February was a big month for Children in the Archives (though sometimes that meant bringing the Archives to them)! As we celebrated both Georgia Day and Black History Month in February, the Municipal Archives had many opportunities to share the power of primary resources with our local children in lots of fun ways.
Kelly Zacovic, Senior Archivist, talks to 5th graders at Marshpoint Elementary School
As part of the Massie Heritage Center’s “History on Wheels” program, we visited three elementary schools to teach them about the various forms of nonviolent protest used in Savannah during the 1960s to gain equal access to public facilities. Using resources found in the W. W. Law Collection, we taught them about wade-ins at Tybee Island, sit-ins on Broughton Street, and picketing at Grayson Stadium. The students then had an opportunity to make their own picket signs using the scenario that their favorite park or playground was not open to all their friends.
Marshpoint Elementary School students show off their protest signs
Just a few of the creative picket signs made by 5th grade students at Heard Elementary School
We were lucky to have many students come to visit us in the Municipal Archives at City Hall this month, with groups ranging from 1st grade through graduate school. They learned how to use the Archives’ resources, what a primary source was, and how to analyze primary sources. In one of these visits, utilizing the Archives Alive! program “The Oglethorpe Plan and Maps in the Archives,” students from the Savannah Freeschoolers group learned how Savannah developed over time while improving their map reading skills.
Students from the Savannah Freeschoolers group analyze a map of Savannah from the Engineering Department’s historical collections
Savannah City Seal featured on the official flag for the City of Savannah.
The City seal features Lady Justice holding the Sword of Truth and the Scales of Justice, with the omniscient or all-seeing eye below. The City government’s incorporation year, 1789, is featured in the pediment. The seal was the focal point of our official City flag, designed by 14-year-old Cornelia Sams Maclean in 1905. On the flag, the seal is encircled by 13 stars (for the 13 original colonies), with a field of white (denoting purity), a border of blue (for loyalty), and a border of red (for courage).
Another fun day had us meeting with hundreds of elementary school students at the Georgia Day Expo, hosted by the Georgia Historical Society at the Savannah Civic Center. With a theme of “Governing Georgia Across Three Centuries,” Archives’ staff introduced students to city seals, including what the City of Savannah seal represents and helping them design their own seals for their unique school communities.
2nd grade students from Blessed Sacrament School design their community seal
Seal designed by 2nd grade students from Casimir Pulaski Elementary School
Students were also encouraged to dress up for the expo as figures from history. And look who we ran in to, “Susan Weiner,” former Savannah mayor!
To learn more about the Municipal Archives and our collections, visit www.savannahga.gov/MunicipalArchives.