listed alphabetically.

Independence Daze: A History of July Fourth

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According to BackStory:

"In the early days of our nation, July Fourth wasn’t an official holiday at all. In fact, it wasn’t until 1938 that it became a paid day-off. So how did the Fourth become the holiest day on our secular calendar? Historian Pauline Maier offers some answers, and explains how radically the meaning of the Declaration has changed since 1776. James Heintze chronicles early Independence Day Bacchanalia. And historian David Blight reflects on Frederick Douglass’ arresting 1852 Independence Day speech."

School Days: A History of Public Education

Description

According to Backstory:

In 1983, the Commission on Excellence in Education published A Nation at Risk, comparing low educational standards to a kind of warfare against youth. But hand-wringing over our school system is an American perennial, going all the way back to the Founding. In this episode, the History Guys explore the origins of public education, and ask whether we set ourselves up for disappointment by expecting so much from our schools. Guests include historian Jon Zimmerman and Alicia Lugo, who taught in segregated schools in Charlottesville, Virginia, and went on to run the city’s school board.

Woodlawn Plantation [VA]

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Woodlawn Plantation was once home to George Washington's nephew Lawrence Lewis and Lewis' wife "Nelly." The Federal main residence was completed in 1805 according to the design of William Thornton, architect of the national Capitol. During the Lewis' residence at least 90 slaves lived on site. In 1846, the property passed on to two Quaker families, the Troths and Gillinghams, who wished to prove that abolition of slavery would not destroy the Southern economy. To this end, they hired Caucasian and free African American farmers to work their land, rather than relying on slave labor. Their actions were unique and highly controversial during their day.

The plantation offers period rooms, guided tours of the residence, group tours, and private teas. Groups of 10 or more are required to call at least one day in advance for reservations and confirmation of availability. The second floor is not wheelchair accessible. Tea programs are available to groups of 12 or more in April through December.