Library Wins Grant to Preserve Lake Lanier Memories in Forsyth Remembers Oral History Project

Forsyth residents can preserve their memories of life on Lake Lanier thanks to the Forsyth County Public Library (FCPL) and a Community Impact Grant from the North Georgia Community Foundation (NGCF).

Photo courtesy of North Georgia Community Foundation

Cumming Library Information Services Supervisor Joan Dudzinski accepted the grant on behalf of the library’s Forsyth Remembers oral history project in a special ceremony last month at the NGCF offices in Gainesville. The purpose of the Forsyth Remembers oral history project is to collect and archive moments of importance in history, with a special focus on recollections from local residents.

“We started small with the idea of a local oral history project. We used very basic equipment to capture the first interview recordings, but we realized that new skills and equipment would be necessary to create an archive that will stand the test of time,” says Dudzinski.

Forsyth Remembers launched last summer with “Lunar Landing Memories,” a collection of audio interviews featuring Forsyth residents and their memories of the time surrounding the Apollo 11 lunar landing in 1969.

Each of the four FCPL branches are now equipped to conduct and record interviews for the Forsyth Remembers oral history project and will begin collecting stories on the 2020 theme, “Lake Lanier Memories,” on Monday, January 6. The collected interviews will be compiled into an oral history archive on the library’s website later this year.

“We’re grateful to the North Georgia Community Foundation for their support of Forsyth Remembers and our staff is already training and practicing with the new recording equipment this grant made possible,” adds Dudzinski.

Local residents who want to share their memories of the construction of Buford Dam and the flooding of Lake Lanier or other stories of fishing, boating, and local folklore surrounding the lake now submerged under its waters should visit the Ask Us desk at any FCPL location or call 770-781-9840 to schedule an interview.