FIRST SUNDAY LECTURE

Lost and Drowned: What happened to the landscape of North Georgia?
Sunday, January 6, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Presenter: Lisa Russell, author of Underwater Ghost Towns of North Georgia

North Georgia has more than forty lakes, and not one is natural. The state’s controversial decision to dam the region’s rivers for power and water supply changed the landscape forever. Lost communities, forgotten crossroads, dissolving racetracks and even entire towns disappeared, with remnants occasionally peeking up from the depths during times of extreme drought. The creation of Lake Lanier displaced more than seven hundred families. During the construction of Lake Chatuge, busloads of schoolboys were brought in to help disinter graves for the community’s cemetery relocation. Contractors clearing land for the development of Lake Hartwell met with seventy-eight-year-old Eliza Brock wielding a shotgun and warning the men off her property. Lisa Russell dives into the history hidden beneath North Georgia’s lakes.

Speaker Biography:
Lisa Russell is a member of the Society for Georgia Archaeology, Bartow History Museum and Etowah Valley Historical Society. She earned her masters degree in professional writing from Kennesaw State University. When Lisa is not teaching at Georgia Northwestern Technical College or Kennesaw State University, she can be found exploring North Georgia through a micro-historic lens.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

FIRST SUNDAY LECTURE

Tunis Campbell: Reconstruction Politician
Sunday, February 10, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Presenter: Dr. William Marchione, author of A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia

Tunis Campbell was the highest-ranking and most influential African American politician in nineteenth-century Georgia. Born to free black parents in New Jersey in 1812, Campbell worked as an abolitionist often sharing a stage with Frederick Douglass. After the Civil War, he worked for the Freedmen's Bureau in Georgia and served as vice president of the Republican Party of Georgia. As a justice of the peace, a minister, and a politician, he worked to protect the rights of freed African Americans during Reconstruction.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

FIRST SUNDAY LECTURE

The Life and Times of Leila Ross Wilburn: Atlanta’s Pioneering Woman Architect (1885-1967)
A Women's History Month Event

Sunday, March 3, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Presenter, Susan M. Hunter, co-author, Southern Homes & Plan Books: The Architectural Legacy of Leila Ross Wilburn

This presentation will introduce Wilburn as one of the state’s most influential designers of vernacular housing in the first half of the 20th century. From the opening of her architectural practice in 1908 in Atlanta through the following five decades, and through a series of 9 plan books, Wilburn’s work defines changing home design in the South from early craftsman, four square, colonial adaptations, and eclectic offerings through ranch and split level designs in the 1950s and 1960s.

Refreshments and a booksigning will follow the presentation. Books will be available for purchase, courtesy of Bookmiser: A Booklover's Boutique.

Speaker Bio:
Susan Hunter has been a freelance writer for over 30 years, working for clients in higher education, business, and nonprofit organizations. Previously, she taught art history at the Atlanta College of Art and Mercer University in Atlanta, and she worked as an architectural surveyor for the Historic Preservation Division of Georgia. She completed doctoral coursework in American Studies and Art History at Emory University, and she holds an M.A. from American University and a B.A in Art History from Vassar College.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

Presenter, Jane and Fred Krenson

Part travelogue and a lot history, the Krensons' visit to Italy focused on Umbria and the Medieval cities that grew and prospered in Italy. The Krensons made a long swing (4000 total miles) from Rome through Amalfi and Matera, settling in Perugia for a month, and then finishing north through Venice, the Dolomites, Lake Garda, Verona, Lucca and ending back in Rome. They immersed themselves in rural Italy, visiting the small beautiful villages of central Italy, investigating churches, castles and windy road, and experiencing the local cuisine and viticulture of each area. They will have diagrams, maps, drawings and lots of photos.

Refreshments will follow the presentation.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

FIRST SUNDAY LECTURE

Smyrna's Remarkable Belmont Farm
Sunday, May 5, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. William P. Marchione, author A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia

In the period 1905 to 1930, the City of Smyrna transformed itself into a fast growing commuter suburb, but the surrounding countryside, containing more than 200 farms, remained almost entirely agricultural. One of these farms, lying just north of downtown, Belmont Farm, was established in 1910 under the leadership of three dynamic entrepreneurs, Ed Wight, Loring Brown, and J. Gid Morris. Belmont Farm became the single most productive farming establishment in the entire state of Georgia, a mecca of advanced farming and animal husbandry methodologies. Join us for this examination of the golden age of farming in Smyrna and the economic forces that ultimately undermined this unique enterprise.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

First Sunday Lecture Series

Neil Armstrong: First Man
Sunday, June 9, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. James R. Hansen, author of First Man: the Life of Neil A. Armstrong

When Apollo 11 touched down on the Moon’s surface in 1969, the first man on the Moon became a legend. In First Man, author James R. Hansen explores the life of Neil Armstrong. Based on over fifty hours of interviews with the intensely private Armstrong, who also gave Hansen exclusive access to private documents and family sources, this “magnificent panorama of the second half of the American twentieth century."

Free admission. Light refreshments will be served.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Real Top Gun: Naval Aviators
Sunday, July 7, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Brad Hawkins, The Aviation Wing, Marietta; and Aviation Wing volunteers theaviationwing.com

The movie "Top Gun" comes to life through an engaging conversation. Join a former military aviator to explore the path taken by naval aviators from recruitment to carrier landing qualifications and beyond.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.

