1 May 1901: "a grab bag, a fish pond, a tug of war, and the like"

On this afternoon in 1901, Emmanuel Episcopal Church, recently relocated to Prince Avenue, held a May Day Festival for the local children.

Admission to the festival was 10 cents, and included refreshments, a variety of games, a Maypole dance, and a baseball match "between the Milledge avenue and Prince avenue nines." 

According to the account published in the Banner the next day, "scores of children" attended the festival, and the whole endeavor was a "lovely" and "beautiful" success. with everyone enjoying "an evening of rare pleasure" that included the Milledge avenue boys winning a "very exciting" baseball game. 

Also of note was that Jennie Wilson Fears, seven-year-old daughter of livery owners Elliot and Leila Fears of Hull Street was crowned as "Queen of Love and Beauty," and Harriet White Benedict, seven-year-old great-niece of College of Agriculture president H.C. White, also won a prize for "the most beautifully decorated baby carriage."

Learn More:

• Athens Daily Banner, Feb. 1901 - Oct. 1901 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• A History of Emmanuel Church, 1943-1993 in the Heritage collection.
• 1900 U.S. Census in Ancestry Library Edition via GALILEO.
• Chemistry at the University of Georgia by W. H. Waggoner in the Heritage and general collections.
• History of Athens and Clarke County Georgia by H. J. Rowe in the Heritage and general collections.
• A World of Flowers by Clay Perry in the general collection.
• The Folklore of American Holidays, edited by Hennig Cohen and Tristam Potter Coffin in the Reference collection.
• A Book of Flowers by Kathleen N. Daly in the Heritage and general collections.
• The American Book of Days by Jane M. Hatch in the Reference collection.
• Celebrating with Flowers by Jane Packer in the general collection.

Come Peruse the New Books in the Heritage Room

On this day we'd like to let you know a few of the new additions to the Heritage collection, and hope you'll come in to take a look before our collection downsizes during construction.

• In Pursuit of the American Birthright: A Quarter-Century of Unitarian-Universalist Involvement in Athens, 1954-1979 by Horace Montgomery in Local History.
• Military Service Records at the National Archives, compiled by Trevor K. Plante.
• Lugenia Burns Hope: Black Southern Reformer by Jacqueline Anne Rouse in Biography.
• Works Projects Administration Historical Records Survey: Sources for Genealogists by John W. Heisey.
• Oglethorpe County, Georgia, Newspaper Extracts, The Oglethorpe Echo, 1895-1899 by Fred W. McRee, Jr. in the Newspaper Abstracts.
• Georgia Governor and Council Journals, 1768-1771 by Mary Bondurant Warren.
• Ty Cobb by John D. McCallum in Biography.
• The History of Euharlee by the Euharlee History Committee.
• History of St. John's Episcopal Church, Macon County, North Carolina by A. Rufus Morgan.
• Sidney Lanier, Poet and Prosodist by Richard Webb and Edwin R. Coulson in Biography.
• Virginia in Maps: Four Centuries of Settlement, Growth and Development, edited by Richard W. Stephenson and Marianne M. McKee.

We  hope to see you soon!

15 April 1911: "Our Hats Are Not Freakish."

On this day in 1911, Michael Brothers ran this full-page ad in the Athens Banner:

 

(click image to enlarge)

The Michael's advertisement sounds odd to our ears, but they are using a more traditional use of the word "freakish," meaning "capricious" or "whimsical." The ad is telling Athens women that Michael Brothers' selection of Easter hats will be good for more than just this one event, this one day--they are a style statement that lasts.

Proper new outfits, and the social stumble a less than appropriate outfit would be, was the common thread in the various clothing stores and millinery shops in Athens in the weeks before Easter Sunday. Both men and women were expected to show up in style at church Easter morning.

Throughout the teens and twenties, men's clothing ads merely indicated that, as you had to have a new suit anyway, you might as well shop with the advertiser. However, an arms war of decorative headwear promises seemed to wage on the pages of the local papers for women, as each business promised to make the most impressive Easter hat, emphasizing the most striking decorations, styles, and statements that could be made by shopping at the right store.

