Augusta

6 Questions About…John O’Shea

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NAME: John O’Shea
POSITION: Special Collections Librarian
INSTITUTION: Augusta State University
How long have you lived in Augusta and how did you come to live there? I have lived in Augusta since the 1970s. I originally transferred and came to Augusta to finish college.
What is the focus of the archives/library/museum where you work? Augusta State University publications and documents, local history including some archival material from Augusta’s early history, genealogy materials and archival collections with a related focus.
What is your favorite thing in your holdings? I have many favorites, but I’d include the maps of the area that give a sense of what Augusta was like from its early history.
What aspect of archival work are you most interested in, especially for the future of the profession? Succinctly, preserving archival materials that are unique, significant and reflect what has happened in the past. Collections that are likely to be beneficial in the future.
What is your favorite bar or restaurant in Augusta and why? My favorite restaurant is the Village Deli on Wrightsboro Road in Daniel Village. It is across from Daniel Field which has a history going back to the early 1900s. The Village Deli has both interesting and eclectic pictures which reflect the history of the immediate area. Obviously I like the food. It’s close to Augusta State. It isn’t as close to the conference. 
What is the one thing that you think all SGA/SCAAers should do or see in Augusta? During the day, I suggest visiting the Augusta Canal Interpretative Center at Enterprise Mill.

What to See and Where to Visit: A Sampling of Augusta Area Institutions and Attractions for SGA’ers

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National Park Service Travel Itinerary for Historic Augusta http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/augusta/listsites.html
This online travel itinerary highlights 39 Augusta sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The website provides descriptions, maps, photographs, visitor information, and links for each place. Five essays interpret important themes including the city’s overall history, historic preservation, the African-American community, and religious institutions.
This is your 1 stop shop for all things historic in Augusta!

Augusta Museum of History and Augusta Visitors Center
http://www.augustamuseum.org/
Augusta’s home for history features a number of permanent exhibitions, including the award-winning Augusta’s Story – a 12,000-year journey through local history. The Children’s Discovery Gallery offers hands-on activities. An observation gallery allows visitors to see artifact conservation activities and much of the museum’s fascinating permanent collection. Hours: Thursday-Saturday: 10AM-5PM
Sunday: 1PM-5PM, closed Monday and legal holidays.
Augusta Riverwalk
 Located in downtown Augusta on Reynolds Street between 7th and 10th streets, Riverwalk is an integral part of the downtown Augusta revitalization project. Surrounded by shops, restaurants, pubs, hotels, and historic sites, in the mid 1980’s community leaders realized the potential for transforming the riverfront into a thriving business and tourist center. It took an act of Congress to breach the levee, which lines the shores of the Savannah River, and was completed in 1917 to protect the city from flooding. Ground breaking for the project was held in 1986 and today Riverwalk plays host to festivals, concerts, sporting events and holiday celebrations.
Morris Museum of Art
http://www.themorris.org/
Discover the fascinating story of painting in the South at the Morris Museum of Art, where you’ll find more than a dozen galleries devoted to the art and artists of the South. The museum includes antebellum portraits, Civil War illustrations, Southern impressionist paintings, landscapes, contemporary art and more. The museum presents changing exhibitions and educational programs, and features a research library and a museum shop.
Tuesday – Saturday: 10AM-5PM, Sunday: 12-5PM,  Free tours available every Sunday at 2:30PM.
Augusta State/ U.S. & Confederate Arsenal
http://www.aug.edu/public_relations/history/acaddays.html
The 72-acre former arsenal is now the campus of Augusta State University. The commandant’s house (circa 1829), now used for administrative offices, was the boyhood home of poet and novelist Stephen Vincent Benet. The university offers a helpful walking tour brochure on its many historic buildings.
Cedar Grove Cemetery
Land was allotted for Augusta¹s first “Colored Cemetery” in 1820. In continuous use until the 1960s, it is the final resting place of many notable black Augustans. With few tombstones and no record of specific gravesites previous to 1932, the individual histories of many are sadly lost.
Ezekiel Harris House Museum
Built in 1797 by a prominent tobacco merchant, this house is an outstanding example of 18th century architecture. Tuesday-Friday: by appointment, Saturday: 10AM-4:30PM.
Laurel and Hardy Museum, Harlem, GA
http://www.laurelandhardymuseum.org/
The only museum in the United States dedicated to one of the greatest movie comedy teams in history – Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. Oliver Hardy was born in Harlem, GA. The museum is filed with memorabilia from all over the world, to include toys, figurines, posters and lots more. Movies are shown in Babe’s Bijou daily. The Harlem Visitors Information Center is housed in the museum.
10AM-4PM

6 Questions About…Renee Sharrock

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NAME: Renee Sharrock
POSITION: Archives Assistant
INSTITUTION: Greenblatt Library of the Medical College of Georgia
How long have you lived in Augusta and how did you come to live there? I grew up in the CSRA – Central Savannah River Area – so I’ve lived here for 30+ years!
What is the focus of the archives/library/museum where you work? The Historical Collections and Archives of the Greenblatt Library focuses on the history the Medical College of Georgia and the health sciences.
What is your favorite thing in your holdings? 

On display in the Historical Collections and Archives Room is the “Bronchoscopic History and Exhibit” of Dr. Clyde Edison Purcell 

(1872-1948) which features the 146 “foreign bodies” removed by Dr.

