Celebrate Alabama Archives Week at the Alabama Department of Archives and History

Itawamba County is one of the Alabama border counties of Mississippi and during 1836 when the Chickasaw Cession of 1834 opened up this region for settlement, settlers poured in from neighboring Alabama. Today many Itawamba County families have ancestral ties to Alabama.

As part of American Archives Month, the Alabama Department of Archives and History are presenting several special events. Below is an announcement from ADAH:

October is American Archives Month. The Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) invites all Alabamians to celebrate Alabama Archives, October 14-17, 2009. Highlights of the activities include a Basics of Archives Workshop; an ArchiTreats presentation, The Civil Rights Movement in Alabama by Odessa Woolfolk; a discussion and book signing with author Hasan Kwame Jeffries; and a special Saturday opening on Archives Day, October 17, with museum tours and research opportunities.

All events will be held at the Alabama Department of Archives and History, 624 Washington Avenue. Join us Wednesday, October14, from 9:00 - 3:00 for the Basics of Archives Workshop presented by Archives staff. Individuals and organizations can learn how to care for personal photographs, diaries, and letters. A $35 registration fee includes lunch, break snacks, and a workbook.

On Thursday, October 15, at the noon ArchiTreats: Food for Thought program Odessa Woolfolk will present The Civil Rights Movement in Alabama. This presentation is part of a year-long lecture series providing a chronological history of the state of Alabama as part of the Year of Alabama History.

Hasan Kwame Jeffries will be on hand at noon, Friday, October 16, to discuss the research and writing of his new book, Bloody Lowndes: Civil Rights and Black Power in Alabama’s Black Belt. Books will be available for purchase and a book signing will follow.

The Archives Week activities will conclude on Saturday, October 17, from 8:30 - 4:30, when the Archives will open its doors for a rare weekend opportunity to explore the museum or visit the research room. Special activities will be available for children and the whole family. Guided tours of the museum will be offered at 9:00, 10:30, 12:30, and 2:30. The documents in the Archives will come alive throughout the day through Alabama Voices dramatic readings. Children’s activities will focus on family history and traditions and the Research Room will be open with staff available to help adults explore their family history or other research projects. Archives staff will also conduct mini-workshops to help researchers learn more about using on-line digital collections available on the Archives website to explore photographs, documents, publications, maps, and military records. All events are FREE and a complete schedule of events is available for download in PDF format.