Speaker: Jennie Eldredge, Smyrna Museum Manager

Ms Eldredge will discuss the progress for the museum renovation so far and give a sneak peak of some of the exciting new exhibit themes and topics. There will also be discussions about plans for the future once the museum reopens in the fall and ways people can get involved in the museum and the Smyrna Historical Society.

Jennie Eldredge is a Cobb County native, who attended Georgia State University both for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She has worked in the field of Cultural Resource Management Archaeology and at public history venues like Historic Oakland Cemetery and the Atlanta History Center. She received her Masters in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University in 2017, and has been working for the city for 2 years.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION.

Sunday, September 8, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. George Lamplugh, author of In Pursuit of Dead Georgians

Like Tom Hanks' version of "Forrest Gump" in the movie, John Wereat was in the middle of things for virtually every significant event in Georgia's history between the outbreak of the Revolutionary War in 1775 and his death in 1799. Does that make him a "great" man? Probably not, but he was an "ever-present" one, with a strong sense of public duty and a willingness to sacrifice wealth, health, and comfort for the "common good."

John Wereat was active during the Revolution, in Georgia, where he took part in the bitter factional politics that split the ranks of Georgia patriots; and he also served as the state's "Continental Agent," in charge of arranging shipments between Georgia and Philadelphia. Wereat served as the de facto "governor," for a short time, of the small section of Georgia that was outside the control of the British early in the war. Later, he was taken prisoner by the British and sent to Charleston. After the Peace Treaty was signed in 1783 and Georgia was an independent state, Mr. Wereat was elected several times as State Auditor, in which capacity he had the thankless task of trying to settle the Revolutionary Era financial claims of individual Georgians and of the state government with Congress in Philadelphia. Because of his knowledge of the arcane world of Revolutionary finance, Wereat made numerous friends in Philadelphia and among Georgians who were grateful for his efforts on their behalf. Later, when the Federal Constitution of 1787 was submitted to the states for ratification, John Wereat was unanimously chosen by the state's ratifying convention as its presiding officer. Finally, in 1795, during the furor over the Yazoo Land Fraud in Georgia, Wereat tried, unsuccessfully, to prevent that corrupt Yazoo sale from being approved by the legislature and signed by the governor.

Speaker Biography: Dr. Lamplugh holds a B.A. from the University of Delaware, 1966 (History); and an M.A. and PhD. from Emory University (1971, 1973). He spent 37 years on the high school faculty at The Westminster Schools (1973-2010), where he taught all sorts of History courses (and, for a couple of years, even some Old Testament), served as Head of the History Department, and edited the department's newsletter for a few years. Since he retired from the classroom, he has continued to "do" History, publishing two books on Georgia History in 2015. Moreover, since June, 2010, he has written a blog, "Retired But Not Shy: Doing History After Leaving the Classroom."

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

FIRST SUNDAY LECTURE

The Western & Atlantic Railroad
Sunday, October 6, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Todd DeFeo, author of Western & Atlantic Railroad

Mr. DeFeo will discuss the history of the Western & Atlantic Railroad and its impact on surrounding communities, including Smyrna.

The State of Georgia chartered the Western & Atlantic Railroad in 1836. The railroad aided in the development and growth of many communities between Atlanta and Chattanooga, Tennessee. In constructing the railroad, workers created a winding route that cut its way across the North Georgia landscape. During the Civil War, both armies used this vital artery, and it was the setting for one of the war’s most iconic events, the Great Locomotive Chase. The state still owns the Western & Atlantic and has leased it since 1870.

Speaker Biography: Smyrna resident Todd DeFeo has studied railroads since growing up alongside the Northeast Corridor line in New Jersey. He is the editor of Railfanning.org and founder of The DeFeo Groupe. Today, he lives near the historic Western & Atlantic. The images that help make up the visual history in this book come from the many libraries and museums dedicated to preserving the Western & Atlantic’s history, the archives of Railfanning.org, and the author’s collection.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION

FIRST SUNDAY LECTURE

Georgia POW Camps in World War II
Sunday, November 3, 2019
3:00-4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room

Speaker: Dr. Kathryn Roe, author of Georgia POW Camps in World War II

During World War II, many Georgians witnessed the enemy in their backyards. More than twelve thousand German and Italian prisoners captured in far-off battlefields were sent to POW camps in Georgia. With large base camps located from Camp Wheeler in Macon and Camp Stewart in Savannah to smaller camps throughout the state, prisoner reeducation and work programs evoked different reactions to the enemy. There was even a POW work detail of forty German soldiers at Augusta National Golf Course, which was changed from a temporary cow pasture to the splendid golf course we know today. Join author and historian Dr. Kathryn Roe Coker as she explores the daily lives of POWs in Georgia and the lasting impact, they had on the Peach State.

Speaker Biography
Dr. Kathryn Roe Coker received a doctorate in history from the University of South Carolina. She served for thirty years as a historian for the Department of the Army (DA). Her interest in World War II POWs began at Fort Gordon while serving as the deputy command historian. She has published various articles in professional journals like the Georgia Historical Quarterly. While a DA historian, she published numerous books and pamphlets, including A History of Fort Gordon, World War II Prisoners of War in Georgia: Camp Gordon’s POWs and The Indispensable Force: The U.S. Army Reserve (1990–2010). She now resides in Richmond, Virginia, with her Miniature Schnauzer and Puggle.

The First Sunday Lecture series is sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library and Smyrna Library.

FREE ADMISSION