Below are links to research projects that explore the history or surrounding area of Valdosta State University. The authors of these research projects and papers are often Faculty and students of the college.  If you create a paper, video, presentation or web page about Valdosta or Valdosta State University, we would be glad to publish it or link it here.  Our goal is to provide access to current research on local topics which are often difficult to research.

Edith Patterson by Deborah Davis, Archives Librarian, Odum Library

An article exploring the rich correspondence between the early Alumni and Edith Patterson, President of Alumni Association. Past Pictures: The Edith Patterson Years, 1924-1932.

House in the Woods by April Renfroe, Senior History student, Valdosta State University 

The "House in the Woods" history is richer than what the former implies. To fully appreciate the "House in the Woods" one must trace the early history of Valdosta State University.

Women's Studies Home Page 

Contact Women's Studies for transcripts and videotapes of the Valdosta State Oral History projects.

Campus Canopy Index Search Engine

Search the campus newspaper of G.S.W.C./ V.S.C. for articles about past campus events and campus history. The Index currently contains articles from 1935-1942 and more are added regularly.

Publicity Scrapbook Index Search Engine

Search the G.S.W.C./V.S.C. publicity scrapbook. The Index currently contains articles from 1912-1949 and more are added regularly.

NEW: VSU Video Collection Index Search Engine

Browse our digitized videos on YouTube. 

Lake Louise Research

Lake Louise Research by Dr. Hyatt 

Trace Element Stratigraphy of Sediment and Freshwater Diatom Frustules from Lake Louise, GA: An 8,500 Year Paleoenvironmental Record from South Central Georgia.

Lake Louise Research by Dr. Hyatt 

Spatial Variation of Inorganic Sediment and Implications for Human-Induced Trace Metal Loading at Lake Louise, Ga.

Distribution of Trace Elements Between Water & Sediment in Lake Louise, Lowndes County, Georgia by Rasmus Larsen, Geology student, Valdosta State University 

By learning more about the amount and the distribution of trace elements in water and the sediment, we can learn more about the connection between water and sediment chemistry. We can also learn about the fate of the elements that enter the lake, and therefore help to trace elements that might be toxic to the biota in the lake.

Directed Undergraduate with Dr. Hyatt 

Rill Erosion Along an Exposed Embankment of Interstate 75 Near Valdosta, GA. by Jack L. Winkler. R

Spatial Variation of Inorganic Sediment and Implications for Human-Induced Trace Metal Loading at Lake Louise, Ga. by Nancy F. Ekstrom

The Distribution of Inorganic Sediment in Lake Louise, Georgia. by Andrew B. Bearden

Distribution and Analysis of Sinkholes in Albany, Georgia Prior to Tropical Storm Alberto by Holly P. Wilkes

Digital Elevation Modeling and Color Analysis of Lake Louise, GA by Brent A. Collier

Gully Erosion in South Georgia by Dr. Hyatt 

Documenting the Geomorphic History of “Lyell’s Gully”, Milledgeville, Georgia.

Environmental Monitoring Station, Valdosta State University by Dr. Hyatt 

Together with VSU colleague Henri Grissino-Mayer and with funding support from the University System of Georgia, I have installed an Environmental Monitoring Station on One Mile Branch, a small stream that crosses VSU's main campus.

On Race and Valdosta
Lowndes County Georgia

List of Emigrants to Arthington, Liberia by Eric Dewayne Jackson
History of African American Emigrants from Lowndes County to Liberia in 1800's.  List of emigrants with names, ages, occupations, and religion.

Lowndes County During Reconstruction by Bill Daugherty, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

From a historical standpoint, the horrors of the War Between the States ended at the Appomattox courthouse in 1865. In Lowndes County, Georgia, life after the war was difficult and troublesome. Many problems trace their roots to the difficulties of that time period.

Doc Holiday's Swimming Hole Incident by Allen Folsom, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

The swimming hole incident has been passed on and told by many in Valdosta. The presence of the Negroes in their swimming hole enraged Doc, and he drew his pistol-shooting over their heads to scare them off.

Doc Holiday's and the Courthouse Incident by Allen Folsom, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

Many men, after being fed up with the way they believed the town was being governed, came up with plans to blow up the courthouse. A group of young men marched down to the courthouse square.

Family History by Zach Friis, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

Who descended from slaves? Who descended from slave owners? Family History tells about Genealogy and how to find your family's history.

A Three Year Dream by Zach Friis, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

It has been close to 135 years since the Civil War took place and even more years have passed since the first slaves were traded on the beaches of this state. Through out the centuries thousands of black men and women have died, either serving their masters or their country, and their deaths have gone largely unnoticed by the general population.

The Coverage of the Death of Martin Luther King, Jr. by the Valdosta Daily Times by Forrest Holder, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

On April 4, 1968, one of the greatest tragedies of the Civil Rights Movement occurred in Memphis, Tennessee. That tragic event is, of course, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and it was covered by our very own Valdosta Daily Times.

What is going on at Valdosta High? by Forrest Holder, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

Is separate but equal considered racist, or even prejudiced? How about separate and unequal? Upon examining the two proms at Valdosta High School, primarily by survey, I have come to the conclusion that no definite conclusion can be reached.

Integration of VSC by Jacelyn Lane, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

The events of the Civil Rights Movement were prevalent in the South; Lowndes County and the city of Valdosta even had their share of the movement. In September of 1963, three hundred freshmen entered Valdosta State College; two of those freshmen were black.

Black Representation in Valdosta Daily Times by Jacelyn Lane, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

The articles are mostly about blacks committing crimes, in later years many civil rights stories appear, and eventually came the few and far between stories of a good deed by a black person. Blacks were discriminated against even in the newspapers.

Project Change: Lowndes County Advisory Board by Brandy Sumner, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

Valdosta's Project Change, one of only four such programs set up in the nation was established in 1991 in order to help combat friction between different racial and ethnic groups.

Affirmative Action and the March in Tallahassee by Brandy Sumner, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

On March 7, 2000, 30,000 marchers came to Tallahassee to protest Governor Jeb Bush's proposed Florida One Initiative. Bush created this initiative in hopes of deferring Florida voters from voting in favor of Ward Connerly's proposed legislation regarding affirmative action.

Desegregation in Lowndes County by LaShayla Waters, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

In December of 1967, Marker Dern, a hearing examiner for the Department of Health Education and Welfare (HEW), recommended a $342,000 cut in federal funds to Lowndes County Schools for non-compliance with the Civil Rights Act of 1964; this prompted the Board to finally take action (Moore 5).

Albany's Civil Rights Movement by LaShayla Waters, Honors English student, Valdosta State University 

The civil rights movement in Albany is perhaps the most famous civil rights episode in South Georgia's history. Years of frustration and treatment as second class citizens prompted blacks in Albany to react.

  General Student Papers

Infectious Diseases in History by Ashley Helton and Vineet Kumar, Valdosta State University