Booth Williams home movie collection


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Collection Details

Collection Dates: 1942 – 1960
Scope and Content Note: The collection consists of Williams family home movies shot between 1942 and 1960. They show typical family scenes, such as holiday celebrations, childrens' birthday parties, a wedding, trips to the beach, winter ice storms, picnics, a family reunion, and several shots of downtown Monroe, as well as a Monroe church and Sunday school letting out. Of local interest are 1948 scenes of a demonstration farm in Winder, Georgia, and the turkeys and cows of the Williams' family farm. Grant Park in Atlanta and its zoo are also featured several times. Both a Girl Scout camp and a Boy Scout camp are shown. Also, the earlier films taken during WWII show a captured Japanese submarine touring through Monroe. A 1943 Victory Parade includes children promoting scrap drives, victory gardening, an air raid group, and representations of the Four Freedoms. A recruiting drive in downtown Monroe features a damaged Luftwaffe warbird, and a dirigible patrols the shoreline while the family is at the beach. The bulk of the films are travel scenes by the family and also of Booth Williams at national conventions in Florida and Wichita. A 1949 trip from Georgia to the Western U.S. begins on U.S. Highway 41 and documents a portion of Peacock Alley - a country store selling chenille bedspreads, aprons, and bathrobes. Travels include: Stone Mountain, Georgia (view from top); Vogel State Park in north Georgia; the old market at Louisville, Georgia; Lookout Mountain, Georgia, and Point Park; Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Cherokee, North Carolina; Asheville, North Carolina, including a view of the Grove Park Inn; Edisto Beach, South Carolina; Florida: St. Augustine, Crystal River, Cypress Gardens, Gainesville, New Orleans, orange groves/packing houses; Texas: Houston, King Ranch cattle, San Antonio, Alamo; Louisville, Kentucky, Keeneland race track; Chicago, Illinois (cityscape and Shriners); Spokane, Washington; Western states trip (Omaha, Nebraska; Grand Forks, North Dakota; Badlands, South Dakota; Cedar Pass Lodge; Mount Rushmore; Yellowstone National Park; Salt Creek Falls, Oregon; Crater Lake Park, Oregon; California Redwoods, San Francisco, Yosemite, Los Angeles/Glendale, Hollywood Bowl, UCLA; Reno, Nevada; Hoover Dam; Grand Canyon; Petrified Forest and trading post; Salt Lake City, copper pit, Great Salt Lake, Reno; Cliff House (San Francisco); Disneyland); and the Northeastern United States and Canada, including the border crossing, and the White Mountains cog railway in New Hampshire.
Biographical Note: The Williams family lived in Monroe, Georgia.
Extent: 22 film reels : si., b&w and col. ; 8 mm.
Genre: Home movies and video;Travelogues
Airships--Georgia, Birthday parties--Georgia--Monroe, Cattle--Texas--King Ranch, Church buildings--Georgia--Monroe, Cliff House (San Francisco, Calif.), Cows--Georgia--Monroe, Cypress Gardens (Charleston, S.C.)--Description and travel, Family reunions--Georgia--Monroe, Family vacations--Arizona--Grand Canyon, Family vacations--Arizona--Petrified Forest National Park, Family vacations--Badlands (S.D. and Neb.), Family vacations--California--Disneyland, Family vacations--California--Glendale, Family vacations--California--Los Angeles, Family vacations--California--San Francisco, Family vacations--California--Yosemite National Park, Family vacations--Canada, Family vacations--Florida, Family vacations--Florida--Crystal River, Family vacations--Florida--Gainesville, Family vacations--Florida--Saint Augustine, Family vacations--Georgia--Lookout Mountain, Family vacations--Georgia--Louisville, Family vacations--Hoover Dam (Ariz. and Nev.), Family vacations--Illinois--Chicago, Family vacations--Kentucky--Lexington, Family vacations--Kentucky--Louisville, Family vacations--Louisiana--New Orleans, Family vacations--Nebraska--Omaha, Family vacations--Nevada--Reno, Family vacations--North Carolina--Asheville, Family vacations--North Carolina--Cherokee, Family vacations--North Dakota--Grand Forks, Family vacations--Northeastern States, Family vacations--Oregon, Family vacations--Oregon--Crater Lake, Family vacations--South Carolina--Charleston, Family vacations--South Carolina--Edisto Beach, Family vacations--South Dakota--Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Family vacations--Tennessee--Gatlinburg, Family vacations--Texas--Houston, Family vacations--Texas--San Antonio, Family vacations--Utah--Great Salt Lake, Family vacations--Utah--Salt Lake City, Family vacations--Washington (State)--Spokane, Family vacations--Yellowstone National Park, Farms--Georgia, Grove Park Inn (Asheville, N.C.), Holidays--Georgia--Monroe, Hollywood Bowl (Los Angeles, Calif.), Home movies and video., Ice storms--Georgia--Monroe, Keeneland (Lexington, Ky.), Monroe (Ga.)--Buildings, structures, etc, Monroe (Ga.)--History--20th century, Parades--Georgia--Monroe, Picnics--Georgia--Monroe, Rack-railroads--New Hampshire, Stone Mountain (Ga.)--Aerial film and video footage, Submarines (Ships), Sunday school buildings--Georgia--Monroe, Turkeys--Georgia--Monroe, United States Highway 41, University of California, Los Angeles, Weddings--Georgia--Monroe, Williams family, Williams family--Homes and haunts, Williams, Booth, Williams, Jim, Zoos--Georgia--Atlanta
Provenance: Deposited at the Walter J. Brown Media Archives by Jim Williams, 2008.
Cite Collection As: Booth Williams home movie collection, circa 1942-1960. Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries.

Objects in the collection


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