Preservation Posts - March 2013 
In this issue: 
- Message from the Director: Forging Ahead - Capitols, Columns & Commissions Converge in Milledgeville - March is Women's History Month - Meeting More Than Prescription Needs: The Savannah Pharmacy and Fonvielle Office Building - Displaying a Handmade Quilt - Recent News & Announcements - Upcoming Events 
Message from the Director: Forging Ahead 
By Dr. David Crass, Division Director & Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer 
On July 1, 1898 Theodore Roosevelt met the moment he had dreamed of since he was a little boy. Appointed as a Colonel of the 1st Volunteer Cavalry (Rough Riders) at the outbreak of the Spanish American War (which he had helped precipitate as Assistant Secretary of War), Roosevelt and the mixed force of Harvard men and cowboys he had met during his ranching days were hunkered down at the foot of Kettle Hill outside the city of Santiago de Cuba. Immediately adjacent was San Juan Hill. 
The American forces already atop San Juan Hill were taking heavy fire from Spanish forces on Kettle Hill; Roosevelt, along with the rest of the cavalry command under ex-Confederate Major General Joseph Wheeler, were directed to take Kettle Hill and thus suppress the Spanish fire. Roosevelt's troops were reportedly reluctant to launch the attack because of a dearth of supplies and ammunition; Theodore is reputed to have told them: "do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Roosevelt's 1st Volunteers helped take the hill shortly thereafter, although Sgt. George Berry of the 10th Cavalry (a unit of the famed Buffalo Soldiers), was the first American soldier to plant his unit's colors on the heights--a fact overlooked in the press at the time. 
As historic preservationists we've lived by TR's words for our entire careers, and here at HPD although the budget contraction has not ended our staff continues to innovate. Nowhere is this more evident than in the upcoming statewide historic preservation conference with our partners the Georgia Trust, the Georgia Alliance of Preservation Commissions, and the City of Milledgeville. The agenda is in my opinion the best we've seen since we re-initiated the conference three years ago after a six year hiatus, with two major dedicated professionalization tracks - a first. 
The Archaeology Section has begun work developing our augmented reality app at Camp Lawton, the Confederate POW camp discovered by LAMAR Institute and Georgia Southern University. The app should be in beta testing by late this summer thanks to a generous grant from the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation. Meanwhile we have begun discussions with DNR's IT staff about transitioning to an electronic submission system for our Section 106 reviews, and eventually our tax program--a financial must, as a third of our office footprint is paper files, the bulk of which are generated by these business processes. An ancillary but very important benefit of such a system would be instant access by federal agencies and applicants to their documents as they proceed through the review process. This kind of efficiency improvement will become even more critical as the economy gains steam; already we are seeing noticeable increases in both environmental review projects and tax program applications which have the potential to strain our reduced staff resources. 
I continue to appreciate the support and collaboration of all our partners across the state, and look forward to seeing you at the state conference. Meanwhile, "do what you can, with what you have, where you are"! 
Capitols, Columns & Commissions Converge in Milledgeville 
By Marcy Breffle, CLG Program Intern 
On April 26th and 27th, preservationists from across Georgia will gather in Milledgeville for the annual Statewide Historic Preservation Conference and Historic Preservation Commission Training. Hosted by HPD, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Georgia Alliance of Preservation Commissions (GAPC), with support from the Milledgeville Convention & Visitors Bureau, the two-day conference and training will include educational sessions on topics ranging from revolving funds to historic case studies as well as site visits to local preservation projects and networking opportunities. 
The conference will begin at Milledgeville's Old State Capital with a keynote address from Ms. Valecia Crisafulli, the vice president of partnerships at the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A veteran staff member of the National Trust, Ms. Crisafulli is the former vice president of programs and director of the Center for Preservation Leadership. She has also worked extensively with Main Street communities across the county. 
