First Sunday Lecture Series

What’s With Atlanta?: The Quirks, Personality, and Charm of the ATL
Sunday, January 7
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Join local Atlanta author and travel writer Paige Watts to uncover Atlanta's quirks, history, and charm. Her new book, What's With Atlanta?, answers all your burning questions about the ATL:

"Why are there so many Peachtree Streets?"
"How did Atlanta get to be the home of the Braves?".
Come learn something new, test your Atlanta trivia, and play ATL Bingo!

Speaker Bio:
Seasoned travel writer and Atlanta local Paige Watts has spent a decade writing about all things travel. She chronicles her journeys on her blog, PaigeMindsTheGap.com, where she highlights the joys of visiting Southern destinations. In addition to her blog, Paige has written for a number of online and print publications, including the Culture Trip, Matador Network, Epicure & Culture, MSN, and Travel the South. She received a double Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Evansville in Creative Writing and Literature, with a minor in International Studies.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Life & Career of Nellie Mae Rowe, Folk Artist
Black History Month Event
Sunday, February 4
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

A creative and resourceful self-taught African-American folk artist, Nellie Mae Rowe gained national recognition during the last decade of her life (1900-1982). Long before that, she was well known locally by visitors who came to her exuberantly embellished home on Pace’s Ferry Road, containing her colorful drawings, paintings, stuffed dolls, and recycled objects. Mrs. Rowe’s works are today on display at the High Museum of Art, the Smithsonian, and several other notable public and private collections across the nation.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. William Marchione, author of A Brief History of Smyrna (2013) and former Associate Professor at the Art Institute of Boston.

Sponsored by the Friends of Smyrna Library

First Sunday Lecture Series

Notable Women of Smyrna: Part II
a Women's History Month event

RESCHEDULED DATE

Saturday, March 16, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Museum Manager Jennie Eldredge and Smyrna Library Director Mary Wallace Moore will explore the lives of prominent women from Smyrna's past. This lecture follows up last fall's presentation with all new women profiled from the past and present. The selection includes women in politics, entertainment, and philanthropy, including Nancy Konigsmark, Maryline Blackburn, Sarah Sentell Scott, Dorothy Bacon, and Julia Roberts.

Speaker Bio:
Jennie Eldredge is the Manager of Smyrna History Museum on Atlanta Road. Mary Wallace Moore is the Director of Smyrna Public Library. They are the authors of Smyrna, Georgia: "The Jonquil City": Celebrating 150 Years.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

Keeping the Chattahoochee
by Sally Sierer Bethea
Sunday, April 7, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Sally Sierer Bethea was one of the first women in America to become a “riverkeeper”—a vocal defender of a specific waterway who holds polluters accountable. In Keeping the Chattahoochee, she tells stories that range from joyous and funny to frustrating—even alarming—to illustrate what it takes to save an endangered river. Her tales are triggered by the regular walks she takes through a forest to the Chattahoochee over the course of a year, finding solace and kinship in nature.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

Smyrna in the 60s
by Dr. William Marchione
Sunday, May 5, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Time travel with us! Local historian Dr. William Marchione pulls all the Smyrna headlines and newsmakers from the 1960s into a nostalgic look at Smyrna's past layered with historical perspective. This lecture is made possible by an indexing project spearheaded by Dr. Marchione and conducted by Friends of Smyrna Library volunteers. For over a year, volunteers have poured over Smyrna Herald newspapers to create the first index of this valuable resource. The group is celebrating the completion of the 1960s with this lecture.

Speaker Bio:
Dr. William Marchione is the author of A Brief History of Smyrna, Georgia.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

Papermaking Around the World
Virginia Howell, Director of the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking
Sunday, June 2, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Paper is a ubiquitous material, used in books to coffee filters to clothing and furniture. Discover the paper of papermaking and how different cultures developed techniques and uses for this material that allowed their societies to flourish and grow. From China to the Pacific Islands to India to Italy to Mexico and the Americas, find out about the tools and traditions of papermaking!

Speaker Bio: Virginia Howell is the director of the Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking in the Renewable Bioproducts Institute at Georgia Tech. She has been a museum professional for 25 years, working in historic sites, science, art, and history museums as an educator. A Tennessee native, Howell has lived in Smyrna for the last 9 years and is proud to have four different library cards to support her interest in paper-as-books.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Chattahoochee River Line
by Phil Ivester, Concord Covered Bridge Historic District Board President
Sunday, July 7, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Join us as Phil Ivester, Concord Covered Bridge Historic District Board President, discusses his research into the Chattahoochee River Line troop movements and battles during the Civil War in the summer, 1864. We will share first person narratives by soldiers who were there.

