Each year members of the Archives staff present dozens of talks on a variety of topics to clubs, civic groups and other organizations in Birmingham and around the state. These talks, which are listed below, are offered free of charge and generally last 20 to 30 minutes.

The Speakers

Jim Baggett is Head of the Department of Archives and Manuscripts at the Birmingham Public Library and Archivist for the City of Birmingham. He has served as president of the Society of Alabama Archivists and Chair of the Jefferson County Historical Commission. Jim has lectured throughout the U.S. and Europe and has been featured on Alabama Public Television, National Public Radio and CSPAN. He has authored or edited four books on Birmingham and Alabama history, including A Woman of the Town: Louise Wooster, Birmingham’s Magdalen and Alabama Illustrated: Engravings from 19th Century Newspapers. Jim has written more than fifty articles on archival preservation and Alabama history for Alabama Librarian magazine, Alabama Heritage, Birmingham magazine, and other publications.

Kelsey Scouten Bates is Assistant Archivist at the Birmingham Public Library. She writes and presents on Alabama history and Southern culinary history, and her article "Comfort in a Decidedly Uncomfortable Time: Hunger, Collective Memory, and the Meaning of Soul Food in Gee’s Bend, Alabama" recently appeared in the journal Food and Foodways. She has co-curated exhibitions for BPL including Both Sides of the Lens: Photographs by the Shackelford Family and Alabama Illustrated: Engravings from 19th Century Newspapers. Kelsey has worked for the Baltimore Museum of Art in Maryland and the Chinati Foundation in Marfa, Texas. She received her MS in writing from Towson University in Baltimore and her BA in American History from the University of Maryland, College Park. 

For more information or to schedule a program contact the appropriate speaker, Jim Baggett (jbaggett@bham.lib.al.us, 205-226-3631) or Kelsey Bates (kbates@bham.lib.al.us, 205-226-3634).

Presentations

The Aesthetic of 19th Century Journalism: Newspaper Engravings as Works of Art*

Before photojournalism, artists would go into the field and draw the action shots that illustrated the news in weekly newspapers like Harper’s Weekly and Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper. The artists who worked during the heyday of illustrated newspapers were highly educated fine artists trying to support themselves. Their talents come through in depictions of civil war battles, landscapes, and working scenes, combining a journalist’s eye for detail with refined artistic sensibilities. This talk examines illustrations from 19th century Alabama from a journalistic and artistic perspective. (Kelsey Bates)

Birmingham and the Picture Postcard

Introduced in the latter half of the 19th century—when many countries had developed reliable postal systems and more people than ever were literate—postcards were a phenomenal success. Postcards allowed people to dash off quick messages and share pictures from home or travel. This talk explores the history of postcards using Birmingham images. (Jim Baggett)”  

Birmingham Illustrated: Images of the Magic City in the 19th Century Press*

From the 1850s to the 1890s, more than 250 engraved images of Alabama were published in national and international papers. Many of these are in the collection of the Birmingham Public Library Archives and are typical of those published for many places. They include portraits, landscapes, cityscapes and events such as storms, parades, sports and work. This lecture will explore in particular the images of Birmingham, reflecting the industry, politics, and major events of this city in the 19th century. (Jim Baggett)

Bonne Cuisine: Fancy Feasts in Early Birmingham

From Canape Danoise to Strained Chicken Okra, banquets in early 20th-century Birmingham offered French dishes that were fashionable in America’s high society yet were presented with some local flair. Take a look at some historical menus that were meant to impress Birmingham’s elite. (Kelsey Bates)

Common Bonds: Birmingham Snapshot Photography, 1900-1950*

For more than a century the people of Birmingham have documented their lives with snapshots. From mothers chronicling their children’s growth to families playing in snow, this talk explores how snapshots reveal the common interests of all types of Alabamians. (Jim Baggett)

Every House Has a History: Researching Birmingham Area Houses, Buildings and Churches*

Jefferson County enjoys a rich architectural heritage. This talk will introduce you to sources available at the Birmingham Public Library Archives to help you locate vintage photos of your house, building or church; determine the age of the structure and learn who has lived or worked there. (Jim Baggett)

