New Book Releases

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important
era in America's history. This fascinating new history of West Central Georgia showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available.

In 2009, Peachtree City is a 50-year-old thriving "new town." But when it was incorporated in 1959, it was 5,000 acres of farmland with little more than potential. The 1960 census did not record an official count until implored to three years later so that the city could apply for federal funds. Even by the next federal census, the city had less than 1,000 people. However, by the mid-1970s, the population was close to 5,000, and the next three decades saw phenomenal growth as the city kept a balance between industry, greenspace, and the needs of its residents. Moving from potential to fruition takes planning, cooperation, and determination from a city's leaders. In the late 1950s, young Georgia Tech student Joel Cowan enlisted the help of local banker and insider Floy Farr, and together they laid the foundation for Peachtree City. The 1980s and 1990s would see increased growth as word spread about Georgia's planned community and its vast promise for a near-perfect life. Peachtree City is one of America's "new towns" that did not go bust--managing to go from bud, to boom, to bloom . . . a place its residents "love to call home."

Oglethorpe University, located in Atlanta, Georgia, was chartered in 1835 and began as a Presbyterian institution in the town of Midway, making it one of the earliest denominational institutions below the Virginia line. The university was named for James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the colony of Georgia. After closing in 1862 because of the Civil War, the
school reopened for a short time in the early 1870s. Oglethorpe was rechartered in 1913, and in 1916, classes began at the university's present location on Peachtree Road. Throughout its history, the university has garnered national and international attention through its famous alumni, such as poet Sidney Lanier; by conferring honorary degrees on prominent societal leaders, including Franklin D. Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson; and because of its beautiful campus and historic buildings. Since its
refounding in Atlanta, Oglethorpe University has earned a reputation for offering students a strong liberal arts education, preparing graduates to "make a life, make a living, and make a difference."

From the 1890s through the 1920s, the postcard was an extraordinarily popular means of communication, and many of the postcards produced during this "golden age" can today be considered works of art. Postcard photographers traveled the length and breadth of the nation snapping photographs of busy street scenes, documenting local landmarks, and assembling crowds of local children only too happy to pose for a picture. These images, printed as postcards and sold in general stores across the country, survive as telling reminders of an important era in America's history. This fascinating new history of Southeast Georgia showcases more than two hundred of the best vintage postcards available.