Smyrna-native Philip Ivester, serves as CEO of Kennesaw-based Energy Management firm. His degree is in Electrical Engineering from Georgia Tech, but he is passionate about Smyrna history, having grown up in the historic Martin Luker Ruff house near the Concord Woolen Mill, Grist Mill, and Covered Bridge. Over the years he has done extensive research into the history of 19th-century communities known as Concord, Millgrove, Nickajack, and Tillman. He is President of the Friends of the Concord Covered Bridge Historic District and Treasurer of the Smyrna Historical Society.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Liquor Wars
by Dr. William Marchione
Sunday, August 25, 2024
Fourth Sunday This Month
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

The production and sale of alcoholic beverages was the most divisive political issue Cobb County faced from its foundation in the 1830s well into the 20th century. In this lecture local historian Dr. William P. Marchione, author of A Brief History of Smyrna Georgia, will examine the strident and often violent history of liquor regulation in Cobb County, with particular emphasis on Smyrna and vicinity.

The first liquor store to be established in downtown Smyrna in 1938, owned and operated by Bill Reed, older brother of Raymond Reed.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

Architectural Eras of Smyrna
by Jennifer Corcoran & Rebekah Helfgot
Sunday, September 8, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

"The Architectural Eras Tour, 20th Century Residential Architecture in Smyrna," will be presented by historians Jennifer Corcoran and Rebekah Helfgot. This talk will outline the evolution of housing and neighborhoods in the city throughout the twentieth century, divided into five architectural “eras”. This presentation will include illustrations and examples of the types of houses and neighborhoods that were constructed during each era. Jennifer and Rebekah will explain how local, national, and world events influenced the size, style, and arrangement of our homes. Attendees will leave knowing more about Smyrna and its houses, and you might even see your house or neighborhood pictured!

Speaker biographies:

Jennifer Corcoran is an architectural historian and NEPA planner for Jacobs Engineering. She has a Master’s degree in Heritage Preservation from Georgia State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Interior Design from Florida State University. She primarily works on environmental and cultural resource documentation for GDOT projects. She lives in a compact Ranch house in Cheney Woods and has been a Smyrna resident for 19 years. She is married and has one child at Campbell High School plus one pup named Apollo. Her favorite thing about Smyrna is living in a walkable neighborhood with school, restaurants, and entertainment close by.

Rebekah Helfgot is an architectural historian for AECOM. She has a Master’s degree in Historic Preservation and a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology and History, from the University of Georgia. She works on architectural history surveys and historic evaluations for GDOT projects. She lives in a twenty-first century townhouse in Montclair and has been a Smyrna resident for 4 years. She is married and shares her space with 2 cats, Zoe and Eliot. Her favorite thing about Smyrna are the city events and facilities.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

The Art of Marsha Hamby Savage
by Marsha Hamby Savage
Sunday, October 6, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

Marsha Hamby Savage will discuss her exhibit in the library's upper level galleries (on display September-October 2024). Based in Smyrna, Ms Savage is a seasoned artist with over 50 years of experience, known for her vibrant landscape paintings in pastel, oil, and acrylic. Her deep connection to nature is reflected in her works, which often capture the serene beauty of creeks, rocks, and cascading water. Living in the Southeastern U.S., she frequently paints en plein air, drawing inspiration from both local and western landscapes. Savage's art has been widely recognized, with numerous awards and commissions, including prominent installations at the Georgia State Capitol and various hospitals.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

First Women: Culture and Change Among the Creek and Cherokee
by Jennie Eldredge
Sunday, November 3, 2024
3:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Smyrna Library, Meeting Room
Light refreshments will be served.

This lecture will discuss the roles of women in Cherokee and Muscogee Creek cultures both before and after relocation. We will cover the shared ancestry of both groups in Georgia and look at how women anchored these matrilineal groups throughout their history. 45 minutes with a question-and-answer session to follow.

Speaker Bio: Jennie Eldredge grew up in East Cobb County and graduated from Georgia State University with a BA in Anthropology, and an M.A. in Heritage Preservation. She has been the Museum Manager for the City of Smyrna since October of 2017, overseeing the Museum and 3 historic cemeteries. Ms. Eldredge resides in Smyrna with a spirited Cairn Terrier named Duncan.

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

First Sunday Lecture Series

No Lecture is Scheduled for December

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