Finding History In Our Stories

Join storyteller Saundra Kelley to seek out, record and tell Thomasville’s lesser-known historic past! Presented in partnership by the Thomas County Historical Society and the Thomasville Center for the Arts, this four-part series will be the kickoff to the Society’s 2017 program calendar.

Students will be encouraged to reach back into their own memories and those of their families for stories about Thomasville.  After the stories are researched, students will begin the process of learning to communicate their story by diagramming them onto the “storyteller’s arc,” and learning to present them in an oral tradition format.  By the end of the course, students will have uncovered family stories unique to Thomasville, and they will have learned how to share them.  All workshops will be held at the Thomas County Historical Society, located at 725 N. Dawson Street.  Pre-registration is required.

Born in Tallahassee, Saundra Kelley is a Florida Cracker who moved to the mountains of East Tennessee for graduate school, and decided to stay awhile.  Based in Jonesborough, Tennessee, for the next ten years she traveled throughout the southeast telling stories and presenting at workshops, and became a performing member of the prestigious Jonesborough Storytellers Guild where she served as president for three years.  Recently returned to her roots in North Florida, she lives with her miniature poodle, Geoffrey.

The Historical Society was formed in 1952 and opened the Thomas County Museum of History within the Flowers-Roberts House in 1972.  Since 1972, the Museum’s collections have grown to include more than 500,000 artifacts and archival materials and eight historic structures.  The Historical Society, in partnership with the state of Georgia, also operates the historic Lapham-Patterson House. In 2017, the Society will celebrate its 65^th anniversary.  Our board, staff, and growing membership invite you to join us in our dedication to ensuring that the appreciation of our unique history must remain an intrinsic and unbroken thread connecting the past and future through settings that advance our story.

Class Fee: $150 for all four classes.

Registration available online through the Thomas County Historical Society, www.thomascountyhistory.org, or the Center for the Arts, www.thomasvillearts.org

Direct registration: https://thomasvillearts.wufoo.com/forms/p1vxaxf80iinmal/