October 2004
The Telegraph News & Events from the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Association with the Smithsonian Institution
Vol. II, No. 2
Archive Exhibit Tracks Southern Railway History
T Senior Archivist Sallie Loy accepts award from Georgia Secretary of State Cathy Cox and GHRAB Chair Lee Kinnamon.
Archivists Receive Award
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he Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History won the 2004 Outstanding Archives Award for Excellence in Archival Program Development from the Georgia Historical Records Advisory Board (GHRAB) on October 4, 2004. “It’s a real honor to be recognized for doing what we love doing – keeping Georgia’s history alive and accessible,” said Southern Museum Senior Archivist Sallie Loy. This award was attributed to the Museum’s role in documenting Georgia’s history by preserving the company records of the Glover Machine Works of Marietta, Georgia’s only locomotive builder. The papers (continued on back page)
he Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History kicked off Georgia Archives Week 2004 by reviving a popular railway. This special exhibit will run through November 12. The Museum will host a rare archival exhibit, featuring photos and documents donated by the Southern Railway Historical Association (SRHA). “The Southern Railway was one of the most popular rail lines in the South,” said Museum Senior Archivist Sallie Loy. “The exhibit honors the historic significance of the line.”
The exhibit The Southern Railway: Tracks Through History, will give Museum visitors incredible insight into the popular railway through photographs and vintage postcards. A detailed map will show the complete Southern Railway system displayed alongside timetables, information about the 727th Railway Operating Battalion, and a sample of “Ties” magazine, a publication of the Southern Railway. “These archives present a fascinating reorganization of nearly 150 lines that were combined to form the Southern Railway in the 1800s-1900s,” Loy said.
EDG Donates Drawings for New Education Center
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he Entertainment Design Group, Inc. (EDG) of Austell, Georgia donated $15,000 worth of architectural drawings for the addition of a new education building to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, a Smithsonian Institution affiliate. “The EDG-designed exhibits will bring a new level of excitement to our educational pursuits,” said Museum Executive Director Jeff Drobney, “We’re honored that they have given the community of Kennesaw such an outstanding donation of talent.” The artist’s renderings show the interior, exterior and interactive elements of
the educational building, with construction expected to begin by the end of 2004. Gene Weeks, Vice President and General Manager of Entertainment Design Group, was initially interested in the Museum’s education center when a community program he’s involved in, Leadership Cobb, took a tour of the Museum. “It’s a remarkable Museum, and I’m proud that it’s in our back yard,” Weeks said. Weeks went back for a second trip after the Glover Machine Works exhibit had been added. “Wow! I was duly impressed,” he said. The new education center was (continued on back page)
From the
Executive Director Jeff Drobney, Ph.D. Please forgive me if I digress from the normal topics associated with a column appearing in a Museum newsletter. I know that I should be telling you about our upcoming exhibits, all of the special events that we held this summer, or even about the new artifacts that we have recently acquired. But the truth is I want to go down a different path this time. I want to encourage you to take time for yourself and your family, to renew old friendships and to really think about what is important in your life. It seems that for many of us, life has become a whirlwind of meetings, baseball and soccer games, getting the next big account, or trying to get the best and the biggest whatever. We are always in a hurry – never taking the time to enjoy what surrounds us (you can probably see where I am going with this). For those of us living in Cobb County and metro-Atlanta we are blessed with a plethora of museums, art galleries and state and national parks. If you’ve become so wrapped up in “life,” here are a few suggestions for some “me time” and “family time.” Spend a few hours touring the world class Booth Museum of Western Art in Cartersville, visit Kennesaw Mountain in the context of a historic battlefield instead of a hiking trail, visit the impressive Tullie Smith Farm at the Atlanta History Center and of course visit us at the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History – enjoying one of our many special exhibits or special events. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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Celebrate Historic Holidays at the Southern Museum
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hanksgiving on the Battlefield and Home Front will feature a vignette of a typical 1860s dining/sitting room with costumed docents and their characteristic Thanksgiving meal in the South on November 20 from 10 am to 4 pm. The living history is co-sponsored by the Southern Museum and the Root House Museum, owned and operated by the Cobb Landmarks Historical Society. Scents of country ham, desserts, and corn bread will fill the air as the docents share the differences of Thanksgiving in the North and South. Also, stories of how soldiers in the camp celebrated will serve as a contrast to the normally family-oriented holiday. Everyone in downtown Kennesaw will smell what’s cooking for Christmas on the battlefield on December 11 at A Civil War Christmas. Volunteers from the 125th Ohio will encamp on the front lawn of the Museum from 10 am to 4 pm and cook out for Christmas Dinner. As the
volunteers try to stay warm outside by the fire, Museum visitors can escape the crisp air to the cozy Lacy Hotel where Civil War period holiday decorations will deck the halls. Visitors will get to make their own “vintage” ornaments. Entry to both events is free with Museum admission.
