Independence Week
Augusta Bel Canto
July 2, 1:30-2:30pm
Free event
The Augusta Bel Canto choral ensemble will perform American Stories in Song at the Augusta Museum of History on July 2nd at 1:30 pm. The performance will be in the Museum's Rotunda and is free to the public!
Open All Week
The Augusta Museum of History will be open
July 5-10, 2016.
Hours:
Tuesday - Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm
Sunday 1 pm - 5 pm
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Monday at the Museum is a monthly program aimed at preschool age children. They must be accompanied by an adult.
Time: 10 am
Cost: $4 per child;
$2 for a member's child
July 4, 2016
Independence Day Celebration: American Flag Puzzle
Children will hear the story of the American Revolutionary War, play with the Revolutionary War touch cart, then create an American Flag puzzle!
August 15, 2016
Summer Fun: Historic Vacations
Children will learn about the Bon Air Hotel and the beginning of Augusta tourism, then create a summer fan!
September 5, 2016
Back to School: One Room Schoolhouse
Children will learn about one room school houses and create a chalk board!
Registration is requested by calling 706-722-8454 or email Amy Schaffman at [email protected].
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New Exhibit Opening
A special preview of the new exhibit
Augusta 1875-1900 will be held in conjunction with
Member's Night Out on August 5.
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Member's Night Out, is a quarterly members event offered in conjunction with Augusta's "First Friday." The Museum opens its doors after hours as a special appreciation night for our members. Each Member's Night Out out will have a different theme, which features a lecture, offered at 6 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., and a hands-on activities for the whole family. All museum galleries will be open as well.
Discounted memberships can be purchased at the door for Individuals and Families.
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Cost: Free for Museum Members. Admission for non-members is $7 for adults and $4 for children.
August 5, 2016
Victorian Augusta
Join us as we celebrate the opening of our new exhibit,
Augusta, 1875-1900.
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A special look behind-the-scenes as Lauren Virgo, the Museum's Registrar, demonstrates how artifacts are collected, cataloged, preserved, cared for and displayed.
Each session will end with a review of how to preserve objects that relate to that day's theme. Most of the program will have guests seated in the collections area while the Registrar explores the history behind the objects.
September 3, 10, 17 & 24
Free for members or with paid admission.
Tours at 1 pm and 3 pm
Sign-up at the front desk 15-30 minutes before each
tour time.
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Tuscan Villa Raffle
Tickets: $100
Only 100 tickets will be sold!
Here's your ticket to getaway to the rolling hills of Tuscany, Italy! Enter to win 7 nights of accommodations for 4 people in Manciano, Italy, located just 1 1/2 hours north of Rome in beautiful Tuscany. Stay in a casa featuring a full living room, dining room, kitchen, two bathrooms and two bedrooms with views of the rolling countryside. Drawing to be held on October 19, 2016. Airfare not included.
For more information about the casas, contact Margie Lynch at
770-794-993
8 or visit www.tuscanresort.com
. Raffle tickets can be purchased in the Museum Administrative Offices, Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5 p.m.
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Southern Suds: Come for the Beer, Stay for the History
The Augusta Museum of History is brewing up a second year of
Southern Suds: Come for the Beer, Stay for the History. Enjoy music, lectures on brewing, food by
Hive Growler Bar, and a sampling of craft brews from around Augusta and Georgia, including the Museum's very own historic brew produced by
River Watch Brewery. Tickets on sale this summer!
October 21, 2016, 6:30 - 9:00 pm
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From the Executive Director
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The past is your lesson. The present is your gift. The future is your motivation.
What's New
Over the past few years
the Museum
has been seeking $150,000 in cash contributions to complete the matching requirement for the $600,000 SPLOST VI grant. An assessment of how the $150,000 to be raised would be best used prioritized two main areas: efficient energy utilization. These funds will be spent on preservation efforts such as the purchase of an upgraded chiller, an industrial freezer for storing photography negatives, collection storage cabinets, and solar power to operate the Museum's exhibition lighting system and HVAC. The balance of the $600,000 from Augusta-Richmond County will be spent on an upgraded security system and infrastructure repairs.
