History: HIST 6215/MLIS 7998 - Public History

Charles A. Converse (1904-1940) was a Foreign Service Officer for the United States and posted at the U.S Embassy in London during World War II. When the War first started, Converse's family was evacuated back to the States while Charles stayed behind to continue his work providing service to American citizens affected by the war. During the Blitz of London (a German military bombing campaign), Mr. Converse worked tireless to get American citizens home. Throughout the Blitz, Mr. Converse fell ill with influenza, which eventually worsened to a point of him being evacuated back to the States, where he died on April 14th, 1940. Despite little information about his life, the impact he had on his countrymen and family cannot go unnoticed. While many may be inclined to shaft Converse as a simple short-lived bureaucrat , his work and life touched countless individuals both consciously and unconsciously. His life and his impact were not so little at all.

Desegregation means ending racial separation, which was common in the U.S. until the 1950s, especially in the South. This separation was supported by the 1896 Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson but was ruled unconstitutional by Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. Despite this, many Southern schools resisted. In Little Rock, Arkansas, nine Black students, known as the Little Rock Nine, tried to attend Central High School but were blocked by the National Guard, ordered by Governor Faubus. President Eisenhower sent federal troops to protect them from angry mobs and violence. The Little Rock Crisis was a key moment in the Civil Rights Movement, showing the need for strong federal action against segregation.
By examining the Valdosta State University Archive's Civil Rights Papers, we can explore how the federal intervention in the Little Rock Crisis influenced school desegregation, the legality of Eisenhower's troop deployment, and the level of public support for his actions.

Established four years after the university was founded, The Pine Branch was a writing journal where the young women attending not Valdosta State University, but rather the South Georgia State Normal College (and eventually the Georgia State Woman's College in 1922) could share their thoughts and feelings about the goings-on about campus and more. Editorials, poetry, and alumnae news dotted the pages, but featured towards the end of almost every issue of The Pine Branch was humor, dating back to even the first issue, printed in December 1917. While the funniness of these sections certainly waxed and waned, more evident through these jokes was the shared perspectives of the women at the time, who displayed the friendly, familial nature of the school through their comedy.

The Demorest's Family Magazine was a late 19th Century women’s monthly magazine published in New York by William Jennings Demorest. Valdosta State University’s special collection comprises issues published from 1879-1897. Advertisements in these issues were aimed at women, the primary readers of the magazine. Advertisements covered many topics, but this exhibit will focus on common everyday-use items for families including Fashion, Household Goods & Services, and Miscellaneous. Advertisements were frequently aimed at homemakers who would often purchase items or encourage family purchases based on these ads, and they encouraged customers to mention the magazine when writing in for a purchase. Part of the magazine’s Business Notices section, these ads give insight into the daily lives of late 19th Century families in America and are of historical and anthropological interest.

Valdosta State University’s Archives and Special Collections houses the Tatler-Burgess Collection which features artifacts representing the global history of publishing.
Many of the documents in the collection are leaves from European books, printed during the 16th, 17th, and 19th centuries, featuring woodcut, copper plate, and lithograph illustrations. The majority of these books are translations of the Bible into German as well as secular literature documenting German and European history.
Many of the Biblical illustrations depict characters in contemporary European dress and settings comparable to secular art of the same time period. Alternatively, some illustrations portray Biblical events as mystical, invoking ancient and foreign themes.
The artists’ choices to convey Biblical scenes in contemporary versus classical styles demonstrate the intriguing evolution of the historic European worldview.

This exhibit features letters from W.W. Knight that were sent to his wife Mary Knight while he was serving in the confederacy. Between 1861-1863, Knight wrote dozens of letters that provided updates on the health of the military company that Knight served with. There are some references to battles in these letters, but the majority of the letters discuss illness and disease afflicting the soldiers. The prevalence of illness and diseases impacted the lives of everyone, on the battlefield and off. Despite the grotesque nature of some of the diseases, these documents showcase the health struggles of those at war prior to medical knowledge of diseases and bacteria.

In modern society, the traditional act of crafting and physically mailing letters has become a lost art. However, during the 19th century, letters were a widely embraced form of communication. At Valdosta State University Archives & Special Collections, The Bennet Collection offers a rich assortment of papers and memorabilia from the Bennet family. The letters span from 1826 to approximately 1945 against the backdrop of rural Georgia, and they highlight the emotional fabric of the family. This exhibit delves into these personal letters to examine individual reflections and shed light on universal feelings of romance, adventure, and longing. From enthralling tales to nostalgic sentiments, each letter provides a glimpse into the personal lives of the Bennet family.

