Historic Preservation Award and Scholarship Awards Recipients
2023 Historic Preservation Awards Recipients
The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society was founded in 1952 as part of an effort to restore the historic Vann House in Spring Place, Georgia. In 1976, following a period of inactivity, the Society was reorganized as a non-profit organization seeking to preserve and document the history of Whitfield and Murray Counties. The WMHS maintains eight local historical properties which would otherwise be in danger of neglect or destruction, and many one-of-a-kind documents that are unavailable elsewhere.
WMHS presented their 29th Annual Historic Preservation Awards on May 7, 2023, at the Crown Garden and Archives, located at 715 Chattanooga Avenue, Dalton, GA 30720
The 2023 Preservation Awards were awarded as follows.
Lonnie Eoff was presented with an award by Dale Lowman.
Ellen Thompson presented Bruce Davies with an award.
Roland Rankin was presented an award by Judy Alderman.
All of these award recipients have made innumerable contributions to preserving the important history of Whitfield and Murray Counties.
High School Students were presented with scholarships based on their contributions to historical preservation.
The Pete Sims/Mary Gene Dykes Scholarships were awarded to Dalton High students Sarah Forberger, Nellie Gregg, Parth Karande and Anna La.
The James and Nell Ruth Loughridge Scholarships were awarded to Murray High students Ben Clark and Cameron Cloer.
The Paul Ross Scholarships went to North Murray High students Janna Baggett, Wakelynn Legg, and Anslei Powers.
The Dot Seaton Scholarship was awarded to Northwest Whitfield High students Mary Jones, David Minter, and Alex Ogles.
The Marvin Sowder/I.V. Chandler Scholarships were awarded to Southeast Whitfield students Chaston Atkins and Jazmine Ayabar.
No students entered the scholarship competition from Coahulla Creek High School. The scholarship is named in honor of Judy Alderman and Dr. Don Thomas.
A special thanks goes to Mashburn Trust/Foundation for a grant supporting the scholarship fund.
The 2023 Preservation Awards were awarded as follows.
Roland Rankin was presented an award by Judy Alderman
Lonnie Eoff was presented with an award by Dale Lowman.
Bruce Davies was presented with an award by Ellen Thompson.
Picture Captions:
Student Recipients of 2023 Scholarships:
L-R Front Row: Janna Baggett, Anslei Powers, Mary Jones, Jazmine Ayabar
L-R Back Row: Ben Clark, Chaston Atkins, David Minter, Alex Ogles
Not pictured: Sarah Forberger, Nellie Gregg, Parth Karande, Anna La, Cameron Cloer, and Wakelynn Legg.
2023 Scholarship recipients Anna La, Parth Karande, & Nellie Gregg.
2022 Historic Preservation Awards Recipients
1. For nearly four decades the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society has presented scholarships at the area public high schools. The scholarships are designed to reward seniors for the interest and work in local history, thus they are a bit unique among scholarship programs. They are earned scholarships which are not based on grade point averages, possible college majors, family income, etc. The scholarships also honor members of the society who have ties to the particular school or community. This year, the honorees have done everything from setting up for historical society events and inventorying historic markers to making local history field trips, researching family history, scanning records at the Murray County Courthouse, and volunteering at the Vann House or other local historic sites.
Recipients for 2022 are Avery Woodson who received the Marvin Sowder-I.V. Chandler Scholarship at Southeast Whitfield High while Manush Patel received the Judy Alderman-Don Thomas Scholarship at Coahulla Creek High. No applications were received from Northwest Whitfield or Dalton High.
Receiving the James and Nell Ruth Loughridge Memorial Scholarships at Murray County High School are Jada Cline, Lauren Champion, Caleb Peden, Sarah Ridley, and Samuel Woodall. At North Murray, the scholarships are presented in memory of Paul Ross. Honorees are Rachel Haught, Robbie Linginfelter, Avery Seay, and Samantha Walker.
Funding for the WMHS Scholarship program is provided by private donations and a grant from the Mashburn Trust.
