What can YOU find in the KSU Archives?

Primary sources

firsthand accounts of events created contemporaneous to those events or later recalled by an eyewitness

• Correspondence
• Photographs
• Oral histories
• Newspapers and clippings
• Reports and publications
• Video and audio recordings

What topics do the KSU Archives collections cover?

Kennesaw State University and Southern Polytechnic State University

• President and faculty papers
• Program development records
• University publications
• Campus maps and architectural records
• Photographs of events, people, and places

Image: Southern Tech Bathtub Race, 1971. Southern Polytechnic State University Photographs, KSU Archives.

North and Northwest Georgia

• Papers of significant Cobb County individuals and families
• Local business and organization records

Image: Employees working on tail assembly, circa 1942-1945. Bell Aircraft Corporation Photographs, KSU Archives.

Many of the resources collected by the KSU Archives are available through our Scholarly Online Access Repository.

Let's take a look at some of our Digital collections

NAACP Cobb County Branch Records, 1947-2012

• The Cobb County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Records document civil rights issues in Cobb County in the 1970s and 1980s
• Records include correspondence, reports, community newspapers, and more

Marion Thomas Papers, 1948-1980s

• Served in the United States Air Force and was employed at Dobbins Air Force Base, Georgia
• First African American to serve on the Board of the Marietta Housing Authority (1971-1979)
• Collection includes correspondence, clippings, awards, and speech to Marietta Housing Authority

RESEARCH TOPIC: The Long Civil Rights Movement in Cobb County

• African American political representation
• Federal housing policies and urban renewal
• Public education and higher education
• Operation Fair Share: initiative to encourage government and businesses to include African American in management positions

Image: NAACP Freedom Fund Committee, 1982. NAACP Cobb County Branch Records, KSU Archives.

Gordon, Kruse, Wentzel Collection, 1951-2010

• Documents the implementation of Kennedy's Executive order 10925 (affirmative action) at Lockheed-Georgia in Marietta in 1961 and leadership in Plans for Progress
• Includes interviews and affidavits from Lockheed employees

Harry Leo Hudson Sr. (Hap) Manuscript

• First African American supervisor and buyer at Lockheed-Georgia
• Unpublished manuscript, Don't stand behind the fan (Jet that is), documents Mr. Hudson's experiences while working at Lockheed-Georgia from 1952 to 1988

RESEARCH TOPIC: Lockheed-Georgia and the Civil Rights Movement

• Roles of federal government, activist groups, and private industry in the civil rights movement
• Affirmative action and Plans for Progress

Image from the Gordon, Kruse, Wentzel Collection, KSU Archives.

Southern Voice Newspaper Collection, 1988-1995

• Newspaper for lesbians and gay men in the greater Atlanta area and Southeast
• Communication resource in the wake of the AIDS crisis and the 1987 National March on Washington that provided information on issues affecting LGBT individuals
• Coverage of local and national events, editorials, and guides to local arts and entertainment

Theatre in the Square Collection, 1982-2012

• Professional theatre founded in Marietta, Ga. in 1982
• Largest arts organization in Cobb County, produced edgy and sometimes controversial plays, receiving praise from regional and national critics

Video: Local news clips on Cobb County arts funding controversy, August 1993. Theatre in the Square Collection, KSU Archives.

RESEARCH TOPIC: 1993 Cobb County arts funding controversy

• Role of local government (Cobb County Board of Commissioners)
• Coverage/representation of LGBTQ issues in the media
• Long term impact of controversy/revocation of arts funding

Image: Southern Voice, August 19, 1993. Southern Voice newspaper collection, KSU Archives.

Stella Merritt Collection, 1970

• Students photographed at Kennesaw Junior College in 1970 received national attention in the context of anti-war and civil rights demonstrations occurring at other U.S. colleges and universities
• Collection includes original photograph, clippings from newspapers around the country, and letters received by KJC

KSU and SPSU Student Newspapers, 1948-2015

• Demonstrate growth from two-year schools to universities
• Reflect impact of local, state, and national events on students and campuses

RESEARCH TOPIC: VIETNAM WAR ON THE HOME FRONT

• Support and dissent among college students
• Military and civilian reactions to anti-war protests
• Evolving support for the war among the American public
• Development and impact of the 1970 lottery draft

Image: Atlanta Journal photograph of Stella Merritt and other students at KJC Spring Festival, May 1970. Stella Merritt Collection, KSU Archives.

KSU Oral History Project

• Conducted by KSU Campus Historian Dr. Thomas Scott and his students
• Includes interviews relating to the history of Cobb County, Kennesaw State University, and Southern Polytechnic State University

Atlanta Student Movement Project

• Oral histories conducted by KSU students with leaders, participants, and advocates for the Atlanta Student Movement
• Document the history of Atlanta sit-ins and student protests that were pivotal in the success of the Student Movement, the civil rights movement, and the history of the city of Atlanta

KSU Archives Oral history project

• Document the history of Kennesaw, Georgia and local LGBTQ history

Museum of History and Holocaust Education Oral History Program

• Legacy Series: preserves the experiences of Holocaust survivors, World War II veterans, home front workers, and others who lived during the Second World War
• Immigrant Stories: interviews with individuals who have first or second-hand experiences of immigration

The Lemon Street Schools Oral History Collection

• Oral history project with alumni and former educators from Lemon Street Elementary School and Lemon Street High School
• Includes oral history interviews, photographs and documents

Adairsville Oral History Series

• Conducted by KSU Public History Certificate Program
• Document the history of Adairsville, Georgia

Mable House Oral Histories

• Interviews with residents of Mableton, Georgia

research topics: Cobb County in the 20th century

• The events of the civil rights movement in Cobb County and Atlanta
• Public education and higher education
• Business, industry, and agriculture
• LGBTQ history

Image: Still image of interview from "Upon This Rock" documentary on Zion Baptist Church in Marietta, GA. KSU Oral History Project, KSU Archives.

These digital collections are accessible through our Scholarly Online Access Repository

Learn how to navigate SOAR in this introductory video:

Additional Resources

Books and Documentaries

• Cobb County, Georgia and the Origins of the Suburban South: A Twentieth-Century History by Dr. Thomas Scott
• Kennesaw State University: The First Fifty Years by Dr. Thomas Scott
• Southern Polytechnic State University: The History by Richard A. Bennett
• The Five Eras of Southern Polytechnic State University documentary

Digital Collections of Primary Sources

• Digital Library of Georgia
• Digital Public Library of America
• DocsTeach (U.S. National Archives)
• Library of Congress Digital Collections

Image: Pilcher Building and lawn, circa 1980. KSU Archives.