Following the keynote, conference attendees will be able to choose from three distinct tracks: Capitols (a track focused on history and historic resources), Columns (a track focused on architecture and architectural history), and Commissions (devoted to the work of our Georgia HPC Members). Sessions will he held at the Antebellum Capital and on the beautiful Georgia Military College campus. For the first time, the statewide Historic Preservation Commission Training will be held simultaneously with the state conference as well as the Georgia Trust's Spring Ramble. Full credit will be given to Certified Local Government HPC members and their staff who attend the entire "Commissions" track. Numerous AIA and CLE credits are also available and the most up to date information about those credits will be posted on our website link in the weeks ahead. 
Conference attendees can look forward to presentations on legal issues in historic preservation from Mr. Melvin B. Hill, Jr. and Mr. James Reap. Those interested in history will appreciate a session on Atlanta's historic streetcar system from Mr. Patrick Sullivan and Mr. Matt Tankersley of New South Associates, and others will enjoy an instructive session on direct education outreach for preservation programs from Ms. Robyn Anderson of Historic Augusta. For regional and general history enthusiasts, there will be presentations on Milledgeville's Sallie Ellis Davis House from HPD's own Ms. Jeanne Cyriaque and Mr. Matt Davis with an introduction from Ms. Evangeline Woods. 
Full registration for the conference includes an evening reception and dinner at Andalusia Farm, the historic home of author Flannery O'Connor. Following the conference, attendees are invited to stay in Milledgeville for the rest of the weekend and enjoy the Georgia Trust's Spring Ramble. Ramblers will have private access to some of the Antebellum Capital's many historic residences and city landmarks, including the 1839 Old Governor's Mansion, Memory Hill Cemetery, and the historic Liberty Street antebellum homes. 
Details about the conference including a full agenda are available on the conference webpage. Online registration is available here. 
See you in Milledgeville next month! 
March is Women's History Month 
By Lynn Speno, National Register Specialist 
The Jack and Louise Hill House at the opening celebration on March 12, 2013. 
On March 12, 2013, HPD staff attended the celebratory grand opening ceremony of the Jack and Louise Hill House on the grounds of Andalusia, home of Georgia author Flannery O'Connor. 
The restoration of this significant house represents a once-common lifestyle in the early to mid-1900s South. The restoration was funded in part by a Save America's Treasures grant, administered by the National Park Service through our office, and a Georgia Heritage Grant. Other attendees at the ceremony included Andalusia Foundation board members, relatives of Flannery O'Connor, Lord, Aeck & Sargent architects, Garbutt Construction staff, and interested citizens from the community. 
Now open to the public for interpretative tours, the furnished Hill house provides new insight into the history of O'Connor's family property. Hill house is a two-story Plantation Plain house that was occupied by Louise and Jack Hill, an AfricanAmerican couple who worked on the farm and lived in the house during O'Connor's productive years. Originally located closer to the main house, the Hill house was moved about 50 yards behind the main house in the 1940s, before O'Connor lived at Andalusia. The Hill house predates the main house, which was built c.1850. The 544-acre property consists of hayfields, pastures, ponds, and forests, as well as a variety of buildings and structures, including a milk-processing shed, barns, and tenant houses, in addition to the main house. O'Connor's mother, Regina, operated the farm as a dairy during the 1950s and many of the buildings are associated with that operation. 
The entire property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 at the national level of significance for its association with novelist and short-story writer, Mary Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964). Born in Savannah and educated at Georgia State College for Women (now Georgia College and State University), O'Connor moved with her mother to the family farm in 1951 after she was diagnosed with lupus. O'Connor would spend the next 13 years at Andalusia where she wrote the majority of her published work. Not only did Andalusia provide a place for her to live and work, the landscape, people, and activities on the farm figure prominently in her works of fiction. O'Connor remains one of Georgia's most well-known literary figures. 
As part of the upcoming Georgia Historic Preservation Conference and Historic Preservation Commission Training on April 26 and 27 in Milledgeville, Andalusia will host a reception on Friday evening for attendees and the Georgia Trust Spring Ramblers. More information about the conference is available here. More information about Andalusia is available here . 
