KENNESAW, Ga. | Mar 20, 2025

This June, Kennesaw State University alumni will see their classwork bound, covered, and sold, as part of the most comprehensive guide to date on all the historic sites owned and operated by the state of Georgia, which covers 1,500 years of history.

Edited and co-authored by Kennesaw State history professor Jennifer Dickey, “There’s Lots to See in Georgia” resulted from a research seminar Dickey led in 2022 where each student adopted one of the 16 state historic sites to discover. Individual research entailed in-person site visits, interviews with park superintendents, and a trip to the Georgia Archives in Morrow, leading to the creation of what would become a chapter in the book.

While Dickey often works alongside students for public history projects, this was the first instance that a book had been the goal.

At more than 300 pages, the historic guide was born from a pilgrimage to complete a quest she began with her late mother in 2015 to see all the state historic sites in Georgia. “There’s Lots to See in Georgia,” named after a 1949 Atlanta Constitution advertisement for historic sites in Georgia, is dedicated to Dickey’s mother.

Dickey wrote several of the book chapters herself, from one on the Dahlonega Gold Museum to a section on one of the more remote state historic sites, the prehistoric Kolomoki Mounds near the city of Blakely by the Alabama border. The book, published by the University of Georgia Press, is categorized by region: the North Georgia Mountains, the Piedmont, the Coastal Plains, and the coast.

“This project was a natural extension of something that I just do anyway, a hobby and profession,” said Dickey, who teaches in the Radow College of Humanities and Social Sciences. “But the coolest thing about it was that I was able to fold in the student piece of it, which was really super fun, and I think it was a great opportunity for the students as well.”

Traveling back to family in South Carolina, KSU alumnus James Mitchum had often passed the 1,177-acre A.H. Stephens Park in Crawfordville, the subject of his contribution to the book. The park features the former home of Stephens, vice president of the Confederacy and governor of Georgia, as well as a Civil War museum.

Having earned his bachelor’s degree in history from KSU in 2022, Mitchum is now pursuing a master’s degree in heritage preservation at Georgia State University.

“One of the most thought-provoking sayings I heard in Dr. Dickey’s class was that the South, throughout the 20th century, was known to have lost a war but won the history,” said Mitchum, an adage he said still reflects the interpretations found at this otherwise well-preserved site.

Like other chapters in the book, Mitchum first details the site’s history, what makes it notable and how it became integrated into the state system, then teases what visitors can expect to see, such as exhibits and whether tours are offered.

“If you go into the lobby of the History Department, you can see books published by faculty, which is very impressive,” Mitchum said. “We, as students, get to make our mark in a similar way.”

Dickey has a track record of engaging students in real-world experiences as part of the Public History program she coordinates, a minor offered at KSU. Another class with Dickey allowed Mitchum and fellow students to successfully nominate the Lemon Street School, a building constructed in 1951 to serve as an equalization school for Black students, to the National Register of Historic Places.

“Talk about another cool thing to put on your resume,” Mitchum said.

KSU alumna Kathryn Graham, who earned a bachelor’s degree in history in 2023 and now works at the Bartow History Museum in Cartersville, always had an interest in the Etowah Indian Mounds, the subject of her chapter in “There’s Lots to See in Georgia.” Sites were on a first-come, first-served basis, so she got to class 20 minutes early to have her pick.

The issue about history, Graham said, is there are always questions that go unanswered.

“I really felt that with the mounds, and then also, that sense of injustice,” Graham said. “Lewis Tumlin won the land in a land lottery, which led to the Trail of Tears. So, you kind of have to figure out how to talk about that. It’s a push and pull.”

She recalled telling her coworkers at the museum about the book release, standing up in her cubicle and making the announcement. Many pre-ordered it. She did too, the more expensive hardcover.

“You don't publish for the first time every day,” Graham said. “Plus, Dr. Dickey is an expert in the public history realm, so I’m honored to have my name attached to hers in every way, shape and form.”

– Story by Amber Perry

Photos by Matt Yung

A leader in innovative teaching and learning, Kennesaw State University offers undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degrees to its more than 47,000 students. Kennesaw State is a member of the University System of Georgia with 11 academic colleges. The university’s vibrant campus culture, diverse population, strong global ties, and entrepreneurial spirit draw students from throughout the country and the world. Kennesaw State is a Carnegie-designated doctoral research institution (R2), placing it among an elite group of only 8 percent of U.S. colleges and universities with an R1 or R2 status. For more information, visit kennesaw.edu.