Curriculum of the 1930s. Based on the serial number, this Underwood model dates to the late 1930s. Keystrokes were designed to be quieter, and other advancements included an improved automatic return and shift keys. Note the glass keycaps.
This Keystone A-7 series movie camera was manufactured in the first half of the twentieth century, and was only rarely used based on its state of preservation. Main advantages of this camera were its simple design, ease of use, and rugged durability, which made it ideal for amateurs and students.
Want to tune in to some distant jazz? What you'd do is attach your antennae to the posts and then connect this unit to power supply. More powerful than the crystal sets, the burgundy condenser knob (by "Aerovox!") allowed the user to select between available frequencies.
Marching band hat and uniforms
The Savannah State University Marching Band, the “Powerhouse of the South,” has been a part of football games, Homecoming parades, and other community events for decades. In 2004 and 2005, the Savannah State band was invited to the Honda Battle of the Bands, which features 8 HBCU bands each year. On Thursday, we will have a band uniform and a cheerleader uniform on display from the Special Collections, along with some highlights of SSU athletics over the years.
Past Grand Exalted Ruler of Prince Hall Masonry
1969
This hat was a gift to a former leader within Prince Hall Freemasonry, a fraternal organization that began in 1775 when Prince Hall and fourteen companions were the first black men to be initiated into a Boston masonic lodge. The first Prince Hall Lodge in Georgia was founded in 1866 in Savannah. The community leaders who helped bring Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth (Savannah State’s first name) to Savannah instead of Macon, Americus, Columbus, or Augusta were members of the Prince Hall Lodge. The first Grand Master for the state of Georgia was Rev. James M. Simms, who was part of the push with other pastors and community members to offer the Atlanta commission in charge of choosing a city $10,000 and land for the college. From the beginning, the support of the Savannah community has been instrumental in Savannah State’s success.
One of the debates that characterized the early days of SSU (then GSIC) was the fraught discussion within intellectual circles about the appropriate nature of higher education for African Americans. If that sounds awkward, it should: this “debate,” which raged within black and white communities alike, had to do with whether then-new HBCUs (like GSIC) ought primarily to provide a “classical” education, similar to curricula offered at esteemed, old institutions like Harvard (heavy in Greek, Latin, rhetoric, etc.), or whether they would be better off with technical and agricultural programs of study. (This difference of opinion famously characterized, for example, the disagreement in philosophy between (for example) W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington.) Notably, the “industrial” elements dovetailed so neatly with the study of the physical sciences that higher mathematics and science courses were well-supported, and our trove of antique microscopes helps preserve this. Note the mirror, as well as the size of the stage!
One of several remaining generators from mid-century electronics courses (see photo). Our collection houses several antique models of these. all share the same basic operational principle: the coils generate a magnetic field, which, when rotated, can be used to generate electricity to power any machine.
An example of a tool used in criminal justice and property protection in the 1920s, this watchclock is an interesting piece of both timekeeping and information technology. Watchclocks like ours recorded timestamps on removable cardboard discs, which could be kept for recordkeeping. Manufacturer for ours was Detex, which is just barely visible through the cracked glass on the well-preserved dial.
Richard R. Wright's cane
This counts among the highlights of the RR Wright collection. In [photo], you can see our Founder grasping this very item. Note the inscription on the gold band beneath the ivory (?) handle.
Olympic dance costume
Do you remember when the Olympic Games were held in Atlanta? The year was 1996, which is also when SSU was represented by this very costume and Dance Prof(?) at those very games. Specifically: [see photo].
Alpha Phi Alpha paddle
Donated by an alumnus dedicated to a lifetime of service. Alpha Phi Alpha was one of the first Greek letter organizations on campus after President James Colston invited faculty to discuss the merits of Greek organizations as a part of student life in 1948. You can see this photo from the 1949 Tiger yearbook of the Sphinx Cub of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. On Thursday, you’ll be able to turn the paddle over to see a list of members at the time of what was, perhaps, the paddle’s first deployment.
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