This dining room at the Root House is a hint of what visitors to Thanksgiving Dinner on the Battlefield and Home Front will see in a recreated 1860s dining room.
Railroading in the Southeast Exhibit a Hit with Children
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locks, puzzles, and of course, toy trains, are delighting young children in the pre-kindergarten area of the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History’s new exhibit, Railroading in the Southeast. “It’s a great opportunity for parents and children to spend some quality time together,” Museum Executive Director Jeff Drobney explained. “The kids really seem to like the wooden train set and the dining car play area.” Railroading in the Southeast also offers fun activities for adults, including a working telegraph machine and a locomotive cab simulator that allows people to “learn” to drive a locomotive. The exhibit will remain at the Museum through May 15, 2005.
New Weapons Installed in Civil War Collection By Senior Curator George Deeming
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he Assistant Curator, Mike Bearrow, has returned from a reenactor’s encampment, bearing artifacts for the Museum’s collections. His donation is three pieces of G.A.R. memorabilia. The G.A.R. was formed for the Union Army’s Civil War veterans. Bearrow donated a splendid, circa 1880, G.A.R. Badge (medallion), second version, with the original ribbon and a circa 1880 lapel button and coat button. The coat button is stamped: Pat’d Aug 3, ’86. The badge is almost identical to the Medal of Honor, that was given out by Congress for Valorous Acts in Combat. The G.A.R. was politically strong in the late 19th century, so when it adopted the Medal of Honor as its own symbol, the government quietly changed the pattern and design of the Medal of Honor rather than confront the G.A.R. The Kennesaw Museum Foundation recently acquired a number of Southeastern railroad artifacts, including a set of engineer’s gloves, a tablecloth, and a seat headrest cover, all marked “Southern;” a number of “Pullman” pieces including a pair of marked handtowels, two woolen blankets, and two thermos carafes in nickel plate. Also purchased were a Southern Railway porter’s jacket, and a number of railroad lanterns, two are marked L&N (Louisville & Nashville) RR, two marked Southern, and one has a blue globe, indicating workers are present. Of note are a pair of very early brass wall-mounted railroad car lanterns with milk glass shades and rococo brass work, probably about 1880 or earlier. A singularly neat piece is a marked L&N spittoon in enameled white and blue over a cast-iron base, circa the 1920s. Other Southern Railway pieces acquired include a Remington typewriter (circa 1920) with a Southern Railway inventory label attached; a cast iron Southern Railway equipment trust plate from freight cars; a candle-stick phone
with a scissor mount and earphones from a telegraph office, circa 1910; an REA Express jacket; a locomotive engine oiler with long spout; and a good selection of marked railroad worker tools including a crating hatchet, a rail lifter, a coal scoop, assorted box wrenches, a railcar pusher, a safety skate, and a large open box wrench - all of which are marked with various Southeastern railroad logos and initials. The Museum also acquired a complete crossing sign with crossbuck, flashing lights, and bell. Most of this material is displayed in the new exhibit, Railroading in the Southeast. Fred Bentley, Sr., of Marietta, donated a very rare wood and metal scraper for collecting pine and rosin/tar. The piece is an uncommon one and was used in this area about 1870. Henry Higgins, another Museum staffer, has given the Museum a number of dug relics which were found locally. One item is a lead car or baggage sealer marked “W&A RR” for the Western and Atlantic Railroad. These seals were commonly used to seal a box or a car to show (if broken) that the contents were tampered with. Three other pieces are baggage checks. Ron Dahlquist of Dallas has donated a splendid brass pill maker, with a mid-19th century pedigree. This neat little medicinal device produced 12 small pills or suppositories according to the medicinal practices of the 1850 -’60s. J.T. Swisher of Kennesaw has gifted us with a wonderful two-wheeled mail cart from the late 1800s that was likely used at the L&N Depot in Dalton, Georgia. It is in great condition and was used to move mail and packages from the depot to the post office. Generally, the presence of such a cart indicated that the depot handled larger quantities of mail, as smaller depots with less mail weren’t allotted carts by the railroad.