Meeting More Than Prescription Needs: The Savannah Pharmacy and Fonvielle Office Building 
By Jeanne Cyriaque, African American Programs Coordinator 
Striking features of the modern Savannah Pharmacy are its hexagonal openings, designed by architect Eugene Allen Maxwell. 
The Savannah Pharmacy and Fonvielle Office Building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on February 20, 2013. The building is located on the west side of Savannah at 914-918 Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard (formerly West Broad Street). It is a modern, two-story building designed by architect Eugene Allen Maxwell in 1964. 
Maxwell's modern design includes large hexagonal openings in front of the entrance to the pharmacy on the ground level. The second-floor faade is reinforced concrete, and it cantilevers above the sidewalk. The hexagonal openings filled with concrete-block screens create an accordion-like appearance and they alternate with hour-glass images of parabolic arches that can be interpreted as abstract mortars, the symbol of pharmacies. The pharmacy occupies the first floor while the second floor offices `concrete-block screens illuminate the interior offices. The entrance to the pharmacy has aluminum-framed double glass doors and sidelights. Both the rear and east faade are concrete block, while red brick veneer covers the main faade. Inside the drug store, the walls are wood-paneled and the floor is terrazzo. Behind the pharmacy work area a mirror is inscribed "Savannah Pharmacy" with the mortar symbol. On the second floor, the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company occupied the glass-walled interior offices. These features distinguish the Maxwell building from many other commercial structures in Savannah designed during the 1960s. 
The pharmacy, public buildings and other businesses line Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, as this corridor was once the epicenter of black businesses in Savannah. The Savannah Pharmacy legacy encompasses three generations of the Fonvielle family who operated the business for a century. Savannah city directories cite the Savannah Pharmacy as early as 1907, but the first family owner was Joseph Earl Fonvielle, who purchased the business in 1914 with Walter E. Moody. Joseph E. Fonvielle was an African American pharmacist while Moody managed the business until his death in 1942. After Joseph died, his wife Lillian continued the family business. Her daughter Frances E. Fonvielle served as company president from 1955 to 1998. Joseph and Lillian's grandson, William Earl Fonvielle, Jr. managed the family business from the 1970s to 2002. The family descendants closed the business in 2007, and the City of Savannah, who sponsored the nomination, purchased it in 2009. 
Urban renewal was one of the major challenges that the Fonvielle family faced in maintaining the pharmacy. In the 1950s, the federal government decided to build two public housing units along the old West Broad Street, and the original building was demolished. Simon S. Frazier Homes and Herbert L. Kayton Homes comprised 400 units along West Broad Street. The Fonvielle family received a mere $15,000 for their business. They were forced to re-build the current structure about two blocks from the original drugstore. At that time, it was difficult for African American businesses to receive loans, so Francis Fonvielle sought a partnership with the black-owned North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company to finance the $75,000 new store. As part of their agreement, the insurance company would occupy the second floor for their offices, along with other businesses like beauty salons, barbers, shoe repair, and the Savannah branch of the NAACP. Transportation also impacted the business when exits were constructed from Interstate 16 to West Broad Street. Ultimately when integration came and African Americans had access to white pharmacies and businesses, the Savannah Pharmacy and other businesses in the corridor began to decline. The final blow for the Fonvielle family was competition with major drugstore chains, which influenced their decision to close the Savannah Pharmacy in 2007. 
Charles Elmore remembers all the professional offices that once existed on old West Broad Street. Many black doctors and dentists had offices in the Wage Earners Bank (presently the Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum). He recalled in his youth the Savannah Pharmacy also made ice cream, and he enjoyed those treats as much as trips to the drugstore. He believes the pharmacy was the second oldest business in the city. The oldest business was the 1870 Bynes-Royall Funeral Home, which operated on Hall Street since 1962. A Wendy's restaurant replaced their location on West Broad Street. The Savannah Pharmacy compounded many of their own medicines; the most famous was a patented cold remedy known as Long Ease. They began making this medicine in 1936, and sold it as late as 1996. 