Learn More:

• Athens Banner, Jan. 1911 - Jun. 1911 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Historic Newspaper Archive (1827-1922) collection in the Digital Library of Georgia.
• The Barnhart Dictionary of Etymology by Robert K. Barnhart in the Reference collection.
• Loose Cannons & Red Herrings: A Book of Lost Metaphors by Robert Claiborne in the general collection.
• The History of the English Language by Seth Lerer in the CD collection.
• Hats Off to Hats! by Sara Corbett in the children's collection.
• Women's Hats of the Twentieth Century for Designers and Collectors by Maureen E. Lynn Reilly in the general collection.
• Crowns: Portraits of Black Women in Church Hats by Michael Cunningham in the general collection.
• Hat Tricks: 80 Instant Makeovers That Transform Ordinary Hats into Fabulous Creations by Terence Terry in the general collection.
• The Decorative Egg Book: Twenty Charming Ideas for Creating Beautiful Displays by Deborah Schneebeli-Morrell in the general collection.
• How Sweet It Is (And Was): The History of Candy by Ruth Freeman Swain in the children's collection.
• A Baker's Field Guide to Holiday Candy & Confections by Dede Wilson in the general collection.
• The Proper Care of Rabbits by J. Darlene Campbell in the general collection.
• What Do You Call a Dumb Bunny? And Other Rabbit Riddles, Games, Jokes, and Cartoons by Marc Tolon Brown in the children's collection.

21 November 1843: Two Marriages in One Family

On this day in 1843, prominent local builder James R. Carlton attended the weddings of two of his children. In the morning, his oldest son, Dr. Joseph Barnett, married Thene Emma Moore in Jackson County. Reverend Alfred T. Mann, the minister of the First Methodist Church of Athens, performed the ceremony in Jackson County, then returned to Athens to perform a second Carlton wedding.

The second wedding of the day was for Mary Anne Carlton, who was marrying Dr. William H. Felton, who was about to graduate from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta after attending the University of Georgia in Athens. The couple later moved to Cass (now Bartow) County, where Dr. Felton gave up being a doctor to become a Methodist minister and farmer.

The two couples faced very different futures. Joseph and Theney (as she is listed on her Jackson County marriage certificate) remained in Athens and had five children, with two of their sons also pursuing careers in medicine. Jospeh would serve as surgeon  for Toombs Regiment during the Civil War, and represented Athens in the Georgia House from 1853-1856 and Georgia Senate from 1857-1858.

William and Mary Anne had only eight years together before she died, leaving a toddler daughter, Annie, who was born in 1849. William would marry future suffragist Rebecca Latimer in 1852, and both would have striking poltitical careers in Georgia and on a national level.

Learn More:

• Athens, Georgia, Newspaper Clippings (Southern Banner) Volume V 1842-1843 by Tad Evans and Elizabeth Evans Kilbourne in the Heritage collection.
• Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens, Georgia, Volume I by Charlotte Thomas Marshall in the Heritage and general collections.
• Clarke County (Ga.) Ordinary. Marriages. Books A-C, 1805 - 1867 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Antebellum Athens and Clarke County, Georgia by Ernest C. Hynds in the Heritage and general collections.
• History of Bartow County, Georgia (Fomerly Cass County) by Lucy Josephine Cunyus in the Heritage and general collections. 
• Clarke County, Georgia, Marriage Records 1803-1909 by Faye Stone Poss in the Heritage and general collections.
• Jackson County, Georgia, Marriage Records 1805-1910 by Patricia Freeman Hardin in the Heritage collection.
• The First Methodist Church, Athens, Georgia: Some History and Recollections, and Its Trustees by John P. Bondurant in the Heritage collection.
• More Than Petticoats: Remarkable Georgia Women by Sara Hines Martin in the Heritage and general collections.
• Rebecca Latimer Felton: Nine Stormy Decades by John E. Talmadge in the Heritage and general collections.

Old is the New Green this May

On this day, we hope you'll stop by the library to see a fascinating display outside the Heritage Room for National Historic Preservation Month .

The display covers Athens buildings that have been restored and preserved over the centuries, those buildings we have lost to time and "progress," and those that have been readapted for reuse by our modern city.

Learn more:

• Historic Houses of Athens by Charlotte Marshall Thomas in the Heritage and general collections.
• Strolls About Athens during the Early Seventies by Sylvanus Morris in the Heritage and general collections.
• Strolls Around Athens by William Tate in the Heritage and general collections.
• The Columns of Athens: Georgia's Classic City by William Columbus Davis in the Heritage collection.
• A Postcard History of Athens, Georgia by Gary L. Doster in the Heritage and general collections.
• Athens, A Pictorial History by James K. Reap in the Heritage and general collections.
• Hajos' Athens, Georgia Photo-Gravures by Albin Hajos in the Heritage collection.
• Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps of Georgia by the Sanborn Map Company on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Vanishing Clarke County in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Sketchbook by Loran Smith in the Heritage and general collections.
• A Guide to Architectural Styles in Athens, Georgia by John C. Waters in the
• Athens, Georgia: A Treasury of Historic Architecture by Mari L. Berry in the Heritage and general collections.
• The Morton Theatre, Athens, Georgia: Adaptive Rehabilitation of a 1910 Theatre in the Heritage collection.
• Historic Dearing Street by Frances Taliaferro Thomas in the Heritage collection.
• Athens, Georgia: Celebrating 200 Years at the Millennium by Conoly Hester in the Heritage and general collections.
• Downtown East Urban Design Action Plan: Report on the Redevelopment of the Historic Downtown Warehouse District, Athens, Georgia by Richard Rothman & Associates in the Heritage collection.
• Historic Overview of 15-197 East Clayton Street, Athens, Georgia in the Heritage collection.
• Cobbham Historic District by Christopher W. Barry in the Heritage collection.
• African-American Historic Places and Culture: A Preservation Guide for Georgia by Carole Griffith in the general collection.
• Saving America's Treasures by the National Trust for Historic Preservation in the United States in the general collection.