Hand Carved General Model Donated
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r. Harold Fagan of Lawrenceville, an 89 year old ex-Seaboard Airline Railroad locomotive engineer, has generously donated models of the General and the Texas to the Museum. They are both in one inch to the foot scale and were completely hand-carved by Mr. Fagan. They are on exhibit alongside the real General in the Popular Culture case. Mr. Fagan is also making another model of the General that will be an exact replica of the engine as it appeared on April 12, 1862. It will have the second steam dome, the outside frame, the correct cowcatcher, the green & orange colors that the General was painted in 1862 and additional details uncovered by noted General historian Steve Meola of Pennsylvania. Mr. Fagan has agreed to donate the new model to the Museum when it is finished. It takes him about 14 months to complete each model and his attention to detail is almost obsessive. Each part of all of these engines was scaled and fabricated exactly from photographs and specifications available.
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Thanks to Our 2004 Corporate
Members ACS Water / Callaway Blue Spring Water Alcon Associates, Inc. Ashton Staffing Charter Bank Chastain & Associates Inc. CheckPoint Mortgage Elite Telecom Services Georgia Power Main Street Bank Moore Ingram Johnson & Steele North Metro Technical College O’Neill Communications, Inc. Phoenix Aviation Managers, Inc. Reid Rawlins Interiors & Gifts Glenn Reese DMD Riverside Bank State Farm Insurance - Lewis Street
Volunteer Focus: Ted Stanfill
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he Southern Museum functions like a well-oiled steam engine – and the Museum staff members aren’t the only ones to thank for it. Twenty-five volunteers were honored at an August picnic for dedicating their talents to the Museum for over a year. These men and women shouldn’t just be behind the scenes, but in the spotlight for their dedicated service to the community. Ted Stanfill will be highlighted this issue because the staff he works with are honored to have him there. “Ted has been a reliable, willing volunteer who can be trusted to work independently,” said Ted’s supervisor, Assistant Curator Mike Bearrow. Ted started volunteering in October of 2003 when he moved to Smyrna from Northern Virginia. However, that wasn’t his first visit to the Museum. Ted had visited the Museum in the ‘70s and was amazed when he saw the renovated facility. He’s proud of the new facility and enjoys the hands-on learning experience with subjects that have always interested him like scale modeling and gun collecting. Museum projects he’s enjoyed
include the ongoing preservation of the weapons collection and artifact data entry. The workmanship of the 1860s weapons amazed him. With a 20-year career of military service in the US Air Force including work in intelligence and reconnaissance at the Pentagon, Ted enjoys working in a military-related environment, learning the histories, and working with the people. In fact, he showed up at the Southern Museum with plenty of experience. For over 20 years, he volunteered at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. and helped to restore planes – aircraft actually piloted by Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart! A fully restored antique aircraft that he especially enjoyed working on is now on display at the US Navy Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL. Mike, Ted’s supervisor, appreciates his experience. “He’s willing to lend his expertise when needed to offer alternative solutions to problems,” he said. Ted also served as the President of the Potomac Chapter of the Antique Airplane Association and is an active member in the American Legion.
The Train Stops Here! Can you identify the location of this Georgia depot? If you can, send your answer to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History, Attention Cindy Dadyala, 2829 Cherokee Street, Kennesaw Georgia, 30144 or email your answer to cdadyala@kennesaw.ga.us. One winner will be drawn at random from all correct entries and printed in the next issue. The winner will also receive a special gift from the Museum. Need help with the answer? See The Southern Railway: Tracks through History exhibit in the lobby of the Museum October 1 - November 12.
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Expanded Programs Draw Visitors By Director of Education Jennifer Legates
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his summer more than 2,400 visitors took advantage of a new opportunity to experience history through our interpretive programs. A variety of programs are offered including guided tours, interactive discussions on locomotive operations, and demonstrations of 19th century music and weapons including a black powder weapons firing presentation. Interpretive programs were held daily this summer and included weapons demonstrations and guided tours.
The 10th Texas performs a drill. The Museum hosted several encampments this summer.
