The document summarizes two archival collections at the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library: 1) The Caldwell High School Slides collection contains photographs from 1973-1984 that were scanned from slides. The slides depict Caldwell High School in Columbus, Mississippi which originated in 1970 during desegregation. 2) The Smith & Wright Mercantile Store Ledger from 1841-1845 documents business transactions in Plymouth, Mississippi. The town was located near Columbus and was an important cotton trading center. The ledger was indexed to create a name index. Both collections were processed which involved scanning, describing, organizing, and indexing materials to make them accessible for research. Details of the processing are provided.

1. Donna S. Ballard
Archives and Special Collections Student
Mona K. Vance
Archivist & On-Site Practicum Supervisor
Dr. Teresa S. Welsh
Associate Professor, The University of Southern MS - SLIS

5. 5

7. COLLECTION SUMMARY
 Title: Caldwell High School Slides
 Collection Number: MS 451
 Inclusive Dates: 1973-1984
 Creator(s): Unknown
The Slides were
scanned to JPEG
HISTORICAL NOTE: Photograph files.
 Caldwell High School originated during the 1970-1971
school year, in Columbus, Mississippi, as a result of
desegregation (Morgan, 1992, July 3, Columbus
Dispatch).

8.  The former Stephen D. Lee High School began in 1918
at the present Columbus-Lowndes Public Library site.
 A new Stephen D. Lee High School was built on
Military Road in 1953.

9.  The Caldwell High School (Columbus West)
mascot, the Bobcat, was painted over in 1992, and
changed to the Falcons.
 The Stephen D. Lee High School (Columbus East)
mascot, the General, [which looked like the former
controversial Ole Miss Rebel mascot] was changed to
the Falcons in 1992.
 Both high school colors became purple and gold, and
their mascot was the Falcons (Morgan, 1992, July 3
Columbus Dispatch).

10. Caldwell Stephen D. Lee

11. Caldwell H. S. Stephen D. Lee H.S.
(West Columbus H. S.) (East Columbus H. S.)
Caldwell’s “Bobcat” and Lee’s Lee’s “General” mural was taken down
“General” were painted over in 1992. and moved to the CLPL Archives.

12. “Yesterday we said it July 1, 1996
wouldn’t happen.
Caldwell
Today, it’s here. West Columbus High School
Brothers are we all—the &
black and white—together.
Stephen D. Lee
We strive for the future, our East Columbus High School
future, a better future.
Combined into one newly-
Here we are, facing each constructed building,
other, opposing each other,
working with each other. known as:
The future… Columbus High School
What does it hold?”
Grades 9-12
(1971 Excalibur, p. 4)

13.  Numbered slides and placed in archival sleeves
 Scanned slides and saved as JPEG files
 Began Excel file and described each slide/photograph
 Excel file was developed as an Index to the slides
 Printed photographs from slides
 Placed photographs into archival sleeves
 Made copies of JR ROTC photos in Caldwell yearbooks
 Sorted photographs by date stamped on slides
 Compared photographs to yearbook copies
 Asked public for help in identifying photographs
 Searched for other contacts for help with ID of photos

15.  COLLECTION SUMMARY
 Title: Smith & Wright Mercantile Store Ledger 1841-1845
 Collection Number: 2008-117
 Inclusive Dates: 1841-1845
 Creator(s): Unknown
 HISTORICAL NOTE
 The Smith & Wright Ledger was used in a mercantile store
in Plymouth, Mississippi. This former town was located at
the mouth of Tibee Creek and the Tombigbee River, a few
miles northwest of Columbus, MS.

16. • The west bank of • The town of
the Tombigbee Plymouth was
River was opened incorporated in
to settlement due 1836.
to the Indian Land
Cession. • Plymouth later
became extinct,
• Plymouth largely because of
became important unhealthy
in cotton storage conditions of the
and as a shipping low-lying land
center, since there
was a shallow (Brieger, 1980, p.
fording place • Plymouth was an Indian trading post and
317).
nearby. where John Pitchlynn lived. He was given as a
child, to the Indians when his father died,
while on his way to Natchez from South
Carolina. As a result, Pitchlynn had much
influence with the Indians.

17.  The collection consisted of 457 + pages that were
copied from the Smith & Wright Mercantile Ledger,
with inclusive dates of 1841-1845.
 Legal-sized pages were stored within 6 folders, placed
in an archival box.
 Most all of the pages were previously numbered. Those
without numbers were added in brackets.
 Each page was examined for names.
 Each name was entered into an Excel file as Last
Name, First Name, Initials, and Prefix, with the
associated page numbers.

