The Hourglass: Fall 2022

Our history begins here. Let us start you on the journey.

On the cover: Baskets awaiting their final touches at Crate to Plate: Salute to 70! in early October.

As I approach the end of my 7th year here at the History Center, I ask myself…”is there a 7 year itch?” The answer is a resounding No! Every year I see the staff, board and community grow and it never ceases to amaze me what we’re capable of. In fact, we’re at a crossroads in our institution, so we will be embarking on some visioning and long-range planning to take us well into the next 7 years (and beyond). And as you know, planning work is not easy, it takes time, patience and creativity - but it is vital so we will be asking for your input as we work through it. As a valued member of the History Center please look out for this work in 2023 and take the opportunity to give us your thoughts, comments, suggestions, and ideas; that way the road forward will be “paved” by all of us.

Gifts Made Simple

Members of the Thomasville History Center receive free admission for themselves and up to 5 immediate family members and reduced/free admission for their guests. This extends to the Lapham-Patterson House and there is no limit on the number of visits through the year!

Purchase Journey Passes to stuff in stockings this holiday season! Journey Passes offer reduced admission to both the History Center and the Lapham-Patterson House. The perfect gift for a friend who is new to town or to have on hand for when guests come to visit!

Members also receive priority or discounted registration for workshops, summer camps, programs, and special events like Crate to Plate and Pilau.

Memberships support the ongoing work of the History Center to enrich the community through the exploration and discovery of its history, people, and stories.

Passes are $12 for Adults and $6 for Students (ages 6-17). Passes can be redeemed at the History Center

Monday-Saturday for a self-guided tour and at the Lapham-Patterson House for a guided tour on Fridays or Saturdays. Passes can be used on a single day or over two visits.

Purchase your passes online or at the History Center today! thomasvillehistory.org/programsevents.

Another Record Year for Crate to Plate

We are blown away by your ongoing support of Crate to Plate. This year, like the two before it, were record setting years for participation. In total we sold 198 crates, or baskets in this case.

When we break that down, that is 396 meals from JB Crumbs; 396 bottles of gin from 1861 Distillery; 396 brownies from Savannah Moon Cafe; 396 sets of flatware, napkins, and placemats from Firefly; 250 bottles of wine, champagne, and sparkling grape juice from Bird Dog Bottle; 198 bread loaves from Tupelos Bakery; 198 appetizers from Sass!; 198 flower arrangments made by hand from cuttings of plants on the History Center’s grounds and native plants like goldenrod and beauty berries. Whew!

These are impressive and staggering numbers. For context, our successful annual fall fundraising dinners averaged between 150 and 160 guests each year. Now we are able to reach almost 400 people. All of these events were successful and generously supported by you, and it is a testament to your continued support, and that of the community, that we’ve seen such growth in just a few short years.

We are also incredibly grateful to the volunteers who helped make this event possible, not only on the night of, but in the days and weeks leading up to the event.

We’ve received many questions about how we will continue Crate to Plate moving forward. Based on the survey shared with our email list and feedback received from attendees, it looks like Crate to Plate will be here to stay-especially with the option to enjoy your meal on the grounds, experiencing the best of both worlds.

This year, more than 50 guests joined us for wonderful conversations, fellowship, and above all, food on the grounds. Have some suggestions for us? Add your feedback to the Crate to Plate survey using this QR code:

1993

First Pilau dinner held on the grounds of the History Center.

30 Years & Still Cooking

The Thomasville HIstory Center wrapped up its year of anniversaries with the 30th Annual Pilau Dinner on election night, November 8. Nearly 1,300 meals were sold for the anniversary event.

This was the first year since the pandemic that we invited guests to eat on the grounds. To celebrate our big anniversary. The History Center invited the Kenny Hill Band to play bluegrass music from the porch of the Smith Homestead, echoing the first Pilau which also featured live music. We had a wonderful turnout of friends and neighbors of all ages who enjoyed the lovely weather with picnics on the grounds.

The History Center further honored the milesone annniversary through the sale of special t-shirts and tote bags. Both pose the question, “Parlezvous Pilau?” in a nod to Pilau’s many names and pronunciations. If you missed your chance to preorder or purchase at the event, contact Amelia. There are some remaining tote bags and shirts in youth and adult sizes available.

New Technology for Old Things

The Thomasville History Center has collected nearly 5,000 artifacts since forming in 1952. For the vast majority of these objects, what we know about them comes from the donor. For many donors, their knowledge of the items they’re donating relies on information passed through multiple generations. While the research materials to check on the accuracy of the stories have been available for years, the amount of time and materials needed to conduct that type of research was simply not feasible for a small staff like the History Center.

