A CHALLENGE...
With the award of a highly competitive Challenge Grant, the National Endowment for the Humanities has recognized the value of the Southern Appalachian Archives collections and enabled Mars Hill College to meet the stewardship challenge these collections represent. The grant will provide $500,000 in federal funds, the maximum award possible. The challenge, however, is that the award requires the college to raise $1.5 million in matching funds.

The $2 million total has established an endowment to

• permanently fund a professional archivist for the Southern Appalachian Archives
• establish a preservation and programming fund
• provide three years of bridging costs so the work can begin

A BEGINNING...
Each year of the bridging period highlights collections from the Southern Appalachian Archives for

• preservation
• creation of online finding aids
• digitization projects
• development of teaching resources
• community programming—speakers, tours, performances, and workshops

The 2008-2009 academic year focused on the Gertrude M. Ruskin Collection of Native American artifacts.  Items in the Ruskin collection date from 3,000 B.C. to the early 20th century and include a rich assortment of points, pottery shards, pipes, sculpture, and other artifacts from the Cherokee and other peoples of the Southern Appalachian region.

Ramsey Center Fellows Dr. Phyllis Smith, associate professor of history, and Mr. Tyler Greene, history major, were selected to work in the Ruskin collection.  Dr. Smith developed teaching resources for the college’s Liberal Arts in Action Civic Life course, and Mr. Greene wrote an academic article for presentation and possible future publication.  They were assisted by the college’s Archivist, Dr. Karen Paar, who was able to do significant work in the above-mentioned areas of preservation, digitization, and cataloguing.  Their impressive work was showcased in February’s first annual “Unveiling Our Treasures” event.

The 2009-2010 academic year will draw on the James G.K. McClure Farmers Federation Collection of more than 3,000 photographs, as well as manuscripts, scrapbooks, publications, and recordings that provide a window onto many aspects of life in western North Carolina in the early twentieth century.  Ramsey Center fellows Dr. John Gripentrog, assistant professor of history, and history major Amanda McMahan will work extensively with this collection in the fall of 2009.

The 2010-2011 academic year will center on the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Collection of 2,000 handwritten ballads, letters and photographs, musical recordings, and an enormous scrapbook that document the rich musical heritage of Southern Appalachia.

A FUTURE...
Our goal is to raise the $1.5 million in matching funds by 2011 and, with the $2 million endowment, permanently fund a professional archivist position and a preservation and programming budget for the Southern Appalachian Archives. This endowment will ensure that these materials survive for future generations and allow our collections to continue to grow.

A COMMITMENT...
How can you help Mars Hill College meet the National Endowment for the Humanities challenge for stewardship of the Southern Appalachian Archives?

• Tell your friends!
• Send a check to the address below, payable to Mars Hill College, with “Ramsey Center NEH Challenge Grant” in the memo line.
• Participate in Liston B. Ramsey Center for Regional Studies programs & events.

Mars Hill College
Office of Advancement
P.O. Box 370
Mars Hill, NC 28754
828/689-1102