Numerous daycare centers and community organizations visited the Southern Museum this summer allowing students of all ages to explore history. The upcoming school year promises to be a busy one with thousands of students already booked to visit the Museum as part of an educational field trip. We recently hosted Teachers Night offering local educators an opportunity to learn more about educational programs at the Museum as well as in the classroom. Teachers from seventeen schools in Cobb, Cherokee, and Paulding counties attended and made plans for upcoming field trips. This summer, the Museum kicked
off our college internship program by hosting Reinhardt College student Jennifer Greene. As part of the Education Department, Jennifer worked on a research project that will help establish a living history program focusing on factory workers and upper management of the Glover Machine Works. Her research will be invaluable as we expand our educational programming efforts. Now you can have a Civil War soldier visit your classroom or next organizational meeting! The Education Department offers a variety of outreach programs for student classrooms or organizational meetings. Conducted by Lead Interpreter Harper Harris, these living history programs focus on the life of the common soldier as well as 19th Century music, photography, and the story of the Great Locomotive Chase. To find out more, contact the Education department today! On weekends this summer you may have heard the sound of cannons and rifles as we hosted several living history encampments and a Civil War music concert. A big thank you to the units who helped make it possible: 125th Ohio Infantry, 10th Texas Infantry, 12th Georgia Artillery, Howells Battery, and the 8th Georgia Regimental Band. In the coming months two events are planned highlighting the holiday season. On November 20 we will host Thanksgiving on the Battlefield and Home Front in conjunction with the Root House Museum of Marietta. The daylong event will take place in the Southern Museum’s theater and offer living history programs focusing on the holiday experience for Civil War soldiers and their families. On December 11, the Union army will once again be in Kennesaw as the 125th Ohio Infantry joins us for A Civil War Christmas. Plans are underway for a host of special events in 2005. Stay tuned for details!
Mark Your Calendars! 2004-05 Events of the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History! Railroading in the Southeast July 3, 2004 - May 15, 2005 The Southern Railway: Tracks Through History October 1 - November 12, 2004 Thanksgiving Dinner on the Battlefield and Home Front November 20, 2004 A Civil War Christmas December 11, 2004
Upcoming Smithsonian Institution 2005 Exhibition: Picturing the Century: One Hundred Years of Photography from the National Archives July 16 - September 11, 2005
Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration
This stunning exhibition includes breathtaking views of the American West; nostalgic images of rural America; emotion-filled portraits of urban blight; and snapshots of Americans at work and play. Created by the National Archives and Records Administration and organized for travel by Smithsonian Institution Exhibition Services.
For more info on upcoming events, visit www.southernmuseum.org
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Find that Special Gift at the Museum Store!
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ell, Fall is in the air and the holidays will be here before we know it! It can be challenging to find special seasonal gifts for the ones we love. Our Museum Store has lots of wonderful and unique items. Let us help you with your holiday shopping needs. Everyone loves candles. We have a great selection of soy based candles in a variety of fragrances. Our Maybridge candles burn longer and cleaner than most paraffin based candles. Make your home feel more comfy and warm with old-fashioned scents such as Gran’s Apple Pie, Butter Crunch or Strawberry Jam. Buy one as a gift and keep one for yourself! What kid doesn’t love trains? We have a wide selection of train toys and accessories to delight children of all ages. Choose from friction trains to engineer caps to train whistles. We’ve got railroad books, watches, and clocks. How about a railroad sign to complete the décor of that train enthusiast? Specialty foods, jewelry, Civil War items, and Museum ornaments are just a few of the other treasures offered here. Stop by for a visit and see what’s in store! As always, remember to present your Museum Membership Card at the register to receive your discount. Museum Memberships make great gifts too!
By Retail Services Manager Jane Pies 6
Harper Harris, Lead Interpreter
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s lead interpreter, Harper Harris performs a range of services from guiding school tours to weapons demonstrations outside. When a civic organization needs a speaker on Kennesaw’s past, he’s the man. Not to mention that he has acted in several movies over the years. In the Museum’s production of the Great Locomotive Chase, he played Uriah Stephens – the Station Master at Kingston. And by the way, he rubbed shoulders with Mel Gibson in The Patriot, as the surgeon who amputated a leg. “That was a lot of fun!” Harris said. Although Harris enjoys all of the roles he plays in and out of the Museum, he has his favorites. “I enjoy working with the kids more than anything.” He also favors planning the interpretive programs in the summer. Harris said, “I like coming up with different programs and making them interesting in under 20 minutes – it’s a challenge!” The programs vary from photography, to music to weapons. His most recent project this year was organizing over 100 storytellers to come to Folk Tales of the Rails – a huge success! Harris’ job at the Museum can be credited to his long-standing history with the General. In 1967, he was recruited by a Civil War reenactment group, the 12th Georgia Light Artillery. The group’s goal was to bring the General back to Kennesaw from Chattanooga. With anticipation, Harris and fellow re-enactors stayed up all night before the General would return to Kennesaw. However, to their disappointment, the General was better
guarded in Chattanooga than it had been in Big Shanty. The Chattanooga Mayor prevented the General from her return. It was 1972 before Harris’ longawaited train pulled into her station. In 1997, Harris expressed his enthusiasm for the story of the Great Locomotive Chase to the City of Kennesaw. “This was the best story to come out of the Civil War,” he said. “The only thing these guys didn’t do was tie a girl up on the tracks.” After voicing his concern that local schools and teachers weren’t familiar with the city’s history, he was hired to work full time for the Museum alongside three part time workers. Now, the Museum employs seven full time and six part time staff. A life-long resident of Georgia, Harris and his wife live in Canton. He has a son and three daughters.