However, over the past several years visual-search tools have revolutionized the ability of museum curatorial staff, particularly at small museums like ours, to quickly identify objects. A photograph of a maker’s mark or a china pattern frequently pulls up the years the item was made, where it was made, and by who; an unidentified an unsigned work of art can be quickly identified; and a souvenir from World War II thought to be from one country could turn out to be something very different.

Sometimes the result is, for lack of a better word, disappointing. One donation of a children’s tea set the History Center received 25 years ago came with a great story about how it was used by children at a historic plantation in Thomas County during the 1850s. A combination of visual search research and traditional textsearch research on the internet proved the tea set was not produced in England or could have been owned in the United States prior to 1897.

Our research can also confirm a family story and enlighten us about an item in the collection. For example, the children of McChesney Jeffries and Jesse Watt Jeffries loaned in 1973 and then later donated two paintings of rural scenes that family lore said were owned by Judge Augustin Harris Hansell in the 1850s and brought from Milledgeville to Thomasville. Both paintings are unsigned, and quite understandably, additional research on the paintings were not done.

A recent “visual search” of photographs of the paintings revealed the artists of each painting and confirmed dates that are fully compatible with the family’s story.

Swedish Army Signal Flashlight, c. 1940

2005.025.01

continued on page 6

New Technology for Old Things CONTINUED

The first, as we’ve learned is a painting of the Comtess D’Assay by French artist Alfred de Dreux, sometime around 1845. The second may be quite significant, a work titled “Favourites, the Property of H.R.H. Prince George of Cambridge” by English artist Sir Edwin Henry Landseer in 1840. The Yale Center for English Art appears to be the only other collecting institution in the United States with a contemporary copy.

Most of the new knowledge we have gained from this has been enlightening. A World War II signal light thought to be from NAZI Germany turns out to be from the Swedish Army; a World War I bayonet thought to be English turns out to be from the Austro-Hungarian Empire; and a bottle thought to be from the 1890s could not have been produced before 1920.

No matter the “bigness” or “smallness” of the information found, it brings us closer to our goal of presenting the most accurate information possible.

Calendar Notes

Add these dates to your calendar! Stay updated via our email newsletter. Not a subscriber or have not been receiving updates from us? Reach out to Amelia to confirm your email address and we’ll work to get you back in the loop! Email amelia@thomascountyhistory.org

November 27: Georgia Grown Citrus Clip N’Sip benefitting the Thomasville History Center. Join us from 1pm-4pm, 2501 Malloy Rd, Ochlocknee, GA. 10% of proceeds will be donated to the History Center. Center staff will be onsite with materials to make free holiday cards!

December: The halls are decked at the LaphamPatterson House for the holiday season! Stop by for a tour on Friday afternoons or Saturdays to explore.

December 3 & 10: Tiptoe Through the Tombstones: Victorian Christmas. Tours at 10am of the Old Cemetery and Flipper Cemetery, and 2pm at Laurel Hill Cemetery. Spaces are limited. Register online today!

December 24, 25 & January 1: Thomasville History Center and Lapham-Patterson House are closed for the holidays.

February 5: Super Museum Sunday, free admission in honor of the Georgia Historical Society’s Georgia History Festival. This will coincide with our Annual Meeting.

2023 Annual Meeting: Show & Tell

We want to show you, not just tell you, all about what we accomplished in 2022. See (and touch!) artifacts donated to the History Center over the course of the year, and explore the stories we’ve shared. Free and open to all; stay tuned for info!

“Favourites, the Property of H.R.H. Prince George of Cambridge” by Sir Edwin Henry Landseer, c. 1840. Hansell Collection 1996.11.3

Comtess D’Assay by Alfred de Dreux Painting currently on loan to Thomasville Landmarks

History Center Awarded N.E.H. Grant

The Thomasville History Center is a recipient of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ Landmarks of History and Culture grant to fund The Quest for Freedom: The African American Community in the Aftermath of Slavery, 1865-1954.

This project will offer two separate K-12 teacher workshops in Thomasville, Georgia from July 9-14 and July 23-28, 2023. This project supports the NEH’s initiative to encourage programming around the theme “A More Perfect Union: Exploring America’s Story and Commemorating Its 250th Anniversary.” Thomasville, Georgia is the site of a unique set of landmarks, several recognized by the National Register of Historic Places, that underscore crucial turning points in Black and U.S. History.

