Putting UWG on the Map

Suzanne Durham, head of Special Collections at the Ingram Library, and UWG alum Emma Elaine Dobbs, have produced a new book on Carrollton scheduled to be released on February 8 by Arcadia Publishing. “Carrollton” features a photo essay of the city as part of a “Then and Now” series. Durham is donating her share of the proceeds to benefit the library.

Durham has been an archivist for two decades in public and private libraries in Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Georgia. The former Special Collections Manager of the Biltmore House in Asheville has a personal interest in vintage photography. In 2003, she wrote “Petersburg” for a series titled “Images of America” series also published by Arcadia Publishing.

In Special Collections, Durham manages collections of university history, national and state political history and local history. Some of the materials for the newest book came from the Benjamin Long Collection housed at Ingram.

Long was an insurance agent in Carrollton whose hobby was photography. He shot and collected photographs of the city and community and documented everyday life in the early 1900s through the 1950s and 1960s.

Dobbs graduated in December with a degree in photographic design. She studied with Perry Kirk and now owns her own photography business. Dobbs photographed scenes of Carrollton last year for a comparison to Long’s photographs of Carrollton decades ago. The book allows the reader to wax nostalgic and compare almost 100 street scenes as they were then and now.

Durham shared her thoughts on the project with the Campus Chronicle.

What was the most rewarding for you working on this book?

“Two things were rewarding. First, being able to showcase one of our Special Collections, the Long photo collection, in such a popular way. Most people have a vague idea what Special Collections is, and often it means a very specific research interest. But here we have a book that should be appealing to all kinds of folks who grew up in this area, or spent their college years here, or who have family here, and it came from the university's Special Collections. And second, drawing on one of our very talented art students to co-author this book with her modern photographs. I was very pleased to give Emma a chance to showcase her talents as she launches her career.

Did you discover anything that surprised you?

I quickly realized that a lot about Carrollton has NOT changed, and this is a good thing when you are interested in historic preservation.

What is one historical fact that readers may not know?

Since I've only lived in Carrollton a little over two years, I don't want to presume what most people don't know! But it might surprise some to know that the Kennedy Chapel started out as an Episcopal Church at the corner of White Street and West Avenue, and then was used by the Catholic Church until the Our Lady of Perpetual Help sanctuary was constructed off Highway 113. The Catholic Church gave the building to the university where it was relocated and dedicated in 1964 by U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy in memory of President John F. Kennedy.

Editor’s note: A book signing on campus with Durham and two other UWG authors is scheduled on Friday, April 23, 5 to 7 p.m. at the Alumni House. Myron House, retired director of Special Collections, will present “Carroll County, Georgia Pioneers: Sketches of Early Settlers of Carroll County and their Descendants Selected from Nineteenth-century Biographical Sources” and Tim McWhorter, Campus Planning and Development, will present “Southern Bedtime Stories.” Other book signings are in the works and will be announced when finalized.

Do you have a comment or opinion about this story's topic? Send your thoughts to West Georgia Voices.