Harper Harris makes history interesting for Museum visitors through costume. A costumed Harris poses with the late George Wray, the donor of a large collection of uniforms in the Lifelines of the Civil War exhibit.
New Benefits for Members: Discounts from Local Merchants
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outhern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History members already receive many exceptional benefits and now they can add one more to the list: A Local Merchant Discount. The Museum is teaming up with local Kennesaw merchants to offer special discounts to Museum members ONLY.* So bring the family and spend the day in Kennesaw. Visit the Museum, stroll the local shops have a meal. See what Kennesaw has to offer! Participating Merchants Include:
Aroma Bean Coffee Roaster, Inc. 2055 N. Main Street, Suite 101
Eatin Ice Cream 2847 S. Main Street 770-4275378 $1 off every $5 or greater purchase We make it all right here!
Kennesaw Magic! 3055 N. Main Street, Suite 102 10% off all purchases www.kennesawmagic.com We specialize in retail magic novelties and making your events magical!
10% off purchases Find a world-class selection of fine coffees freshly roasted on premises. Relax and enjoy here or brew at home.
By-Gone Treasures & Bit of Glass Inc. 2839 S. Main Street 10% off all purchases Antiques and collectibles, period furniture, Depression glass, Blue Ridge, Blue Willow, etc., magazines, and research materials.
Classy Clutter 2760 S. Main Street 10% off purchases Specializes in inspirational items for your heart and home. Browse through a wonderful selection of decorative arts, indoor and outdoor furniture, garden accents, antiques, collectibles, and unique gifts.
Trackside Grill 2840 S. Main Street Free mini appetizer “New South Flavor, Old South Charm” Enjoy casual dining by the train tracks in historic Kennesaw. Serving lunch and dinner: Monday - Saturday.
Unusual Boutique 3055 N. Main Street, Suite 108 10% off all purchases Fabulous gifts for fabulous people!
Kennesaw Trains, Inc. 2844 S. Main Street 10% off all sales Specializing in N, HO, O, S, Scale, DCC plus; service and repairs, custom painting, paints, glues, tools, plastics, books, videos, magazines and research materials.
Reid Rawlins Interiors & Gifts 3048 Cherokee Street 30% off all purchases www.reidrawlins.com Savvy shopping offering fun and functional home furnishings. From Country French to English traditional – at Reid Rawlins Interiors, all styles can be found.
Whistle Stop Cafe 2871 N. Main Street $1.00 off your meal Classic Southern Cuisine, friendly service within walking distance of the Museum. A local favorite. * Members must show their Smithsonian Affiliate/Southern Museum membership card to receive a discount.
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Kennesaw Museum Foundation P.O. Box 846 • Kennesaw, Georgia 30156 770-427-2117 • Fax 770-421-8485
Please visit www.southernmuseum.org for more information on upcoming events.
NONPROFIT ORG US POSTAGE PAID KENNESAW. GA PERMIT NO. 39
EDG Donation
Archivists Award
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designed as a place for children in the community to enjoy a hands-on, themed environment. Some of the interactive stations will allow kids to explore the Big Shanty depot, discover the anatomy of a train, and exert their energy in a pumper car with interactive screens that will slow and speed up the train in association with the childrens’ pumping action. The Entertainment Design Group, Inc., is a full-scale production house that produces nationally-recognized projects and programs where creative meets technical. EDG enjoys clientele such as Vera Wang, Disney, Six Flags Over Georgia
reveal over 200 steam locomotives were built there between 1902 and the early 1930s and enable researchers to study the complexities of the economic and industrial development of the state. “We’re honored at the Museum to be the community’s sole point of contact with this significant historical collection,” Loy said. “Glover Machine Works is not well documented elsewhere but is so important to Georgia’s history!” The Outstanding Archives Award program was established in 2003 by the GHRAB to recognize significant efforts in archives and records work in Georgia. The Board strives to inspire others by publicly recognizing excellent achievements in preserving Georgia’s history. The Museum has recreated the Glover Machine Works factory in full scale and original photography and builders sheets are displayed in the exhibition. The archives are available by appointment only.
and many others as well as events and projects such as concert productions, holiday décor build, fashion shows, theme parks, and the 54th lighting of Rich’s Great Tree. Visit the EDG website at www.goedg.com for more information. Weeks said enthusiastically, “[The new educational building] was a real fun project to work on.”