Local author, historian to speak to DAR
From Dahlonega Nugget
Published on: Feb. 11, 2009
Local author Anne Amerson will be the guest speaker at the Trahlyta Chapter meeting of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) at 11 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, downstairs at the Lumpkin County Library. Amerson will began her talk with the story of the Revolutionary War soldiers' graves that were found when the original 1840 Dahlonega Methodist Church was torn down in 1929, and the foundation was being dug for a new building.
Anne Dismukes Amerson is a native of Dahlonega and a 1956 graduate of North Georgia College, where she met her future husband, Hinton S. "Amos" Amerson, in her father's German class. They married shortly after graduation, and she spent the next 23 years as an Army wife and mother, earning a degree in Musicology at the University of Hawaii. The Amersons returned to Dahlonega in 1979 and have been here ever since. They have two adult children and two grandsons, who live in the area.
In 1989 Amerson began collecting oral history about Dahlonega from older residents of the community. Her original goal was to satisfy her own curiosity about what life was like in the earlier days of the 20th century, but the stories she was told were so interesting that she soon found herself writing a weekly column entitled, "I Remember Dahlonega" for The Dahlonega Nugget. Those stories were later published in four volumes entitled "I Remember Dahlonega." They were followed by "Dahlonega's Historic Public Square", "The Best of 'I Remember Dahlonega,'" and "Dahlonega: A Brief History."
Amerson has also written numerous articles for the North Georgia Journal, now Georgia Backroads magazine, since 1989, and writes a monthly column for 400 Edition. She is an active member of the Lumpkin County Historical Society and co-editor of the Society's newsletter, Now and Then.
Amerson's most recent work is a historical novel entitled "Dahlonega's Gold," published by the University Press of North Georgia. Although the main characters are fictitious, many of the people who appear in the book are real historical figures who played significant roles in the events that took place in this area from 1830 to 1900, including the nation's first major gold rush.
In addition to her writing, Amerson is frequently asked to speak to tour groups and various organizations about the history of the area, which she enjoys because this affords her the opportunity to meet and interact with her audience.
Over the years she has received numerous awards for her literary talent and historic preservation, including the Governor's Award in the Humanities in 2003.
The public is invited and encouraged to attend the meeting, but reservations are required as seating is limited due to limited space.
Reservations can be made through Margaret, 706-265-6285.
From www.thedahloneganugget.com/articles/2009/02/11/arts_and_entertainment/04%20anne.txt