Kathryn Tucker Windham and the Gee’s Bend Interviews

Listen to interviews between Kathryn Tucker Windham and Gee’s Bend residents from the late 70s and early 80s. The Gee’s Bend interviews present a captivating vignette of early 20th century African American life and of a generation of people who had lived through the Civil Rights Movement, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, and were told first-hand accounts of slavery and reconstruction by their grandparents and parents. The interviews tell the story of Gee’s Bend through the expression of community memories of common and catastrophic events; the development of foodways borne out of the hardships of slavery and reconstruction; and often astonishing tales of racial prejudice, community cooperation, and political upheaval. (Kelsey Bates)

Handle with Care: Preserving Your Family Papers and Photographs

There are many basic and inexpensive things you can do to ensure that your family letters, scrapbooks and photographs are preserved for the future. This talk introduces the fundamentals of home archiving. (Jim Baggett)

Hill and Holler: Southern Appalachian Poetry

Previously overlooked as simple and backward, Southern Appalachian literature has recently seen an increase in popularity. Appalachian poetry reflects the culture of the “mountaineer” through dialect, geographical description and religious language. Enjoy passages from some of the most celebrated Appalachian writers from Wendell Berry to James Still. (Kelsey Bates)

“John Wilkes Booth is Not Dead!”: Birmingham’s Louise Wooster and the Strange Afterlife of Lincoln’s Assassin*

Birmingham’s famous 19th-century madam Louise Wooster claimed John Wilkes Booth as the great love of her life. She also insisted that Booth had not been killed in the days following Lincoln’s assassination. This talk explores the likelihood of a relationship between Wooster and Booth and the enduring myth of a government conspiracy to fake his death. (Jim Baggett)

Miss Fancy, Queen of the Avondale Zoo

In early 20th century Birmingham, children and adults spent many happy Sunday afternoons feeding and riding Miss Fancy, the gentle elephant who lived at the old Birmingham Zoo in Avondale Park. Remembered for her habit of sneaking away from the zoo and wandering the surrounding neighborhoods, and her taste for alcohol, Miss Fancy is now the mascot for a Birmingham brewery and a beloved local character. This talk explores the life and legend of Birmingham’s most famous elephant. (Jim Baggett) 

A 19th-Century Murder Mystery: The Hawes Murders and Riot

In December 1888, a mob of several hundred men attacked the Jefferson County jail in an attempt to lynch Robert Hawes, suspected of murdering his wife and two daughters. Sheriff’s deputies fired on the mob, killing several men. This talk explores the events surrounding one of Birmingham’s most infamous murder mysteries. (Jim Baggett)

Old School Scrapbooking

From Victorian era school girls to a county coroner with an interest in grisly murders, Birminghamians often saved mementos in scrapbooks. Many of these late 19th- and early 20th-century scrapbooks are preserved in the Library’s Archives. This talk explores scrapbook keeping and keepsakes--visiting cards, photographs, letters, poems, theater programs, paper dolls, newspaper clippings--that people treasured and saved. (Jim Baggett)

Organizing and Preserving Your Church or Temple Archives

Every church or temple has a unique history that should be preserved. Learn the basics of organizing and preserving the historic documents of your congregation. Topics covered include what to collect, simple and inexpensive methods for preserving your archives and sources for archival supplies. (Jim Baggett)

Teaching Birmingham Women to Cook: From the Magic Meals Cooking School to Julia Child

Birmingham's rich culinary history was built, in large part, by women who cooked in their homes for their families every day. Learn how Birmingham women shaped the city's culinary history, economy, and character simply by putting dinner on the table. (Kelsey Bates)

The Monumental, the Mundane and the Macabre: Discovering 19th-Century Life in Alabama Letters and Diaries

From matters of love, death and politics to the price of shoes, nineteenth century Alabamaians recorded their experiences in letters and diaries. This talk explores life in the 1800s through personal writings now preserved in the Birmingham Public Library Archives. (Jim Baggett)

When the Blast Occurred: Remembering the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing

The 1963 bombing of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church killed four young girls, injured dozens of others and shocked the world. Using interviews conducted by the FBI, this talk recalls the experiences of people who were inside the church at the time of the blast. (Jim Baggett)

A Woman of the Town: Louise Wooster, Birmingham’s Magdalene

One of the enduring legends of 19th-century Birmingham is the tragic madam, Louise Wooster. She became wealthy operating a brothel, claimed to have John Wilkes Booth as a lover and refused to abandon Birmingham during a cholera epidemic. Become familiar with the life of this fascinating woman, and explore why generations of people in Birmingham have embraced her in ways that she never could have imagined. (Jim Baggett)

*These talks are accompanied by PowerPoint presentations, and the speaker must have a screen and appropriate space.