11 May 1902: Short Notes of Interest

On this day in 1902, the Athens Daily Banner published these in their Short Notes of Interest column:

Best line of Cigars in the city. The Orr Drug Co.

________________

Illicit Distiller,
J. M. Butler, a white man from Oconee county, was bound over to appear at the next term of the U. S. court on the charge of illicit distilling.

________

For Sale,
My home place, corner Baldwin and Jackson streets. H. T. Huggins.

________

18 Granulated Sugar,
For $1.00 at J. H. Massey's.

________

Death of Engineer,
The remains of Mr. J. L. Greer, an engineer employed by the Seaboard at Abbeville, S. C., were brought to Athens yesterday at noon, and taken over the Georgia railroad to Woodville, Ga., for interment.

________

Royal Etchings,
C. W. Motes, the photographer, invites the attention of the public to the very latest style of picture, the Royal Etching, which he has on display at his studio. For enlarged pictures nothing equals this style in beauty, finish or durability.

________

Lost,
On Broad street, a small pin or badge, enameled, blue and gold, with letters "U.S." on face. Finder will be suitably rewarded by returning to Webb & Crawford.

________

Snap Beans,
Cabbage and New Irish Potatoes at J. H. Massey's.

________

Services at Catholic Church,
There will be services at the Catholic church this morning at 9:30. Father Rapier officiating.

________

$50.00,
I will pay fifty dollars reward with evidence to convict for the party or parties defacing public buildings or places by writing indecent words or otherwise. J. F. Rhodes, mayor.

________

For Rent,
Two nice front rooms, suitable for physician, dentist, or lawyers in the Hajos Studio, 21 Clayton street. Apply to C. O. Motes, Studio 10 1/2 College avenue.

________

Star Brand Hams,
at J. H. Massey's.

________

Burial of Infant,
The little infant of Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Yancey who died early yesterday morning in Atlanta was brought here yesterday for interment. The corpse was met at the Seaboard depot and the interment took place in Oconee Cemetery.

________

Evaporated Apples,
at J. H. Massey's.

________________

Learn More:

• Athens Daily Banner, May 1902 - Oct. 1903 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• 1902 Southern Bell Telephone Directory for Athens and Connections in the Heritage collection.
• 1904 Athens City Directory in the Heritage collection.
• Hajos' Athens Photo-Gravures by Albin Hajos in the Heritage and general collections.
• Moonshine: A Life in Pursuit of White Liquor by Alec Wilkinson in the biography section.
• Collector's Guide to Early Photographs by O. Henry Mace in the general collection.
• Uncovering Your Ancestry Through Family Photographs by Maureen Alice Taylor in the general collection.
• Seaboard Air Line Railway: Steam Boats, Locomotives, and History by Richard E. Prince in the Heritage collection.
  
• The Cemeteries of Greene County, Georgia by E. H. Armor in the Heritage and general collections.
• Oconee Hill Cemetery, Athens, Georgia, Volume I by Charlotte Thomas Marshall in the Heritage and general collections.
  
• The Locavore Way: Discover and Enjoy the Pleasures of Locally Grown Food by Amy Cotler in the general collection.
• Tommy at the Grocery Store by Bill Grossman in the children's collection.
  

18 April 1998: Free Widespread Panic Concert on Washington Street

On this day in 1998, Widespread Panic hosted the largest album release party in history for their first live-recorded release, Light Fuse Get Away, on a stage set up in front of the 40 Watt Club on Washington Street. Admission to the show was free, and a day of festivity reigned in downtown Athens.

People from all over the country started to show up on the Friday night before the concert. Widespread Panic had asked their fans to bring food for the Northeast Georgia Food Bank, and one fan from Oregon had 151 pounds of locally-processed chicken delivered to the bank after being told their biggest need was meat. Sandy Creek Park provided camp grounds for fans, and ran shuttles from the park to downtown. The day of the show, bass player Dave Schools told the Banner-Herald that he was happy with the turnout, seeing all the people in town, because "there's a time, when you're young, when it's important to travel around and throw caution to the wind."

