The Savannah Park and Tree Commission minutes from 1896 to 1929 are now freely available online to the public through the Digital Library of Georgia.
While on the surface the Park and Tree Commission minutes might seem mundane with talk of trimming trees and planting azaleas, upon closer inspection they contain important information that reflects the intersections of urban planning and civil rights, trends in landscape design, and the development of Savannah's cemeteries during the era of segregation. The minutes also provide details such as the use of convict labor to support infrastructure projects.
All these topics touch on current socio-political trends that have been largely underrepresented in past scholarship. Minutes from the early 20th century discuss issues surrounding segregation of public facilities, such as public pools and park benches, and these records offer insider perspectives into the decision-making process related to these Jim Crow-era policies that are not often found in governmental records.
We hope that by making them accessible online, researchers everywhere will be able to access the wealth of information that they contain. To view the minutes, visit: Record Series 5600PC-10, Minutes of the Park and Tree Commission, 1896-1929, no date Collection Items - Digital Library of Georgia (usg.edu).
City of Savannah Municipal Archives, Archives@savannahga.gov, Discover the Archives: savannahga.gov/MunicipalArchives.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Archives: Park and Tree Commission minutes on civil rights
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