Equal Rights was a newsletter published by the American National Woman’s Party beginning in 1923. This publication lobbied for an Equal Rights Amendment to be added to the Constitution and also covered feminist concerns and developments both nationally and worldwide. A lot of the cover “models” shown on issues of Equal Rights are engaged in politics in some way – officers of the National Woman’s Party, overseas supporters, women with roles in global governments, etc. The exceptions are creative women – writers, musicians, and artists. Why were these particular women chosen for the cover of this publication? Why might the National Woman’s Party have admired them?

This exhibit examines a decade of advertisement pages from The Pine Branch, the monthly journal published by the Writer’s Club of the Georgia State Woman’s College, before and after the stock market crash of 1929. All items are from the Pine Branch collection at Valdosta State University’s Archives and Special Collections. The archived collection includes a “Harmful Content Policy,” which applies to the items selected for this exhibit and can be viewed by clicking the link below. Advertisements from the years 1923 to 1933 are included in this exhibit; however, the 1924 and 1932 issues were not available and are therefore not included. The research question that this exhibit asks the viewer to consider is: How does the economic rise and fall of the United States from 1923 to 1933 affect the December publication of The Pine Branch and its paid advertisements during the Christmas shopping season?

The Vietnam War is a polarizing topic in American college age adults during 1965-1975. These adults had many times a much louder voice in the matters of the draft and ways to resist or change the governments decisions on Vietnam. Valdosta State Universities college students were not an exception to this movement of the anti-Vietnam protest. The Campus Canopy and The VSC Spectator from the Valdosta State archives showcase how this story unfolds in articles that are published by the newspaper and letters sent in by concerned students. These resources can be found at the Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections. This exhibit will look over the general thoughts on the Vietnam war and how the student body respond to it during the early to later parts of the anti-war movement in the United States. The exhibit will also show the contrasting opinions on how a few people viewed Vietnam during the time before 1970. And finally, how did the Valdosta State University react to the Kent State college shooting that occurred on May 4, 1970.

Statistically, it has been documented that people of color in the population of the United States face disproportional rates of mass incarceration. Structural racism, particularly among law enforcement officers, is a more probable explanation than presuming that people who are not white are more likely to commit crimes. By examining articles from The Southern Patriot, a progressive newspaper published from 1942-1973 out of South Carolina, I am going to examine the question of whether multiple elements of the justice system throughout the United States, including law enforcement officers, judges, and corrections officers use violence or threats of violence as a standard method of enforcing white supremacy.

Willie Houseal is perhaps best known for his service as Valdosta City Councilman from 1985-1989, but his advocacy for underserved Black residents of Valdosta began years before his election to the position. A Valdosta native, he returned to the area permanently in 1982 after military service and quickly began work on numerous initiatives to improve conditions on Valdosta's Southside. Houseal is notable for creating and partnering with many local organizations, including the NAACP, Southwest Enterprise Black Truth Association, and Reading is Fundamental. Throughout his career, he advocated in and out of local government, tenacious but also able to compromise with white City Councilmembers when necessary. Following his efforts to establish a voting system based on districts and wards in Valdosta, he was elected as City Councilman, then Mayor Pro Tem, and has since paved the way for many Black residents of Valdosta to hold office and thrive in their city's infrastructure.

"Advertisements as we know them today, have been part of the American consumer experience since the mid to late 1800s. The rise of the ‘art’ of advertisements would become one of the most significant and longest-lasting consumer developments in United States society. The Valdosta State University Special Archives includes a collection of late 19th-century magazines entitled the Demorest Family Magazine. The Demorest Monthly Magazine, as it was also called, is a prime example of a late 19th-century publication that reflected the rise of consumerism within American culture. Spreading new fashion trends, popular news, and other forms of media nationwide helped develop a more unified American society. With the Industrial and transportation Revolution in full swing, manufacturers had more and more clients as America was shrinking. Publications such as the Demorest Family Magazine provided businesses with a quick way to reach consumers, and to gain their attention, new marketing strategies were developed. Whether through persuasive language, flashy imagery, or even just plain text, these early advertisements reflected the birth of a consumer-hungry America. For this exhibit, we will showcase three separate product types; clothing, health and beauty, and household goods, and how the advertisements reflected a more national and changing American consumer society in the late 1800s."

This exhibit "highlight documents from the Tatler-Burges collection provided by Valdosta State University's Archives and Special Collections. These chosen artifacts document discoveries made during and after the sixteenth century and exemplify the power of learning. The collection of books, manuscripts, and literary works reveals an enduring passion for knowledge and the pursuit of education. It provides a glimpse into the lives of people who have dedicated themselves to acquiring knowledge and documenting that information. This inspiring pursuit often compels others to participate in this lifelong endeavor, one that never ceases to inspire the curious. As the collection continues to grow and evolve, it serves as a reminder that documenting what we have learned can be an enriching journey that can transform lives."