The story of the early days of northeast Georgia is the subject of a new exhibit opening Friday at the Northeast Georgia History Center.
The new display is the first phase of a complete renovation of the museum’s Land of Promise exhibit, which tells the story of northeast Georgia from prehistoric times to the present.
Beginning with the region’s first inhabitants thousands of years ago, the news exhibit depicts the partnerships and conflicts that arose from a clash of cultures between the Native Americans and settlers of European stock. In addition to topics covered in the previous display, the new exhibit takes a deeper look at Cherokee culture, the role of African Americans in the region’s founding, and the Gold Rush of the 1820s-30s that changed the region forever.
“This exhibit is called Land of Promise because this region has offered something to everyone who has ever sought it out and called it home” says History Center Executive Director Glen Kyle. “This region has such a rich history, and it’s a story that has many parts to tell of: men and women, white and black, native and settler. The main thing we hope to get across with this exhibit is the rich complexities of our past, and how those events have helped shape our lives today.”
The History Center is also incorporating the exhibit and accompanying research into its educational programming.
Aspects of the exhibit and a companion Teacher’s Resource Guide (available for free on the History Center’s website) have been tied directly to the Georgia Performance Standards, making the History Center’s exhibits and educational offerings easily incorporated into field trips or directly into classroom instruction. A grant by the Daughters of the American Revolution, with a matching donation by local philanthropists Bob and Wanda Swoszowski, funded the first phase of the project.
“The support of the DAR and the Swoszowskis was absolutely crucial,” said Kyle. “This would have never happened without them."
http://accesswdun.com/article/2016/1/365866/history-center-opens-new-exhibit-about-early-northeast-georgia