Event Title
Digitizing St. Augustine's Civil War Years
Department
Student Presentor, Chad Germany: Major - History; Minor - Sociology
Faculty Sponsor, Charles Closmann: Associate Professor of History
Start Date
2-11-2016 10:00 AM
End Date
2-11-2016 4:00 PM
Description
I will be working in the archive at St. Augustine Historical Society’s Research library on, “Digitizing St. Augustine’s Civil War Years.” The project is an effort to transcribe and encode primary documents pertaining to the era using TEI-XML, towards the creation of a digital archive available within the SAHS online catalogue. Period photographs taken by Sam A. Cooley will buttress the documents with views of Forth Marion, the USS George C. Collins, St. Francis Barracks and other structures related to the war effort.
Using letters, journals, transcripts, and pension forms, this project will put together a social picture, posing the question: “What was day-to-day life like in Civil War St. Augustine?” Written during his stay, Union captain Blaky Mason’s 8-page “Report on St. Augustine” describes the town as a “curious looking old dilapidated thing” in between descriptions of Barrack conditions, Fort Marion and the recently constructed sea wall. Valuable, is his street level view of the town’s diverse population during occupation. “Next the streets will be thronged with Priests – Sisters of Charity – Spaniards – Minorcans - Soldiers and blacks,” comparing the scene to nothing he’d experienced in his home of Kingston, N.H.
Actions against citizen dissent will be presented with Union arrest transcripts. St. Augustine resident, Miss Christina Sanchez was detained for treason after a small confederate flag was found attached to a birdcage in her house. The charges were later acquitted as the canary was found to be treasonous and not her.
Digitizing St. Augustine's Civil War Years
I will be working in the archive at St. Augustine Historical Society’s Research library on, “Digitizing St. Augustine’s Civil War Years.” The project is an effort to transcribe and encode primary documents pertaining to the era using TEI-XML, towards the creation of a digital archive available within the SAHS online catalogue. Period photographs taken by Sam A. Cooley will buttress the documents with views of Forth Marion, the USS George C. Collins, St. Francis Barracks and other structures related to the war effort.
Using letters, journals, transcripts, and pension forms, this project will put together a social picture, posing the question: “What was day-to-day life like in Civil War St. Augustine?” Written during his stay, Union captain Blaky Mason’s 8-page “Report on St. Augustine” describes the town as a “curious looking old dilapidated thing” in between descriptions of Barrack conditions, Fort Marion and the recently constructed sea wall. Valuable, is his street level view of the town’s diverse population during occupation. “Next the streets will be thronged with Priests – Sisters of Charity – Spaniards – Minorcans - Soldiers and blacks,” comparing the scene to nothing he’d experienced in his home of Kingston, N.H.
Actions against citizen dissent will be presented with Union arrest transcripts. St. Augustine resident, Miss Christina Sanchez was detained for treason after a small confederate flag was found attached to a birdcage in her house. The charges were later acquitted as the canary was found to be treasonous and not her.