Pictured here at a recent of the WMHS are (Front L-R) Sarah Ridley, Jada Cline, Manush Patel; Middle (L-R) Avery Seay, Avery Woodson, Lauren Champion, Caleb Peden, and Samuel Woodall; Back (L-R) are scholarship presenters Marvin Sowder, Judy Alderman, and Tim Howard.
Robbie Linginfelter
Samantha Walker
Rachel Haught
2. Every May the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society recognizes individuals, groups, and entities who have made significant contributions to historic preservation in the two counties in celebration of Historic Preservation Month as sponsored by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Honorees for 2022 are Vivian Chance of Dalton who has spent countless hours coordinating fundraisers at Crown Gardens and Archives, the headquarters of the WMHS and Dale Lowman who has worked for many years preserving historic photos from the area, serving as chair of the Wright Hotel Committee, researching/writing about local history, and volunteering at many historical society events.
The awards were recently presented at a Society meeting held at the Old Spring Place Methodist Church. Pictured here are Melissa Burchfield (Awards Committee Co-Chair), Lowman, Joan Dooley (WMHS President) and Chance.
2021 Historic Preservation Awards Recipients
Donna Flood, 2021 Historic Preservation
Dr. Betsy McArthur, 2021 Historic Preservation
2021 Historic Preservation Commission members
2021 Historic Preservation Awards, & Scholarships
Highlight the May Meeting
Presentation of Historic Preservation Awards & Scholarships were the highlight of the May meeting at the Hamilton House. Historic Preservation Awards went to Donna Flood, Betsy McArthur & the Whitfield County Historic Preservation Commission. Scholarships were awarded to nine area students.
Donna Flood currently serves as the Clerk of Superior Court in Murray County. She has worked many hours with volunteers to review, categorize, and store historical records. Through her efforts, Murray County is developing a usable and well-preserved archive. She is active on the Chatsworth Depot Committee and volunteers at the Wrght Hotel's Tea with Mom event.
Betsy McArthur has revived the Journal, bringing it up-to-date while maintaining a high quality of historical research and a devotion to showcasing Whitfield and Murray counties. She has organized the Gertrude "Tut" McFarland Library at the archives and continues to maintain its focus on holdings pertinent to our area.
Whitfield County Historic Preservation Commission members Marvin Sowder, Bob McLeod, Kathryn Sellers, Judy Alderman, and Bill Blackman.
As a response to the opportunity to acquire Civil War sites, the county established the Whitfield County Historic Preservation Commission in 2004 to oversee acquisition of the sites. Whitfield County Board of Commissioners at the time were Mike Babb as chairman, Commissioners Mike Cowan, Jerry Albertson, Doug Kenner, and Leonard Cochran. They appointed these interested people to the Historic Preservation Commission: Phillip Cantrell, Marvin Sowder, John Hutcheson, Bruce Davies, and Judy Alderman. Kevin McAuliff, Historic Preservation Planner with North Georgia Regional Development Center served as secretary. Their main tasks were to identify and preserve historic sites and to educate locals and visitors about the sites. Current members of the Commission are Judy Alderman, Bill Blackman, Andy Carlson, John Hutcheson, Robert Jenkins, Kevin McAuliff, Bob McLeod, Kathryn Sellers, Marvn Sowder, and Adam Ware.
This year's preservation awards committee included chair Melissa Burchfield, Sue Crawford, and Dr. David Loughridge.
2021 Scholarship Recipients
2021 Historical Society Awards Scholarships
As it has done for almost four decades, the Whitfield-Murray Historical Society has awarded several scholarships to seniors at various local public high schools. The scholarships are based on the students' interest and work in local history and each scholarship is named in honor of local historic preservationists.
The recipients at Coahulla Creek High School are Cam and Colt Souther who have volunteered at the Prater's Mill Country Fair during their high school careers. The scholarships at Coahulla Creek honor Mrs. Judy Alderman and Dr. Don Thomas, both of whom serve as trustees of the Historical Society and have given much to the group's efforts to preserve the area's rich heritage.