The city and band expected somewhere between 15,000 and 35,000 people to come to town. Total turnout was much higher than anticipated, with estimates from police that there were 70,000 people by the time the concert ended. Some organizers thought the turnout was closer to 100,000. It is considered the biggest album release party in history. Among resident concert-goers were Mayor O'Looney, UGA President Michael Adams and his family, and then-Commissioner John Barrow.

Widespread Panic did not want their event to be disruptive to other, previously scheduled events on the 18th. They asked their fans near the stage to be quiet between 6:45pm and the 8pm scheduled start of the show, out of respect for the wedding between Mary Carroll Dillard and Taylor Murray at 7pm at the First United Methodist Church on Lumpkin Street, across from the stage. According to then-Commissioner Doc Eldridge, who was a guest at the service, "Inside the church, you would never have known there were 70,000 people outside." When the bride and groom emerged from the church, hundreds applauded for them.

The band met as students at the University of Georgia, and consider Athens their home. Widespread Panic are longtime underwriters of the local public radio station, WUGA, and wanted the concert to be a gift to their hometown. They had approached then-Mayor Gwen O'Looney in January, 1998, about having the free concert release party in downtown Athens, and had her support. Though Mayor O'Looney was a member of the Athens-Clarke County Downtown Development Authority that would provide some funding for downtown festivals and events, it was the City Manager who had the responsibility to review and approve any special events permits.

The City Manager at the time, Al Crace, was concerned about public sanitation and protection costs to the county. It wasn't until the band's record company, Capricorn Records, and the band itself put up most of the money for the event that the permit was approved, just eight days before the show was scheduled. The Downtown Development Authority used over one-third of their budget to help pay for the concert.

Though the number of people who attended was similar to a typical football Saturday, traffic problems did not occur on the same scale. Sunday morning, there were reports of ankle-deep trash in places on Washington Street near the stage, but total trash collected by the city was only 18.2 tons; in 2009, after a night game versus the South Carolina Gamecocks, UGA removed 70 tons of trash from North Campus.

The band filmed the show, and released it on DVD with the title Panic in the Streets. It is currently sold out on their website.

Learn More:

• Athens Observer, April- June 1998 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Flagpole, 1998 in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Banner-Herald, April 1, 1998 - April 15, 1998 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Athens Banner-Herald, April 16, 1998 - April 30, 1998 on Microfilm in the Heritage collection.
• Concert and Chaos: A Documentary of the Athens Music Scene by J. M. Davidson in the Heritage and general collections.
• First United Methodist Church, Athens, Georgia: Some History and Recollections by J. P. Bondurant in the Heritage collection.
• Athens-Clarke County, Georgia Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for 1998 in the Heritage collection.
• Downtown Athens website.
• Widespread Panic website.

25 December 1820 - The First Presbyterian Church Is Founded

On this day in 1820, the First Presbyterian Church of Athens, Georgia was founded with just 18 charter members. The church was organized by new University of Georgia President Reverend Moses Waddel. Rev. Waddel had come to UGA in 1819, at the age of 49, with a reputation as "one of the most influential and effective of southern educators." He also was a Presbyterian minister, and served as the new congregation's pastor until 1830.

When Rev. Waddel came to UGA, the school was not faring well. He was the fifth President in eight years. There was one faculty member to instruct the mere seven students enrolled, and the campus consisted of Old College, the President's House, and "a dilapidated building serving as a chapel." An effort to move the University from Athens to Milledgeville was afoot because "the rusticity of the local population did not provide the proper cultural context in which the institution might flower."

By all accounts, Rev. Waddel preferred the ministry to the politics of salvaging the University, but his time in office did restore the school. During his administration, student enrollment increased to over 100, and three major new buildings were constructed: New College (1823), Demosthenian Hall (1824), and Philosophical Hall (1821, now the Dean Rusk Center). Said the Senatus Academicus of the school in 1825, "We can confidently rely upon the annual overflowings of this Georgia Nile for the fertilization of our rising country."

Rev. Waddel resigned from UGA in 1829. He was succeeding in office by Alonzo Church, who served as University President for the next 30 years.

Learn More:

• The University of Georgia Under Sixteen Administrations 1785-1955 by Robert Preston Brooks in the Heritage collection.
• The First Presbyterian Church of Athens, Georgia 1820-1970 by the Sesqui-Centennial Committee in the Heritage and general collections.
• The University of Georgia by Sam Abell in the Heritage colleciton.
• College Life in the Old South by E. Merton Coulter in the Heritage collection.
• The University of Georgia: A Bicentennial History 1785-1985 by Thomas G. Dyer in both collections.
• First Presbyterian Church of Athens website.
• Waddel Hall on the UGA campus.