Director's Note
In 1985, Auburn University asked Dr. Leah Rawls Atkins to lead the newly created Center for the Arts & Humanities to work alongside members of local communities, faculty, and staff to provide opportunities for reflection on the human experience. As the Center completes its thirty-fifth year, now named for another important Auburn lady, Caroline Marshall Draughon, we do this public work with the enthusiasm and commitment shown by Dr. Atkins and other past directors, Dr. Bert Hitchcock, Dr. Allen Cronenberg, and Ms. Jay Lamar.
Like so many of you, our lives and work were transformed in March of this year as a result of pandemic, and in the midst of canceling numerous in-person events, we knew that reflection on the human experience was critical and needed. We launched our first live, online conversation on March 20, a series on “Human Resilience in Troubling Times,” featuring Dr. Wayne Flynt, followed by conversations with Coach Bruce Pearl, civil rights icon and Breeden Visiting Scholar Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr., and Ela Gandhi, the granddaughter of Mahatma Gandhi. Following the murder of George Floyd and nationwide protests, we worked with the Alabama Historical Association to offer nine conversations on “2020 and the Future of Alabama History.” These videos are available online, and we enjoyed remaining connected to all of you in this way, featuring the work of Alabamians and others who graciously share their stories with the world.
We achieved additional milestones in this 35th year of work that you will read about in this report, and we are thankful for all of the partners and collaborators who made 2020 a memorable year. Our undergraduate student Hannah White, a former Living Democracy fellow and Appalachian Teaching Project participant, is now our graduate assistant. Our spring semester graduate assistant, Shari Williams, defended her dissertation last month in the history department. Our event coordinator, Rachel Naftel Mosness, moved to Birmingham with husband Shayfer, and she is now mother to baby Sawyer. Dr. LaFayette continues to serve as Breeden Visiting Scholar. Maiben Beard continues to lead the Center in countless ways, including the creativity of this report. The Pebble Hill cats still greet us in the morning with an air of superiority common to their kind.
2020 Highlights
OLLI Brown Bag Series
In January and February, we partnered with OLLI at Auburn and the City of Auburn to host a series of brown bag lectures at the Boykin Community Center. Topics included Creek Indians in Alabama, Civil Rights in Alabama, African American Historical Sites in the Black Belt, and the History of Auburn.
Historic Decisions Online
The Draughon Center is partnering with the Kettering Foundation of Dayton, Ohio and local educators to learn about deliberation using historic decisions issue guides in a virtual environment. Teachers include Blake Ramsey, Drake Middle School, Auburn; Marian Royston, Handley Middle School, Roanoke; and Cathy Jones, Loachapoka High School. The online forums allow students to wrestle with difficult historic decisions and practice deliberation with their peers, and topics have included the establishment of the United States Constitution, women’s suffrage, and the Civil Rights Movement.
Living Democracy
Four Auburn University students participated in a virtual Living Democracy experience during the 2020 summer: Harrison Carter (Elba), Thomas Chapman (Chatom), Amy Clark (Camden), and Addison Peacock (Collinsville). The program, co-sponsored by the David Mathews Center for Civic Life, provides a unique living-learning experience in public humanities and community engagement, and stories learn to write stories of the work of citizens under the direction of Associate Professor of Journalism Nan Fairley.
Although students could not reside in communities in 2020, they interviewed a number of people and participated in virtual meetings throughout summer. Check out their stories at auburn.edu/livingdemocracy. We are grateful to community partners Justin Maddox, Jessica Ross, Sulynn Creswell, and Jennifer Wilkins for their continued participation in Living Democracy.
Appalachian Teaching Project with the Town of Shorter
During the fall 2020 semester, students in the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Practicum of Liberal Arts, an Appalachian Teaching Project course, worked with the Town of Shorter. Throughout the semester, students researched topics for an interpretive center for the town of Shorter, developed local history lesson plans, interviewed citizens, and participated in a book club with Macon County residents via Zoom. The students presented their work at the online Appalachian Teaching Project symposium. The Appalachian Teaching Project is a partnership between the Appalachian Regional Commission and the Consortium of Appalachian Centers and Institutes and is administered by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University.
Constitution Day
For Constitution Day 2020, we hosted a panel in partnership with the Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. Institute on “Judge Frank Johnson’s Impact and the U.S. Constitution” featuring U.S Magistrate Judge for the Middle District of Alabama Susan Russ Walker and Jones Day attorney Peter Canfield.
We also held an essay contest for OLLI at Auburn Members, who answered the question "Which amendment to the U.S. Constitution has the most meaning to you and why?" Essays were judged by a team of students from East Samford School. The winning entries may be found on the Constitution Day website.
Since Suffrage Symposium
In October, we hosted Since Suffrage: A Symposium on Women’s Politics Since 1920. The symposium was sponsored by the Auburn University College of Liberal Arts Department of History, Department of Political Science, Women’s Studies Program; and the Inclusion & Diversity Division of the Auburn Alumni Association. Recorded sessions from the symposium are available on Facebook and YouTube.
Class Visits by Breeden Scholar Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr.
