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The Dalton State College Foundation has established the Bandy
Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia (BHC) to serve as a site
for research and scholarship and as a central location for
showcasing the rich and colorful history of the region, College
officials announced today.
The Bandy Heritage Center, which was created through the
generosity of Dalton businessman and philanthropist Jack Bandy,
should become a “clearinghouse” for the region’s heritage,
organizers say.
“The history of northwest Georgia has been overlooked in many
ways,” believes John Fowler, who in addition to being the
Director of the BHC holds the distinction of being College’s
first Bandy Chair in History. “But we have an incredible story
here. And we have an opportunity to create something that the
region needs and wants.”
Northwest Georgia’s colorful history includes being the “jumping
off” place for the tragic Trail of Tears pilgrimage made by the
Cherokee nation, being involved in the decisive Atlanta Campaign
during the Civil War, and forming the backbone of the tufted
textile industry.
Bandy, a native of the region whose mother Dicksie Bandy
maintained a special interest in the plight of the Cherokee
nation, says that he feels that the people of Northwest Georgia
have long desired a place where the “history of the region could
be explored in great depth.”
“I see this center providing a museum-type space where people
can see firsthand some of the artifacts and photographs that
showcase northwest Georgia’s early history,” Bandy says. “And I
see it as a place where historians can meet and do research and
have outreach to historical societies throughout North Georgia.”
The Center, which will be housed in the Derrell C. Roberts
Library until a permanent facility can be established, will be
staffed by Fowler and BHC Assistant Director Heather Howell.
“We are fortunate to have Dr. Fowler and Ms. Howell on board as
he was the founder of, and they have both had extensive
experience with, the Center for the Study of the Civil War Era
at Kennesaw State University,” says John Schwenn, President of
Dalton State.
Fowler, a Civil War historian by training, and Howell, a public
historian, have begun planning the activities of the Bandy
Heritage Center, which will include creating and hosting lecture
series, archiving materials, collaborating with area historical
societies, hosting heritage symposiums, and creating online
exhibits.
Future plans include the creation of a museum to display
exhibits.
“In the museum, we would expect to work with such themes as
Native American life, the early settlement of the region, the
Civil War, 20th century life, and the development of the carpet
industry,” Fowler says.
“An important mission of the Bandy Heritage Center,” says
Fowler, “will be public outreach programming and heritage
tourism.”
The Bandy Heritage Center will also sponsor research and
publishing activities that promote a more complete understanding
of the region’s heritage, Fowler says.
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