CVHS Program for Sunday, October 21, 2012 at 3 p.m.

CVHS Program to Highlight Mill Village Life

         

            The Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society will hold its fall quarterly meeting on October 21, at the Bradshaw Library in Valley, Alabama, begining at 3:00 pm ET.  Featured speaker Rhonda Baldwin of Randolph County will present “Life and Labor on the Handley Lowell Mill Village: 1901 – 1972.”  In her power-point presentation, Baldwin uses historical photographs, music, poetry and stories to recapture the unique character that once defined the Alabama mill village.  

            What began as a Master’s thesis while earning her graduate degree in History at Jacksonville State University, her research of more than one hundred interviews provided a springboard for her book, “Small Things Forgotten”, with sales in excess of 300 copies to date.  Baldwin explains, “I chose that title because the workers being interviewed always said, ‘I don’t know anything you’d want to write about’.  I would respond that it is the small things that make a good story.  Then, they began pouring out their stories with a gleam in their eyes and, sometimes, tears.  I sat on many front porches in the hot summer heat of Randolph County and came to love these people and appreciate their contribution to our community, which is sometimes overlooked.”

            Baldwin will examine the dramatic changes that factory workers encountered as they left their farmsteads and moved to the mill village seeking work, as well as the creative ways in which they coped with their challenges.  Photographs abound in her power-point presentation, a historical collage of the many facets of life in the Lowell Mill village.

             CVHS President Mac Holderfield believes Baldwin’s topic will resonate with the Valley audience.  “Ms. Baldwin has a passion for local history, and most especially, for the mill workers of Lowell Mill Village.  Our shared textile heritage makes this a program that Valley folks are sure to enjoy. History buffs will appreciate the descriptive first-hand accounts from which Ms. Baldwin based her research.”

            A graduate of Handley High School, Baldwin now teaches history at her alma mater.  She and her husband live in Wadley, Alabama, where they raise cows and corn.  A member of the Randolph County Historical Museum and the Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society, Baldwin recently delivered a lecture based upon her book to the Alabama Historical Association.

Following the presentation, those attending will have an opportunity to purchase a signed copy of “Small Things Forgotten” for $20.00.

As always, the public is invited to attend and there is no charge.  The Bradshaw Library is located on Highway 29 in Valley, Alabama, approximately one mile south of I-85 Exit 79.  For additional information on the historical society, including membership and donation opportunities, visit the organization’s website at www.cvhistoricalsociety.org. 

CVHS Program for Sunday, April 15, 2012 at 3 p.m.

ATLANTA STORYTELLER

Speaker: Peter Bonner

Location: Lanier Room, H. Grady Bradshaw Library, Valley, AL

Peter Bonner, noted historian, storyteller and actor, will speak at the spring quarterly meeting of the Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held April 15, at 3:00 pm EDT, at the Bradshaw Library in Valley, Alabama.

Founder of the highly successful and internationally known “Historical and Hysterical Tours, Inc.”, Bonner has been entertaining and educating visitors to Clayton County, Georgia, for over 15 years. Dressed in period attire, his signature blend of story-telling and historical lore offers a rare glimpse into Margaret Mitchell’s world of Gone With the Wind. Audiences learn the true stories, tales and legends, and the historical significance of the Battle of Jonesboro. Bonner relates details of Mitchell’s classic novel to real-life occurrences, places, and people from antebellum Jonesboro, including Mitchell’s connection with the Fitzgerald family.

In addition to his tourism enterprise, Bonner provides “Hands On History” programs to schools in the metro Atlanta area and throughout the state. As one of the nation’s leading authorities on Atlanta’s Civil War history, his company provides consultation and on-camera services to movie and television producers. Bonner has also worked as a writer and historical consultant for Underground Atlanta, Stone Mountain Park, and the Old Town Morrow project among others.

Bonner is the author of “Lost in Yesterday: The True Stories Found in Gone With the Wind”. This is the only such book that has received written endorsement from the Mitchell estate. Copies of his book will be available for purchase at the conclusion of his presentation.

Bonner has a local connection to Chambers County, Alabama, with relatives still living in the area. His mother, the late Louise Crowder Bonner, was born in Lanett, while his father, Chappell Ward Bonner, resides on the family farm in Standing Rock.

“We are delighted to have Mr. Bonner as speaker for our upcoming meeting,” commented Dr. Horace Holderfield, president of the CVHS. “His talents as storyteller and entertainer should appeal to a wide audience. As always, the public is invited to attend.”

The Bradshaw Library is located on Highway 29 in Valley, Alabama, approximately one mile south of I-85 Exit 79. For additional information on the historical society, including membership and donation opportunities, visit the organization's website at http://www.cvhistoricalsociety.org.

CVHS Program for Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 3 p.m.

GONE WITH THE WIND

Speaker: George W. Terrell, Jr.

Location: Lanier Room, H. Grady Bradshaw Library, Valley, AL

One of the world's foremost authorities on Gone With the Wind memorabilia will speak at the winter quarterly meeting of the Chattahoochee Valley Historical Society. The meeting, which is open to the public, will be held January 15, at 3:00 pm EST, at the Bradshaw Library in Valley, Alabama.

George W. Terrell, Jr., has been collecting GWTW memorabilia for decades. Most recently, he organized the largest collection of GWTW memorabilia ever shown in the United States. To celebrate the 75^th anniversary of the publication of Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind, Terrell masterminded the recent exhibit, Gone With the Wind at 75: A Diamond Jubilee at the Mary G. Hardin Center for Cultural Arts in Gadsden, Alabama. The exhibition opened to the public in June, 2011, and included memorabilia from the 1939 movie as well. Terrell began planning this exhibition two years prior to its opening, and included items drawn from leading GWTW collections across the country. By borrowing items from many collectors, Terrell was able to showcase numerous pieces that had never before been seen by the public. He also created an audio-tour of the exhibit, whereby visitors could access the tour using cell phones. By the time of its closing in December, over 20,000 visitors had viewed this Gadsden exhibit, including visitors from six foreign countries. In appreciation of his efforts, the Hardin Center honored Terrell on November 8, 2011, the 111^th anniversary of the birth of Margaret Mitchell, by proclaiming that day as “George Terrell Day”.

Currently chair of the Social Sciences department at Gadsden State Community College, Terrell has been associated with the college for the past 31 years. An international traveler, Terrell has visited Russia on eighteen occasions, and has a special interest in rare Faberge Imperial Eggs. Recently, he traveled to New York City to see the two remaining eggs that he had not yet seen.

“We are very fortunate to have Mr. Terrell as our upcoming guest speaker, and believe his topic and audio-visual presentation will have a lot of public appeal,” commented Dr. Horace Holderfield, president of the CVHS.

The Bradshaw Library is located on Highway 29 in Valley, Alabama, approximately one mile south of I-85 Exit 79. For additional information on the historical society, including membership and donation opportunities, visit the organization's website at www.cvhistoricalsociety.org.