Dr. Bernard LaFayette, Jr., Breeden Scholar in Residence, visited 13 classes during the fall 2020 semester at Auburn University and the University of Montevallo. Dr. LaFayette was a cofounder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, a leader in the Nashville lunch counter sit-ins, a Freedom Rider, an associate of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and the national coordinator of the Poor People's Campaign.
Wilson Named 2020 Jean O’Connor-Snyder Award Recipient
Draughon Center director Dr. Mark Wilson was named the recipient of the David Mathews Center for Civic Life’s 2020 Jean O’Connor-Snyder Award. You can read more about the award on the Mathews Center website.
Pebble Hill Online
Human Resilience in Troubling Times
2020 and the Future of Alabama History
This series is co-sponsored by the Alabama Historical Association. Transcripts of all programs are available online.
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History Panel Discussion
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: A Conversation with Wayne Flynt
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: A Conversation with Calvin Chappelle
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: Local Archives
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: A Conversation with Frye Gaillard
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: A Conversation with Richard Bailey
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: The Avalon Plantation Marker Story
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: The Charles Oscar Harris Marker Story
- 2020 and the Future of Alabama History: Genealogists Going Beyond Kin
Awards and Grants
Hitchcock Award
The 2020 recipient of the Bert Hitchcock Graduate Award in Southern Studies is Daniel Cone. In July 2020, Cone successfully defended his dissertation, under the direction of Dr. Kenneth Noe, titled "The Cause Archived: Thomas Owen, the Alabama Archives, the Shaping of Civil War History and Memory." Cone received a B.A. from Presbyterian College and an M.A. from the University of West Georgia. He is the author of Last to Join the Fight: The 66th Georgia Infantry and Catoosa Springs: A Brief History.
Flynt Award
The 2020 recipient of the Wayne Flynt Endowed Graduate Research Award in Alabama History and Culture is Julianne Garner. In November 2020, Garner successfully defended her dissertation, under the direction of Dr. Keith Hebert, titled “At the Intersection of Davis and King: Heritage and Memory in Selma, Alabama.” Garner received her Public History certification in 2017 and holds a master’s degree in History from Auburn University and a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education from Clemson University.
Philpott Endowment for the Humanities Grant Program
2020 Recipients
Dr. Emily Friedman is an associate professor in the Department of English and co-founder with Dr. Derek Ross and Greg Schmidt of the Book Lab Cart, which provides supplies for students to experience the physical components, design, and artistry of book production. The Philpott award will allow her to purchase a tabletop letterpress.
Dr. Sunny Stalter-Pace is Hargis Associate Professor of American Literature in the Department of English, and she will use the grant to support a guest lecturer’s visit to her class, as well as provide support for student participation in a national humanities conference.
Pebble Hill
This presentation by our spring semester graduate assistant, Dr. Shari Williams, commemorates the enslaved people of Pebble Hill and other Scott properties and it focuses on Major and Betsy Harper, the patriarch and matriarch of the African-American Harper family and their journey from enslavement to freedom. Dr. Williams was joined by Dr. Terrance Vickerstaff, family historian and descendent of Major and Betsy Harper.
Teaching Pebble Hill
In summer 2020, we launched a Teacher in Residence program to leverage the unique assets of local history for classroom instruction at the 4th grade level. The inaugural Teacher in Residence, Shannon Brandt, is an Instructional Coach at Yarbrough Elementary School. Throughout the summer, she developed lesson plans related to the history of Pebble Hill.
Learn more at Teaching Pebble Hill: A Local History Resource for Educators in Auburn, Alabama and Beyond.
Gift of Drawing by George Fuller
We are pleased to announce the receipt of a charcoal drawing titled “Negro Funeral (Memory Drawing)” by artist George Fuller (1822-1884) from the collection of David and Frances Robb. The drawing will be displayed in the library of Pebble Hill.
Self-Guided Tours
The house is open for self-guided tours during business hours and guided tours are available by appointment. Before planning your trip, please verify our hours of operation by emailing us at cmdcah@auburn.edu or calling (334) 844-4946. Please be aware that as part of Auburn University, Pebble Hill is subject to close for holidays, routine maintenance, inclement weather, and for meetings and events.
New Landscape Signs
Landscape signs, identifying trees and shrubs on the property, were installed this year.
Little Women at Pebble Hill
The Department of Theatre used Pebble Hill as a backdrop for a photo shoot with the actors in the production of Little Women. The virtual production of Little Women is available for viewing online December 7-13, 2020. Visit the Auburn University Department of Theatre website to purchase tickets.
Pebble Hill Gift Shop
Our books, lapel pins, t-shirts, and tote bags are now available to purchase online! Visit the Pebble Hill Gift Shop to place an order.
The Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities in Auburn University’s College of Liberal Arts creates opportunities for people to explore our individual and collective experiences, values, and identities through the creativity of the arts and the wisdom of the humanities.
Based on the extension ideal of our land-grant institution, the Center was established by Auburn University in 1985 to develop and offer programming in Alabama schools, towns, and communities that strengthens the bond between the academic community, the arts and humanities, and the general public. The Center is located in the historic Scott-Yarbrough House, known as Pebble Hill, an 1847 Greek Revival style cottage that illustrates the important lives of Creek Indians, enslaved persons, and founders and builders of the town of Auburn.