Through the generosity of the Knox Foundation, the Boardman family, Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Glascock, Ms. Stella Grandin, Mr. Al Cheatham, Mr. and Mrs. Larry Knox, Jr., Mr. and Mrs. David Barcus, Dr. and Mrs. P. Baxter Bailey, Ms. Nancy Dupree, Ms. Jean Bowles, Mr. and Mrs. Lamar Garrard, Mr. and Mrs. W. Tennent Houston, Mr. Harry Dolyniuk, Mr. and Mrs. Billy R Litchfield, Dr. and Mrs. J. William McCord, and Dr. and Mrs. David Myers... we have reached our goal!
The Augusta Museum of History over the past ten years has been implementing various techniques to improve and transform the visitor experience. We have been researching and developing interpretive technology to engage visitors actively in new kinds of experiences with objects.
One new feature in the Museum is free wireless for visitors to use in the building and in the exhibitions. This system allows patrons currently using an iPhone or Android, after downloading an app, to access QR Codes throughout the first floor galleries. These codes present information about other tourist attractions in the River Region. In the very near future a different set of QR Codes will provide our patrons access to an audio tour of the first floor exhibits. This special tour developed and implemented by the Museum's Education Manager, Amy Schaffman, provides more in-depth information about the regions history.
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| Example of QR Codes in the Museum. |
Nancy J. Glaser, Executive Director
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New Exhibit Opening: Augusta 1875-1900
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The Augusta Museum of History is excited to unveil a new exhibit on Friday, August 5th. The new exhibit is titled Augusta, 1875-1900. It will explore the life of Augustans in the late Victorian era including daily life, education, transportation, and business history. Museum visitors will be treated to a display of photography portraits, elegant gowns, curious household items, souvenirs from the Augusta Expositions, and stories related from first-person perspectives. The bold colors and stories from Augusta, 1875-1900 will be a delight for all to see.
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Donated by Sarah McKie Padgett DesCombes |
This December 7, 2016, will mark the 75th
anniversary of the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the United States into World War II. Through the continued generosity of the Wells Fargo Foundation there will be a special display of the Museum's textile collections recognizing the service of the River Region's veterans. The Museum is honored to share their stories as part of the
Hometown Heroes
exhibit. World War II uniforms will be on display from July to the end of December 2016. Beginning in January 2017, the Museum has the privilege to feature the uniforms from various conflicts beginning with the Spanish-American War and ending with the Vietnam War.
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Loaned by Estate of James Brown
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The next time you visit the Godfather of Soul, Mr. James Brown exhibit, please note
that all of the outfits have been changed. The loan of these particular items is courtesy of Estate of James Brown.
Lauren Virgo, Registrar
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The Petersburg Boat Captain
July 9, 2016
The Other Tubmans
Brown Bag
History Series
"Augusta Chinese and the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
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- Dr. Raymond Rufo & Kathryn Rufo
July 13, 2016
No Brown Bag History Lecture scheduled in August
"Exploring the Jewish Experience in the CSRA"
September 14, 2016
Dollar Dog Days
$1 Admission
for the month of August
Smithsonian
Museum Day Live!
September 24, 2016
Free admission to the Museum with Smithsonian coupon.
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For more event information, please visit the following link:
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As always, we appreciate your generous contributions and our wonderful Museum members. To see our current list of Donors,
To view our Members,
We thank you!
Benefactor Members:
Mrs. Carol Boardman
Mr. and Mrs. Lyle M. Glascock
Dr. Jim Hudson and
Mrs. Pat Knox-Hudson
Dr. & Mrs. Michael Haynes
Mr. and Mrs. James M. Hull
Mr. and Mrs. George Meinhold
Mr. and Mrs. W. Charles Moye
Mr. and Mrs. H. Monty Osteen, Jr.