The Savannah Pharmacy was listed in the National Register at the local level of significance as an excellent example of modern architecture. The building is also significant for its role in commerce as an African American pharmacy and office building. It is also significant to ethnic heritage because it represented three generations of the Fonvielle family, who provided more than medicine to black Savannah for nearly a century. 
Displaying a Handmade Quilt 
By Linda Bitley, Curator 
This quilt is hung on the wall using a washing muslin sleeve and a varathan-sealed wooden rod. 
A handmade quilt is something special, often a labor of love by somebody near and dear to you. It's natural that you would want to display a handmade quilt for others to see and enjoy. However, in order to ensure that the quilt will continue to be in good condition into the future, you need to keep a few things in mind. 
A review of the construction of a quilt is a good place to start. A quilt is a textile sandwich made up of a top, where the pieced or appliqued design is located, stuffing (usually cotton, wool or polyester), and a backing. These three layers are sewn together with stitching, called "quilting" so that the sandwich acts as a whole. The more quilting there is, the more tightly the layers are sewn together. 
Before displaying your quilt, examine it carefully to see how tightly it is sewn. If the quilting or other stitching is coming loose, you will need to choose a display method that put a very limited amount of stress on the quilt. That stress comes from gravity that is constantly pulling down on the quilt. 
A very low stress way to display a quilt is on a bed in a guest room. Another way is to fold it and drape it over a quilt rack or at the end of the bed. Just remember to periodically (once or twice a year) open up the quilt and fold it in a different way so that it does not develop creases along the fold lines. If a quilt is folded and left too long, the fabric along the crease lines can be pulled and weakened. 
If you have a quilt that is tightly quilted and in solid condition, you can display it by hanging it up on a wall like a picture. To do that you will need to sew a sleeve made of washed muslin fabric to the top back of the quilt. This will ensure that the action of gravity will be spaced evenly across the width of the quilt. Insert a rod, either round or flat, through the sleeve. If it is wood make sure that it is sealed with varathan so that the acids in the wood will not damage the fabric in the sleeve or the quilt. Hang the rod on the wall using heavy-duty bulldog picture hangers. You can get the varathan and hangers at a hardware store. 
Choose your quilt display location very carefully. It should be placed in a lower light area away from sunlight and fluorescent light. Light, and the ultraviolet rays in sunlight and florescent light in particular, will cause the fabric to irreversibly fade and weaken. 
If you keep these few things in mind when planning to display a quilt, you will be able to enjoy it now and yet keep it in good condition for years to come. 
Recent News & Announcements 
Georgia Centennial Farm Program The 2013 Georgia Centennial Farm application deadline is May 1. The program was the subject of a recent episode of Georgia Outdoors on Georgia Public Broadcasting - click here to watch online. 
Savannah Pharmacy and Fonvielle Office Building Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (press release - March 4) 
Upcoming Events 
April 9-11, 2013 - Section 106: An Introduction - Atlanta Learn the basics of project review under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. This seminar emphasizes practicalities-how to avoid pitfalls and victimization by myths. Discuss recent changes in regulations and procedures, with an emphasis on coordination with the National Environmental Policy Act and other laws. An agenda is available online at www.npi.org. 
April 26-27, 2013 - Georgia Historic Preservation Conference - Milledgeville Up-to-date information - including the call for session proposals, agenda, travel recommendations, and more - will be posted to our website at www.georgiashpo.org/2013conference. Please contact Outreach Program Manager Leigh Burns at leigh.burns@dnr.state.ga.us with any questions. 
Please send your comments or suggestions to charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us. 
Not a member? Subscribe now! Our mailing address is: Georgia Historic Preservation Division Department of Natural Resources 254 Washington Street, SW, Ground Level Atlanta, GA 30334 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2013 Georgia Historic Preservation Division All rights reserved. Title image: Facade detail of the Savannah Pharmacy and Fonvielle Office Building.