These workshops will allow attendees to visit sites such as the Jack Hadley Black History Museum, Pebble Hill Plantation, Tall Timbers Research Station, local African American houses of worship, and Thomasville Regional Airport.

Attendees will explore Black efforts to carve out a place within this Union using Thomasville’s history and landmarks as part of a case study to gain the full measure of equality and inclusion from the Civil War to the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision, Brown v. Board of Education. Calls for workshop attendees will go out in early winter and we encourage all K-12 educators to apply for the program. Interested educators can contact Anne McCudden at anne@thomascountyhistory.org.

Celebrating Volunteers

In early August, we “raised a glass at Sass!” at a special party celebrating the History Center’s amazing corps of volunteers. We are grateful to all who attended and helped us show our appreciation for the hard work and generosity of our volunteers. SASS!’ gracious hospitality made for a lovely and memorable event.

Over the last few years, our corps of project

and event volunteers has continued to grow. Their help with special events like “We’ve Only Just Begun..,” Crate to Plate, and Pilau truly makes these activities possible. At Crate to Plate alone, more than 20 volunteers lent a hand leading up to the event and on the day of. Curious about how to become a volunteer? Contact Anne to learn more about opportunities with us.

Jones Tenant Farm at Tall Timbers, photographed during Camp Dawson’s visit in 2019 by Claire Timm.

Taking the Leap

Followers of the History Center’s Facebook and Instagram pages may have noticed some new additions to our featured content: videos!

Taking lessons learned from our programming in the early days of the pandemic, as well as current trends on social media engagement, the History Center began incorporating long form and short form video into our weekly posts.

Last year, Meme introduced her now popular “History Mystery” series that explores a historical question, event, or individual connected to Thomas County history in a brief but informative video. Since their debut, the History Mystery series has been viewed 4,000 times on Facebook and YouTube. Videos premiere on the third Thursday of the month. Think of these as a mini-lecture that you can watch from your couch!

We’ve also dipped our toe into the waters of Instagram Reels and TikTok videos. For the uninitiated, these are maximum 90 second videos that often incorporate music (we draw the line at dancing) and feature funny or slice of life style activities around the museum. Meme is also leading the charge on brainstorming and storyboarding these videos. Recently, we featured a video of the top 10 unusual women’s names that Ephraim and Meme have encountered in research. Names included Wealthy, Memphresonia, and our favorite, Spicy Ann. Yes, you read that correctly. Anne even made a special cameo in that video to help us land the punchline.

Trick or Treat

For the last several years, the History Center and LaphamPatterson House have participated in trick or treating on Halloween in our neighborhood. This year, we went beyond the front porch and opened up the back yard for additional stops on the trick or treat trail.

Ghouls and goblins of all ages visited each of the History Center’s historic buildings and enjoyed a special photo opportunity provided by Melissa Rigsby. We are grateful to Melissa and our many volunteers for helping to make this event possible. We also thank all who donated candy and pumpkins. We’re already planning for next year!

We’re not influencers by any measure, but we’re having fun! Follow along on our video adventures at @ Thomasvillehistory on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. Check out our back catalog of Reels by scanning this QR code or visiting instagram.com/thomasvillehistory.reels.

Apprentices: The New Class

We are proud to announce that we have a full new class of Apprentices whose year will parallel our returning cohort. In total, the History Center has 14 enrolled Apprentices who are learning about museum work and non-profits while strengthening skills like public speaking, research, and critical thinking.

This year’s cohort includes: Jeremy Borman (Rickards High, Tallahassee), Mallory Bustle (Thomas County Central High), Willa Copps (Scholars Academy), Sofia Jimenez (Thomas County Central High), Eva Nicholson (Brookwood School), Jeremy Patz (Brookwood School), Jack Spence (Brookwood School), and Cole Warren (Brookwood School).

In December, both cohorts will have their first guest speaker. Through the year, we will be inviting our colleagues from across the field to “drop in” for Apprentice meetings to share more about their work. In the Spring, both classes of Apprentices will venture into the community to visit other institutions to learn more about their operations. The Apprentices will also begin work on their Capstone projects on a topic of their choosing related to museums.

Apprentices are also working in a remote volunteer project that parallels work done at the History Center by volunteer, Nancy Tillinghast. As Nancy transcribes the names and hometowns of Thomasville visitors during the Resort Era, the Apprentices are adding their information to an interactive map on Google Earth. Over time, we will begin to gather biographical data for those vacationers with the help of interested Apprentices and other volunteers. To view the map, use this QR code:

Left to Right: Eva Nicholson, Jeremy Patz, Willa Copps, & Cole Warren. Not pictured: Jeremy Borman, Jack Spence, Sofia Jimenez, & Mallory Bustle. Below: Apprentices learned about collections care, safe object handling, and condition reporting in November.

