The Vertical File Index
Subject File Index
| A | | B | | C | | D | | E | | F | | G | | H | | I | | K | | L | | M | | N | | O | | P | | R | | S | | T | | U | | V | | W | | Z | |
Family File Index
| A | | B | | C | | D | | E | | F | | G | | H | | I | | J | | K | | L | | M | | N | | O | | P | | R | | S | | T | | U | | V | | W | | Y | |
The
Billups-Garth Archives in the Local History
Room at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library maintains a vertical file
collection of information about towns, cities, events, individuals,
organizations, houses, families, landmarks, and other topics relating to
Columbus and Lowndes County. The files
may contain pamphlets, newspaper clippings, correspondence with staff,
articles, images, historical sketches, and other informational, genealogical,
and ephemeral materials. It is often a good resource for beginning a
research project.
The
Vertical File Collection is organized into two alphabetically arranged
categories: Subject Files and Family Files. The Subject Files include place names, institutions, events,
businesses, houses, etc. The Family
Files are organized by surnames and contain materials pertaining to Lowndes
County families and individuals.
The files were initially started by
the Lowndes County Department of Archives and History (LCDAH). Founded in the late 1970s, the LCDAH was
located in the Lowndes County Court House Annex. When the organization folded
in the late 1980s, the materials moved to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. In 1992, the library, with the help of a
generous donation from the Snowdoun Association (now
the Billups-Garth Foundation), opened a newly renovated
Local History Room that included two distinct areas known as the Billups-Garth Archives and the Margaret L. Buckley
Genealogy Room. The Vertical Files are currently housed in the temperature
controlled vault of the Billups-Garth Archives where
they continue to grow.
USE
In both the Subject Files and the
Family Files, the materials are indexed alphabetically. Headings in ALL CAPS
denote specific file folders in the Vertical File Collection. Some folders may
contain only a page or two of clippings while others may include several.
The
Vertical Files are available for public use in the Local History Room. When accessing the Vertical Files at the Billups-Garth Archives, one must first fill out a Patron
Information Form and present valid photo identification.
The Vertical File Collection
does not aspire to be a comprehensive source of information on any topic. Also,
it does not serve as a day-by-day chronology of any given event.
To see any materials in the vertical
file collection or for additional assistance, please contact:
Local History Room
314 N. Seventh Street
Columbus, MS 39701
(662) 329-5304