March 1, 2019
TIFTON—Educational lectures, entertainment, and recreation in an outdoor setting characterized the Chautauqua movement which began in the United States at Chautauqua County, N.Y., in 1874.
Dr. Wendy Harrison, English Department Head and Professor of English at ABAC, addresses the New York startup of Chautauqua and how it spread to Albany, Ga., in a new installment in the ABAC history lecture series titled “The Georgia Chautauqua in Albany” on March 12 at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College.
“The most successful Chautauqua in Georgia began in Albany in 1889 and lasted for 25 years,” Harrison said. “Exploring that time, one can hear the excitement and determination of a community that worked together to create an event that attracted visitors to South Georgia from across the United States.”
The 7 p.m. lecture in ABAC’s Howard Auditorium is open to the public at no charge. Previous speakers in the series have included Dr. Jess Usher on “An Examination of American Immigration History,” Dr. James Galt-Brown on “Lasting Impacts: 100 Years After World War I,” and Dr. Hans Schmeisser on “Henry Clay and the Making of America.”
Webster’s defines Chautauqua as “any of various traveling shows and local assemblies that flourished in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that provided popular education combined with entertainment in the form of lectures, concerts, and plays.”
Although all the activities took place during the summer, Chautauqua may have been a form of the first continuing education classes which are now popular on college campuses throughout the country. These non-credit courses focus on everything from public speaking to beekeeping.
“The Chautauqua movement continued the tradition of self-education and self-improvement initiated by early Americans,” Harrison said. “Lectures on science, literature, and philosophy were not uncommon. Entertainment and recreation were also a part of Chautauqua.”
Harrison said the Albany Chautauqua was more popular than any other one in the state including the Atlanta Chautauqua which Henry Grady initiated.
“Chautauqua actually started as a religious thing with the Methodist Church,” Harrison said. “People were inspired by the philosophy of ‘pulling yourself up by your boot straps and making yourself better.’ There were even sports competitions. The Chautauqua auditorium was on the site where the existing Municipal Auditorium is located now in Albany.”
For more information on the lecture, interested persons can contact Harrison at wharrison@abac.edu .
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