A New Addition

Over the summer, the History Center was made aware of an opportunity to purchase an unoccupied house adjacent to the LaphamPatterson House property. Located on Young Street, the small early 20th century structure was left mid-renovation and put up for sale. Using funds from the Buildings & Grounds Endowment, the History Center’s Board voted to purchase the structure and accompanying 1 acre lot with an eye towards future use in connection to the LaphamPatterson House.

Shortly after the sale closed, Acremaker cleared the lot of the overgrown shrubs and trees, revealing a space ripe with opportunity. For now, the structure has been enclosed and an opening has been cut between the fence dividing it from the Lapham-Patterson House.

Over the course of the next year, the History Center’s Board, staff, and stakeholders will be conducting a strategic planning process that will include discussions on the use and function of this new space.

Deck the Halls

Plan a visit to the Lapham-Patterson House to see the holiday decor between Thanksgiving and New Years. Each year we pull out the trees, lights, and baubles to add a little cheer to the House. We also invite local community groups to adopt a corner of the LaphamPatterson House and add their own special touch. This year, we will have decor from Visit Thomasville, the John B. Gordon Chapter of the UDC and others.

It’s not too late to claim a mantle or corner for a tree. Contact Amelia to learn more. We would like for all decor to be in place for Victorian Christmas, December 8-10.

Mary & Joe Beverly

Mary Jo S. Beverly

Nancy & Stewart Inman

Emeline & Edward Loughlin

Mary & Bill Davis

Mr. & Mrs. John H. Flowers

Dr. & Mrs. Willam F. Hogan

The George E. Crouch Foundation

2022

William H. Flowers Jr. Foundation, Inc.

Amos & Jackie McMullian

Dr. & Mrs. Douglas McPherson

1991

Sherriee & Steve Kinsey

Leiann & David Orr

Mr. & Mrs. C. Martin Wood III

1972

Rosamond Davis

Mr. & Mrs. William Dickey

Karen Leabo-Barry & Dick Barry

Peggy & Scott Rich

Marta & Jerry Turner

Paul Woody

1969

William Flowers Crozer

Sharon Maxwell-Ferguson & Howell Ferguson

1952

Allen & Allen Funeral Home

Lynn & Randy Anderson Anonymous

Pat & Mike Beaty

Charnie & Max Beverly

Mr. & Mrs. Warren Bicknell

Drs. Carina & Mark Blackmore

Libby & Chris Bracken

Kim & Chip Bragg

Theresa & Joe Brown

Jeanna & Travis Bryant

Dr. & Mrs. James S. Cable

Raina & Kevin Cauley

2022-2023 Benefactor, Sustainer, & Patron Business Members

Ann S. McCrickard

Dr. Oscar Mims

Connie & John Wood

Mrs. Barbara H. Clinebell

Pam & Claud Davis

Susan Haberkorn

Sandra Hall

Dr. & Mrs. W. Merrill Hicks Jr.

Lillian & Jim Hughes

Linda & Bobby Johnson

Celetta Randolph Jones

Holly & Harry T. Jones

Barbara & Greg Lang

Maggie & Dennis LaRosa

Celia & Allen Lockerman

Martha & Larry May

Judge & Mrs. Brian A. McDaniel

Kha McDonald

Ann & Charles McKinnon

Kay & Tom Rankin

Melissa & Fondren Rigsby

Rob Rosenbury

Lee & Mark Saussy

Linda & Joe Tarver

Representative Darlene Taylor, HD 173

Alston & Philip Watt

June White

Lynn & Vaughan Williams

Thomas County Historical Society

P.O. Box 1922

Thomasville, GA 31799-1922

Learn more about the upcoming Clip N’Sip by scanning this QR code:

Tiptoe Through the Tombstones:

Victorian Christmas Tours

December 3 & 10

Meet some of the changemakers and leaders that helped to craft Thomasville’s reputation as the most popular “Winter Resort of the South.”

Georgia Grown Citrus will donate a portion of their proceeds from the day’s event to the History Center. See you there!

Tours last around an hour and require standing and walking. Register online at thomasvillehistory. org/programsandevents for tours on the first two Saturdays in December. Reservations are $15 per adult and $10 per student (under 17) and must be made in advance. Questions? Contact Meme, meme@ thomascountyhistory.org.