Dear Friends of the Society:
Last year the Historical Society moved to a new location at 100 Lavinia Avenue. The relocation was necessary in order to continue a mission that began in 1961. The challenges of “history minded” Greenvillians to collect and preserve the records of the past were reflected in this 1961 letter to the original members:
(1) Most of the existing family records are held by individuals who are not aware of their existence (2) As the older homes are “broken” up, family records are too often classified as “trash”. If the losses of these valuable historical materials are continued, the history of Greenville, both city and county, will have to be written from court-house records and newspapers without the enrichment which family papers provide.
We are fortunate to announce the acquisition of the Joe Jordan Photograph Collection.
During the second half of the twentieth century Joe served his community as a member of the military, the media, law enforcement and government. However, his craft of photography may leave a greater legacy as we look through his lens and aim to preserve our story through this collection. The Jordan Collection contains thousands of rarely seen images of Greenville’s past, including President Nixon’s visit to Greenville in 1968, the demolition of City Hall in 1973, and faces of Greenville’s leaders, both past and present.
Your support is needed not only to preserve the collection but to enable us to examine and procure the transfer of thousands of negatives into digital images of Greenville’s past. This rare opportunity allows us to continue a legacy of captured images from our existing Coxe, Landing and Elrod photographs which cover the first half of the 20th century.
By donating now you will help start an ambitious campaign to save these images and continue to tell Greenville’s story. Your support will provide us with the means to preserve rare photographs and documents that tell the story of Greenville County—something we’ve been doing for over 58 years.
There are so many stories to tell, and this story continues with you.
Support GCHS’s Acquisition of the Joe Jordan Collection
We’d like to thank you for your tax-deductible gift:
$50 ▪ Greenville SC Facts and Memories by Henry Bacon McKoy
$100 ▪ The Greenville Heritage ornament of your choice
(New this year, Greenville Memorial Auditorium)
$150+ ▪ Greenville’s Grand Design by Tom Poland
Best wishes,
Darlene G. Parker
Executive Director
