Macon's Adaptability Focus Of New Book
Author: News Bureau
Posted: Tuesday, December 3, 2013 1:03 PM
Category:
College of Arts and Sciences
Macon, GA
Original article:
A photographic history of Macon by two Middle Georgia State College history professors is set for release on Monday, Dec. 9.
Dr. Stephen Taylor and Dr. Matthew Jennings spent a year choosing photographs (even taking some themselves) and researching and writing the text for "Macon," part of the Images of America series by Arcadia Publishing. Many of the photos were sourced from the Library of Congress and the Middle Georgia Archives at Washington Memorial Library.
"We attempted to make this more than a picture book," Taylor said. "We focused on the theme of adaptation. To casual observers Macon may appear to be a somewhat static, or at least slow-paced, community, but our work reveals a tremendous capacity for adapting to new challenges."
From the jacket copy:
“Macon has been a crossroads of cultures since Native Americans built the massive earthworks that now form the Ocmulgee National Monument. In the 19th century, fortunes rose and fell with the price of cotton for small farmers and businessmen, as well as plantation owners. The Civil War destroyed the plantation economy, but it left Macon’s historic treasures largely undisturbed. Though manufacturing replaced plantation slavery, cotton and race remained central facts of life as the “City of Churches” adapted to a changing world. From the 1950s onward, the city’s role as a textile center withered, but the likes of Little Richard, Otis Redding, and the Allman Brothers Band built a musical legacy for Macon that survives today.”
“Stephen Wallace Taylor and Matthew Jennings, history professors at Middle Georgia State College, have selected striking and poignant images from several repositories to tell Macon’s story. The narratives, images, and captions attempt to express the soul of the city. Macon is looking forward, no doubt. But as it does so, the city must come to grips with the challenges of the past, even as it revels in former glories. This illustrated history conveys that beautiful struggle and shows the real Macon.”
“The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the country. Using archival photographs, each title presents the distinctive stories from the past that shape the character of the community today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.”
The book is available at Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Images-America-Stephen-Wallace-Taylor/dp/1467111155/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1386018643&sr=8-1&keywords=stephen+wallace+taylor
Taylor and Jennings plan to hold some book signings and presentations to discuss their work in the near future.