Georgia Historical Society is collecting stories, photos from pandemic

La Hacienda Mexican restaurant on Monroe Drive in Midtown offers margaritas to go Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Signs like these and others will be important to historians one day as they document how Georgians dealt with the pandemic. (Jenni Girtman for the Atlanta Journal Constitution)

La Hacienda Mexican restaurant on Monroe Drive in Midtown offers margaritas to go Tuesday, April 7, 2020. Signs like these and others will be important to historians one day as they document how Georgians dealt with the pandemic. (Jenni Girtman for the Atlanta Journal Constitution)

A couple of generations from now, people will study how Georgians made it through the devastating coronavirus crisis and the Georgia Historical Society wants to be a resource.

With future research in mind, the historical society is collecting stories, photographs, journal entries, documents, posters, anything that shows how Georgians are dealing with life right now during the pandemic. Nothing is insignificant.

“Are there acts of kindness and heroism in your community that you hope future generations will remember?” said Pattye Meagher, historical society spokesperson in a statement. “Are you a medical professional caring for the sick? Are you a small business owner helping to meet the needs of people in your community? The list is endless.”

The historical society joins other preservation entities collecting similar documents. At this point, collection is all digital since most intuitions are closed to the public because of stay-at-home ordinances. The Atlanta History Center and the Bandy Heritage Center for Northwest Georgia at Dalton State College announced their initiatives last week.

Contributions for the state historical society can be submitted at https://georgiahistory.com/covid-19-in-georgia-collecting-the-stories-of-georgians-during-the-pandemic-of-2020/