Patron Members:
Mr. and Mrs. W. Franklin Abbott III
The Honorable and Mrs. H. Scott Allen
Augusta Coca-Cola Bottling Company
Mr. and Mrs. Lowell E. Barnhart
Mrs. Jacquelyn M. Blanchard
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Nesbit
Dr. Lloyd B. Schnuck, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Barry Storey
Mr. and Mrs. Charles W. Whitworth
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So Much More to Discover!
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Can you find me?
T
he theme for this Archive issue is "AMH Forward." It is our goal to illustrate the forward thinking practices from the past. Some of our artifacts demonstrate the forward thinking technologies of their day, such as this tele-monitor from the 1990s. Patients with pacemakers could attach these wristbands and then dial their physician's office on the provided phone. The machine would then relay the pacemaker's functionality over the phone to the doctor's office.
Donated by University Hospital
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County Corner:
Columbia County, GA
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The town of Martinez in Columbia County was named for the Martinez family that immigrated to this area in the mid-1800s. Antonio Martinez y Saldivar and his family fled their home in Camaguey, Cuba, to escape a revolution. He bought 1,000 acres of land in Columbia County and grew cotton on the land. Four of his five children settled elsewhere, except for his daughter Marie Josephine. She married local druggist George T. Perrin and they remained lifelong residents. This bottle shown here is one of Dr. Perrin's elixirs that he produced and sold in Augusta.
Donated by Bill and Bea Baab
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New Acquisitions
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The theme for this year's Brown Bag History Lecture series is immigration. How appropriate then is this recent donation of a Chinese robe. Marion Symms was a local Augustan who worked with the First Baptist Church of Augusta's Chinese Sunday School. This robe was gifted to him around the 1930s by a local family of Chinese heritage for his work with their Sunday School program.
Given in honor of Mary Byrd by Janet Sterzen
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Staff Introductions
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The Augusta Museum of History is pleased to welcome Danielle Schneeberg. Danielle will be completing a summer internship in museum education for her Masters of Public History at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. Her previous experience includes the New Berlin Heritage Center and Hearthstone Historic House Museum. During her internship at the Augusta Museum of History, Danielle will be working on the new Museum Escape program as well as the interactive education kiosk. She will also work with the Docent Program and gain other relevant experience.
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Your comments and feedback are much appreciated.
Please email your suggestions to [email protected]
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The staff of the AMH is always willing to offer advice on the preservation of family heirlooms. We are careful to use the word "preservation" because it is easy to interchange the words restoration, preservation, and conservation. However they mean very different things. In general terms, the terms can be thus defined:
- Restoration is the process of restoring an object to its original appearance using chemical alterations that are permanent.
- Conservation is the cleaning and repairing of an object with the ability to reverse the repairs if needed. This allows an object's original appearance to be evident. Artifact conservationists are highly trained scientists who understand the ethics of protecting an artifact.
- Preservation is the stabilization of an object. The object is in no way chemically or structurally altered. The goal is to place the object in a safe environment (70 degrees F, 50% humidity and in acid-free materials) where further damage is mitigated.
For tips on how to preserve your collections at home, check out our
Collections Care Articles tab online.
Lauren Virgo, Registrar
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Education Update
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Are you a fan of the "whodunits" from the Victorian Era? In honor of our new exhibit Augusta: 1875-1900, the Augusta Museum of History will be presenting a new type of program, which allows you an interactive, after-hours experience of the gallery.
Recently, "Escape the Room" computer games
have become a popular pastime for those interested in trying their hand at detective work. In these virtual rooms, players solve problems from clues in order to escape. Unsurprisingly, this virtual experience has become the inspiration for live events. It is a great activity for friends and family, and can make for a most unusual date night.
The interactive element of these games makes museums an ideal location. The Augusta Museum of History is pleased to announce that, with the help of Intern, Danielle Schneeberg, a Museum Escape will occur in September 2016. Expect historical hijinks, unexpected clues, and fun for all. We could be more specific, but that would give away the mystery.
