Each community has a meaningful history, but not all take the time to preserve the stories and artifacts from the past. That’s why the History Harvest, hosted by Stephanie Opperman and Lani Daniel, April 2 at Allen’s Market made the effort to preserve pieces of the past connected to Flannery O’Connor for her 100th birthday.
Whether just a black-and-white photo, a piece of clothing, or a story that never made it into a textbook, it is important that everything is preserved about this significant figure in Milledgeville. People traveled to Milledgeville to share things and listen to stories that have may be forgotten. Histories from places like Sacred Heart Catholics Church, Memory Hill Cemetery, Lake Sinclair, McDade Grocery, Allen’s Market, and so many more were preserved through the effort.
Volunteers scanned the photographs or pieces collected and returned them to their owners. According to Opperman and Daniel, this was to encourage people to share their stories and items without feeling like they were giving them up.
O’Connor is not just a Milledgeville local but someone who helped define the beauty of the city through her writing. While living in Baldwin County, she wrote stories like “A Good Man is Hard to Find” and “Wise Blood.” She captured how racism — and divides in religion and class — affected the post-war Deep South.
The harvest was divided into artifact stations, storytelling booths where people recorded their tales, and an O’Connor-themed corner where students displayed their work attributed to her, and where her books were on display. At each of these stations, people started to naturally speak to each other and connect in learning about what Milledgeville was like during O’Connor’s time period.
It is impossible to hear every viewpoints, so gathering that lost information over time connects the past and present to put the world into perspective.
O’Connor once said, “The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it,” meaning the truth remains constant even if it seems uncomfortable, it is important to hear.
The next History Harvest will be held 12:30-1:30 p.m. at Allen’s Market in downtown Milledgeville.