Lane Library's special collections: Savannah History

The Living in Savannah Scrapbooks contain photographs taken by Armstrong Junior College students for their Contemporary Georgia courses in 1939-40 and 1940-41. Both albums are part of the Florence Powell Minis Collection housed in Lane Library.

Student photographers are credited on the appropriate pages. The Text page of each volume includes its title page and preface, which states, Volume 1 "concentrated on the homes of the people of Savannah, particularly in the slum districts." In Volume 2, "[We] confine our pictures to people, believing that the pitiful plight of our lower classes would be presented most forcefully by its members."

The student's preface continues: "We believe that these pictures speak for themselves and so have refrained from inserting any comments in this volume. In our opinion the importance of being aware of such a situation cannot be overemphasized; but even more important than being aware, is doing something about it. It is the sincere hope of the entire class that this volume may be the first step toward some definite action on the part of our readers."

Conrad Aiken, 1889-1973

Poetry, novels, short stories, literary criticism, history, autobiography. See Aiken's entries in The New Georgia Encyclopedia and Contemporary Authors.

John Berendt, 1939-

Lived part time in Savannah for 8 years while writing Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, a nonfiction account of Savannah. See Berendt's entry in Contemporary Authors, as well as The New Georgia Encyclopedia.

William A. Caruthers, 1802-1846

Lonnie Coleman, 1920-

Born William Laurence Coleman in Bartow, GA, moved to Savannah in 1979. Short stories and novels. Author of bestselling Beulah Land trilogy, his last novel, Mark is an autobiographical novel. See Coleman's entry in Contemporary Authors.

Rosemary Daniell, 1935-

Longtime Savannah resident. Poems, novels, biography and non fiction about creative writing. "I am now especially interested in the problems of women who come from my own Bible Belt background, and conduct a women's writing workshop, 'Zona Rosa', in Savannah, Georgia." Daniell quoted in Contemporary Authors, as well as The New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Bruce Feiler, 1964-

Born and reared in Savannah. Journalism. See Feiler's entry in Contemporary Authors..

Arthur Gordon, 1912-2002

Born and reared in Savannah Editor, Freelance writer and novelist. Mr. Gordon's My Tom Sawyer Town is about Savannah. He wrote a history of Savannah Foods. See Gordon's entry in Contemporary Authors, and his obituary in the Savannah Morning News.

Joel Chandler Harris, 1848-1908

Born in Atlanta, GA, Harris wrote for the Savannah Morning News in the 1870's. Children's fiction, humor, journalism, novels, short stories. See Harris' entries in The New Georgia Encyclopedia and Contemporary Authors.

William Charles Harris, Jr., 1947-

Born in Savannah and lifelong resident, Dr. Harris is a physician and novelist.

Harry Clay Hervey, 1900-1951

Born in Beaumont, TX, resided in Savannah. Hervey and his mother, Jane Louise Davis are buried in Bonaventure Cemetery. His novel The Damned Don't Cry is set in Savannah.

Richard Jessup, c. 1925-1982

After career as a merchant sailer, wrote thrillers and crime novels. See Jessup's entry in Contemporary Authors.

Charles C. Jones, Jr., 1831-1893

Born in Savannah. Author of 15 books about history and archaeology in addition to a career in law, military service to the Confederacy and a term as Mayor of Savannah. Jones' letters also form a major part of Robert Mason Myer's collection The Children of Pride (1972). Jones is included in the Dictionary of Georgia Biography, as well as The New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Susie King Taylor, 1848-1912

Born in Liberty Co., lived in Savannah and St. Simons. Ms. Taylor is the Only African American woman to have published a Civil War memoir. See Taylor's entry in the New Georgia Encyclopedia. Search Lane Library's catalog for Taylor's works.

Dorothy Kingery, 1934-

Sociologist and author of More than Mercer House, a nonfiction account of her brother, Jim Willliams career as a "collector and restorationist told through his houses" (p.20.) Dr. Kingery served as a faculty member of University of Georgia and retired from Armstrong. She has authored numerous academic articles, studies and research reports and directed UGAs Survey Research Center.

Alexander Lawrence, 1906-1979

Born in Savannah and practiced law there until from 1930-1968. U.S. District Court Judge from 1968-1979. Mr. Lawrence Wrote history books, including Storm over Savannah and A Present for Mr. Lincoln. His papers are at the Georgia Historical Society. Search

James Alan McPherson, 1943-

Born and reared in Savannah. Novels, Short Stories. See McPherson's entry in Contemporary Authors, as well as The New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Charles Mills, 1914-1975

Ward Morehouse, 1898-1966

Thomas M. Norwood, 1830-1913

Born in Savannah. Drama critic, playwright and columnist.

Flannery O'Connor, 1925-1964

Born in Savannah. The Minis Room houses a collection of O'Connor's first editions.

Marie Conway Oemler, 1879-1932

Lifetime resident of Savannah.

Eugenia Price, 1916-1996

Born in Charleston, WV. Longtime resident of St. Simons Island, GA. Mainly known for her historical romances set in St. Simons and Savannah and St. Simon and nonfiction about religion. See Price's entry in Contemporary Authors, as well as The New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Dr. K(uo) C(heng) Wu, 1903-1984

After a political career in China and as Governor of Formosa from 1949-1953, Dr. Wu immigrated to the United States in 1954. Dr. Wu was professor of history at Armstrong State College from 1965 to 1974. Historian and novelist. Dr. Wus papers are part of Lane Librarys Special Collections. See Wus entry in Contemporary Authors.

The writings of Erskine Caldwell, Anne and Julian Green, and Sidney Lanier have been collected in the Minis Room because of their significance as Georgia authors.