Purcell between 1905-1947 in Paducah, Kentucky. Most of the foreign bodies were safety pins, jacks, and coins. Dr. Purcell kept a catalog of the items, dates, patients’ ages, instruments used, etc. which is also on display. The exhibit was given to the MCG Library by Dr. Purcell’s grandson, Dr. Ewell C. Noel, Jr., a graduate of MCG. Visitors to Historical Collections and Archives are often intrigued with the exhibit.

What aspect of archival work are you most interested in, especially for the future of the profession? Digital collections and their preservation.
What is your favorite bar or restaurant in Augusta and why? Oh my – there’s more than one: French Market Grille, T-Bonz Steakhouse, The Partridge Inn Bar & Grill, Boll Weevil Cafe, and across the Savannah River in North Augusta, South Carolina, Manuel’s Bread Cafe.
What is the one thing that you think all SGA/SCAAers should do or see in Augusta? After the last session on Friday, eat lunch at the Boll Weevil and from there visit the Morris Museum of Art. If you have time, or would prefer, take a stroll through the Riverwalk Park to the Augusta Museum of History. If you have only the briefest of time for sight-seeing and want to do something memorable – have a photo taken of you with James Brown at his statue on Broad Street. There’s the James Brown Cam if you don’t have a friend to take the photo.

We’ve All Got to Eat!

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Need a place to eat in during the SGA/SCCAA Annual Meeting in Augusta? Check out this master list of restaurants of all tastes, geographically divided for your convenience!

Augusta Dining Options:

Check out  http://www.metrospirit.com/ it is the arts/entertainment/restaurant guide for the Augusta metro area.


The Augusta Marriott Hotel and Suites also has a visitor’s guide available on their website:
http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel-guide/agsmc-augusta-marriott-hotel
-and-suites/

Walking distance from the hotel, downtown Augusta area:
209 On the River, at 8th street fountain, Southern food, meat and three, lunch and dinner, live music

Beamies at the River, 865 Reynolds Street, lunch and dinner, seafood, patio, live music
Boll Weevil #10 9th Street, lunch and dinner, know for desserts, Metro’s Best for 2009
Bees Knees Tapas Restaurant and Lounge, 211 10th Street, opens 5pm, Metro’s Best for 2009
Cotton Patch, 816 Cotton Ln., Southern fare, lunch and dinner

Nacho Mamas 976 Broad Street, lunch dinner Mexican food, burritos, Metro’s Best for 2009
The New Moon Café– 1002 Broad Street, coffee bar and café, breakfast and lunch

Metro Coffee House, 1054 Broad Street, all day service, Metro’s Best for 2009

Blue Sky Kitchen, 990 Broad Street, lunch, world cuisine

Pizza Joint 1245 Broad Street, lunch and dinner, Metro’s Best for 2009

Dining options further out:
Surrey Center (http://www.surreycenter.com/). Old Augusta shopping center that has been expanded in recent years. The #1 thing there is the French Market Grille (Louisiana style cuisine, lunch and dinner).(http://www.frenchmarketaugusta.com/)


Also located in this shopping center is Bistro 491 (dinner only) for southern French rustic cuisine http://www.bistro491.com/

Augusta Exchange shopping area, just off I-520 (Bobby Jones Expressway) at Wheeler Road there is a group of chain restaurants: Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Chili’s, Logan’s Road House, Sticky Fingers Rib House, O’Charley’s.


Even further out:

Rhinehart’s Oyster Bar a real hole in the wall with good seafood (not just oysters). Open lunch and dinner. Metro’s Best for 2009 (http://www.rhineharts.com/)

6 Questions About…Carol Waggoner-Angleton

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NAME: Carol Waggoner-Angleton
POSITION: Special Collections Assistant
INSTITUTION: Reese Library Augusta State University
How long have you lived in Augusta and how did you come to live there?  I’ve lived in Augusta for seven years.  This turned out to be my husband’s last Air Force assignment and we like it so much we decided to stay put a while.
What is the focus of the archives/library/museum where you work?  Reese Library Special Collections focuses on the history of the University, the history of Augusta and the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) and the history of Georgia.  We no longer collect actively in Genealogy but maintain the sources we do have.
What is your favorite thing in your holdings?  That is like asking me who my favorite child is.  For a taste of the materials we hold, see our presentations for past Archives Months at http://www.aug.edu/~liblsc/digital-projects.html
What aspect of archival work are you most interested in, especially for the future of the profession?  My primary interest is in access and description.  If materials are not used for research, they remain lost treasures and research needs are not served without adequate access and description.  That said, I’m also a believer in the “good enough” record.
What is your favorite bar or restaurant in Augusta and why?  My favorite restaurant in Augusta is the Pizza Joint.  They have a fabulous veggie calzone and they are well within anyone’s budget.

What is the one thing that you think all SGA/SCAAers should do or see in Augusta?  My Special Collections department of course!  No seriously, the Woodrow Wilson House.  And everybody should touch the Haunted Pillar.

SGA/SCAA Joint Annual Meeting!

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Are you ready for the SGA/SCAA Annual Meeting in Augusta?

This year’s meeting will be held October 28-29, 2010 in Augusta, Georgia, in collaboration with the South Carolina Archival Association, with two workshops held on October 27.

Over the next few weeks, your SGA Outreach Committee will be sharing interviews with Augusta archivists, profiles of Augusta institutions and history, as well as details on great restaurants, bars and must sees for the meeting. Keep an eye on the SGA blog and Facebook page for more details.

Register for the meeting today!