18.  The writing was sometimes small and required the
frequent use of a magnifying glass.
 The style of the writing in the 19th century was different
than today’s.
 A helpful book for interpreting the writing was: Sperry,
Kip. Reading Early American Handwriting. Baltimore, MD:
Genealogical Pub., 1998. Print.
 Alphabets, letter forms, term definitions, and abbreviations
commonly used in early American documents were useful
in the interpretation of the writing.

19.  After entering all readable names and corresponding
page numbers into an Excel file, the names were sorted
into alphabetical order.
 The same names were combined, along with the
associated page numbers and entered into Excel.
 An important lesson learned was to save the original
Excel file separately from the one you were working on.
 When mistakes were made, the original file could be
consulted for accuracy in corrections.
 The Ledger was frequently checked against the Excel
file for accuracy in names and page numbers.

20.  Once the names and page numbers were combined, the
Excel file was printed.
 The new printing was used to write cross-references
on, and transfer to an Excel file. For example: Aiken &
Brown [see also Brown, Aiken &]
 It was important to keep separate Excel files for each major
change in processing, so that previous work could be
referred to for accuracy when mistakes were made.
 The most common mistake was Excel file cells not being
deleted across all of the columns, which would lead to
incorrect page numbers associated with names.
 Other indexes were observed for consistent ways to index
names.

21.  Aiken 3
 Aiken & Brown [see also Brown, Aiken &] 24
 Brown, Aiken & [see also Aiken & Brown] 24
 Albert & Church [see also Church, Albert &] 2
 Church, Albert & [see also Albert & Church] 2
 Albert & Kirkland [see also Kirkland, Albert &] 330
 Kirkland, Albert & [see also Albert & Kirkland] 330
____________________________________________________
When these additions were typed into the current Excel
working copy and completed, then the file could be sorted
alphabetically, re-printed, and checked for accuracy.

22.  Abbreviations and Notes relating to the Ledger were
produced as documents.
 Designations found written beside names were
produced as a separate document.
 Examples of designations in the Ledger:
ACCOUNT, AGENT, CHURCH, COMPANY,
DOCTOR, LOCATION, MILITARY TITLE,
MISCELLANEOUS, REVEREND, SCHOOL
& SECURITY
_______________________________________________________
Several names with military titles, and names in general, were
found to be related to STEAMBOATS on the Tombigbee River.

23.  Brieger, James F . "Plymouth." Hometown  Prout, W. E. A Historical Documentation of
Mississippi. 2nd ed. Mississippi, 1980. 317. Plymouth, Mississippi. Columbus, MS:
Print. Mississippi State College for Women, 1973.
 Elliott, Jack D., and Mary Ann Wells. Cotton Print.
Gin Port: A Frontier Settlement on the Upper  Rodabough, John, and Helen M. Crawford.
Tombigbee. Jackson, MS: Quail Ridge for the Steamboats on the Upper Tombigbee.
Mississippi Historical Society, 2003. Print. Hamilton, MS: Tombigbee, 1985. Print.
 Kaye, Samuel H., Rufus Ward, and Carolyn B.  Sherman, Harry L., and Plymouth Bluff
Neault. By the Flow of the Inland River: The Center and Museum. "A Very Remarkable
Settlement of Columbus, Mississippi to 1825. Bluff": Bernard Romans, 1771. Columbus, MS:
Columbus, MS: [Snapping Turtle], 1992. Print. Mississippi University for Women, 2007. Print.
 Lipscomb, W. L., and Georgia P. Young. A  Sperry, Kip. Reading Early American
History of Columbus, Mississippi, during the Handwriting. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical
19th Century. Birmingham, AL: Press of Pub., 1998. Print.
Dispatch Printing, 1909. Print.  Ward, Rufus. "Appendix 4. A Directory of the
 Neville, Bert. Directory of River Packets in the Steamboats on the Upper Tombigbee."
Mobile-Alabama-Warrior-Tombigbee Trades The Tombigbee River Steamboats: Rollodores,
1818-1932. Selma: Coffee Printing, 1962. Print. Dead Heads, and Side-wheelers. Charleston,
SC: History, 2010. 147-96. Print.

24.  Mona K. Vance, CLPL Archivist
 Bettye Brown, CLPL Local History Assistant
 Alice Shands, CLPL Director

25. dballard@eastms.edu
dswballard@gmail.com
donnaballard.blogspot.com
If you would like to see more details about the Caldwell High
School Slides and the Smith & Wright Mercantile Store
Ledger, see: donnaballard.blogspot.com. I also plan to add
details and photos about my visit to the S.D. Lee home,
located next to the Columbus-Lowndes Public Library. 5/10/12