So dust off your magnifying glasses, review your favorite Victorian mysteries, and keep a weather eye out for this unique event.
Amy Schaffman, Education Manager
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Museum Insights
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Wilkinson Photography Collection
Donated by Linda and Charles Askey
The Wilkinson Photography Studio collection has approximately 250,000 negatives documenting the CSRA's past. To preserve and protect these negatives, the Museum hires interns like me to digitize and care for them. I work with the Robert Wilkinson, Jr., collection, which was donated by family members Ms. Linda Askey and Mr. Charles M. Askey, Jr. Wilkinson was a prominent photographer in the Augusta area from the 1940s-1980s. He worked a number of years for the
Augusta Chronicle
and captured thousands of pictures for community organizations, school yearbooks and passport images as well as pictures of special events in the CSRA. Below, I've highlighted a few of my favorites.
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July 4th, 1965, was a great day to have some summertime fun at Willow Springs in Belvedere. Located on Cherokee Drive the recreation center was also home to parties, picnics, and dance-offs that lasted well over 16 hours. There were also meetings of the "Good Nabors Club," a community meeting with Senator Strom Thurmond, concerts, and a county facility for individuals with alcohol and drug issues.
In this photo, we can see the railyard in downtown Augusta, which was situated between Fenwick and Walker Streets. Eighth Street runs across the middle of the photograph where one can see the offices of the Georgia Railroad and Bank Company. Just across the street and to the left one can see the Round house. In the upper right of the photo, on Walker Street, look for the old Union Station, the Plaza Hotel, and Barrett Plaza, ca. 1950s.
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Rasafi's Red Lion Restaurant,
ca. 1962
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Located at 1934 Walton Way, Rasafi's was open seven days a week and advertised plenty of free parking, banquet facilities for up to 75 people, and fresh Maine lobsters that customers themselves could pick out of a tank. The building eventually became a pub and though vacant, is still standing.
As I continue working through the collection, I have found more and more extraordinary stories captured by Wilkinson. His career can teach us so much about the history of the CSRA. I am excited to see what I find next!
Will Dangerfield, Intern for the Robert Wilkinson Photography Studio Collection
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Fitz-Symms Collection: Bon Air Hotel
Collection donated in Memory of Robert Symms by Kirk and Lora Baxley
Morgan Fitz and Robert Symms photography collection contains approximately 23,680 envelopes comprising of about 800,000 negatives of the history in the Augusta area from the 1940's to the 1980's. In order to preserve and process these negatives, they must all be scanned, rehoused, and digitalized. The Fitz-Symms collection was donated in memory of Robert Symms by Kirk and Lora Baxley in 2014 and has been a huge research contribution to regional history.
Here are a few new discoveries of the Bon Air Hotel during the 1950's from the archive collection.
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The Bon Air Hotel, December 16, 1958
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The Bon Air Vanderbilt Hotel was built in 1889 and was designed by Willis Irvin, a local architect who provided drawings for the Bon Air Hotel, Partridge Inn, and also churches and schools in Georgia and South Carolina. Due to a fire that consumed the hotel on February 4, 1921, the
building had to be rebuilt and finally re-opened in 1923. The Bon Air Hotel, located on the hillside of the Summerville
Historic District, was one of four hotels established and owned by the Vanderbilt family in the early twentieth century.
The left image shows the exterior of the hotel and parking area. The right image shows the interior and lobby of the hotel and the image below shows the outdoor pool area where a fashion show is being held for the grand opening of the swimming pool.
For decades the Bon Air Hotel was the official home of the Master's Golf Tournament. All the famous and important people who visited Augusta would occupy rooms and stay at the Bon Air. The hotel closed in 1960 due to the lack of funds to secure the mortgage and was changed to the Bon Air Retirement Hotel for the elderly and people who required assisted living. Currently, the building is now residential apartments for low income housing and senior citizens. The Bon Air is listed as a contributing structure in the Summerville Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cari Warren, Intern for the Fitz-Symms Photography Collection
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