Get After Those Archives! Stories from Georgia Southern University's Special Collections

Sound Recordings from the Okefenokee Swamp

This episode of Get After Those Archives explores the Francis Harper Collection at Georgia Southern University Special Collections, highlighting the work of 20th-century American naturalist Francis Harper. Harper conducted an in-depth study and documentation of Georgia’s Okefenokee Swamp in the first half of the 20th century. His research, including field notes, photographs, and rare audio recordings, captured not only the region’s rich ecology but also the lives, culture, and voices of its isolated communities. Join Georgia Southern University History students Faith, Sean, Belle, and Takera as they explore the unique power in these recordings of local songs and “hollers” that allow us to “hear” history. These materials reveal both the resilience of swamp communities and the social realities of rural life. For further reading, please see the following that helped us in researching this episode: Megan Kate Nelson’s Trembling Earth: A Cultural History of the Okefenokee Swamp, Vereen Bell, Swamp Water: Novel, and T. C. Trowell's “Human History of the Okefenokee Swamp" from the New Georgia Online Encyclopedia.  Thanks for listening to Get After Those Archives, and always GATA!

From the Gretsch Collection: The White Falcon

In this episode of Get After Those Archives, Georgia Southern University History students RJ, Ben, Georgia, and Josh dig into the Gretsch Music Collection to discuss the iconic Gretsch White Falcon electric guitar. The White Falcon is one of the most popular guitars in the Gretsch line and is played by rock luminaries such as Billy Duffy of The Cult, Anna Gore of the Gore Gore Girls, and John Frusciante of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dating back to the mid-1950s, when the Falcon line was introduced, the instrument has undergone little change. Learn about the White Falcon, what makes it special, and how it came to be part of the Gretsch Collection at Georgia Southern University. Thanks for listening, and please subscribe to Get After Those Archives!

The Fallen Eagles World War II Plaque

On May 25, 1946, a bronze plaque was installed on the campus of Georgia Southern to honor the five alumni who gave their lives in World War 2. Sometime after its dedication, it disappeared from the records for the next several decades. In 2020, the plaque was rediscovered by the Special Collections unit of the Georgia Southern University Library. It was contained in a box full of items and documents from Dr. Marvin Pittman’s time as president of GSU. In this episode of Get After Those Archives, Kaylee, Phoenix, Nathan, and Caitlin explore the lives of these five servicemembers, what their lives were like, their connections to Georgia Southern, and their service in the war. For further reading, we recommend these books that helped us put together this episode: My Hitch in Hell by Lester I. Tenney, Through the Eyes of the World's Fighter Aces: The Greatest Fighter Pilots of World War Two by Robert Jackson, Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers of World War II by Liza Mundy, and D-Day Fleet 1944, American Sector: The US Navy's Western Task Force by Brian Lane Herder.

Albion's Voice Student Newspaper

This episode of Get After Those Archives explores the funky, radical, student-run newspaper from Armstrong State University in Savannah - Albion's Voice. Published in 1970, this alternative, counter-culture publication discussed national issues such as the Vietnam War and civil rights, while emphasizing local matters, especially on the campuses of Savannah State University and Armstrong. At only six issues, its print run was short-lived, but Special Collections at the Lane Library on the Armstrong Campus of Georgia Southern University has all six original issues as well as digitized copies. Join Georgia Southern University History students Dustin, Hayden, and Matt as they dive into the first issue of Albion's Voice. Some suggested readings that helped in researching this episode include The Columbia to America in the 1960s by David Farber and Beth Bailey, and Taking it to the Streets: A 60s Reader edited by Alexander Bloom. Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe to Get After Those Archives! Remember to GATA - Get After Those Archives!

The 1968 Bulloch Country School Integration Plan

In this episode, Georgia Southern University History students Megan, Sharla, Austin, and John analyze the 1968 Bulloch County School Integration Plan. This document was recently acquired by Georgia Southern’s Special Collections. The Integration Plan is described in detail and outlines school desegregation in Bulloch County. This group discovers the course of integration at different levels and the major events that impacted integration in Bulloch County. Following the desegregation of schools, the consequences of this action are discussed, such as the creation of Bulloch Academy, an all-white school. Finally, the group shares their impressions of the plan and how it affects their view of the integration's implementation. To read more, we recommend The Lost Education of Horace Tate: Uncovering the Hidden Heroes Who Fought for Justice in Schools, by Vanessa Siddle Walker,  and The Sibley Commission and the Politics of Desegregation in Georgia, by Jeff Roche. Please subscribe to Get After Those Archives Podcast, and thanks for listening!