Joe McDaniel of Chatsworth will receive the James and Nell Ruth Loughridge Memorial Scholarship given at Murray County High School. Joe has volunteered at the Vann House and at the Old Spring Place Methodist Church since he was in elementary school. He's also a second-generation recipient of this honor. The Loughridges were active in Murray County's historic preservation work for most of five decades.
Several North Murray High School graduates are recipients of this year's Paul Ross Memorial Scholarships. Some have been been visiting local historic sites since they were toddlers and developed that interest into volunteering at various historical society events such as Tea with Mom at the Wright Hotel, Vann House Days at the Vann House, and the Spring Place Festival at the Old Methodist Church. The honorees are Reagan Brown, Summer Johnston, Emma Grace Payne, Abby Stafford, and Macy Tucker. Mr. Ross, a well-known Murray County businessman, was chairman of the Society's Board of Trustees.
Elle Shirah, a member of the Historical Society who has spent much time researching artifacts and learning about the area's history is the honoree at Southeast Whitfield High School. There the scholarship is named in honor of the late Mr. I.V. Chandler, a former educator, businessman, and Society member, and in honor of Mr. Marvin Sowder, well-known Whitfield County Historian and trustee of the Society.
The WMHS Scholarships are funded this year by a grant from the Mashburn Trust. Members of the 2021 WMHS Scholarship Committee are Judy Alderman, Tim Howard, Deborah Ausmus, Whitney Grant, Jane Pate, Dewey Hughes, and Dr. Don Thomas. Dalton High and Northwest Whitfield did not have applicants this year.
All recipients will be recognized at their schools as well as at the May 16 meeting of the Historical Society to be held at the Historic Hamilton House on Chattanooga Avenue beginning at 2:30.
2020 Historic Preservation Awards Recipients
2020 Historic Preservation Awards Recipients
2020 Scholarship Awards Recipients
2019 Historic Preservation Awards Recipients
2019 Scholarship Award Recipients
2019 Scholarships: Jenna Palmer, Diya Patel, Megan Cherry, Adelia Lonas, Simon England, Lana Ridley, & Kaylor Mullis. Not pictured are Samuel Carlson & Caroline Ridley.
2019 Eagle Scout Award
2019 Eagle Scout, Andrew Rogers. Not pictured is Samuel Carlson.
2019 Historic Preservation Awards
2019 Historic Preservation awards: Ted Yarbrough, Elizabeth Robinson, & Andrew Parker for the City of Dalton Public Works Dept.
2019 President's Award
2019 President's Awards: Sandra Clark & Dr. Betsy McArthur
2018 Historic Preservation Awards Recipients
2018 The Whitfield-Murray Historical Society recently presented annual awards for historic preservation. Seated are Carolyn Martin & Peg Adams. Standing are Kathryn Sellers, accepting award for Dalton First Presbyterian Church; Jyana Smith; & Chuck Smith. Not pictured are Angie & Rick Hix.
2018 The prestigious President’s Award was given to historical society volunteers who have demonstrated years of service. This year’s recipients were Emily Cogburn & Sue Crawford, seated; & Judy Alderman & Carolyn Luffman, standing.
2018 Six high schools seniors received scholarships for historic preservation: Charlie Alderman, Dalton High; Jaden Baggett, North Murray High; Henley Henderson, Northwest Whitfield High; Aaron Howard, North Murray High; Alyson Kountz, Southeast Whitfield High; & Rylee Maret, Northwest Whitfield High. Pictured are Alderman, Howard, Baggett, & Maret.
2018 Charlie Alderman, Jonathan Shaheen, & Henry Stevenson-- Eagle Scout candidates--were recognized for Eagle projects that focus on historic preservation.
2016 Historic Preservation Award Recipients
2016 Presidents Award
2016 Boy Scouts Awards Recipients
2016 Eagle Scouts, Samuel Pankey, and Will Richards receive awards for Eagle Scout Projects
