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Transylvania Club honored by Georgia Assembly

By: Representative Lord of the 103rd

A RESOLUTION

To recognize and commend the Transylvania Club of Sandersville, Georgia; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the Transylvania Club of Sandersville, Georgia, was organized on October 23, 1908, at which time the 18 charter members of the club chose as their motto: "Service, not for ourselves, but for others"; and

WHEREAS, at the January 1909 meeting of the club, Mary Tarbutton, the first president of the club, suggested that the club adopt as its project the establishment of a public library and the membership wholeheartedly agreed; and

WHEREAS, the club, through silver teas, musicals, home talent plays, and ice cream festivals, raised the funds for the library which opened in the majestic Greek-temple styled Masonic Building on the town square in Sandersville on May 12, 1909, with Mary Bangs Tarbutton as its first librarian; and

WHEREAS, through the hard work of the club and the benevolence of the friends of the library, the library expanded to a collection of over 7,000 volumes by 1921; and

WHEREAS, on February 13, 1921, tragedy struck the library in the form of a fire which engulfed and destroyed the Masonic Building and the library; and

WHEREAS, the club was not deterred by the loss and resolved to begin anew and the library reopened the following Tuesday in the home of Mary Tarbutton with 15 volumes; and

WHEREAS, club members, in a called meeting by President Louise Irwin, agreed to contribute one dollar each toward the purchase of new books and pledged to rebuild the library; and
WHEREAS, the club, through public solicitation, flea markets, and bake sales, raised sufficient funds by June 1925 to purchase a building on the city square to house the Sandersville Public Library where the library stayed until it merged with the Washington County Library to form the Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library in January 1998; and

WHEREAS, in December 1932, the club, at the suggestion of Louise Irwin, adopted the project of creating a series of historical plates to commemorate the bicentennial of Georgia and the 25th anniversary of the founding of the club with the first delivery of the Georgia Historical Plates by Wedgwood in September 1935; and

WHEREAS, in February 1974, Governor Jimmy Carter signed the resolution of the General Assembly designating the plates as the official historical plates of the State of Georgia; and

WHEREAS, the sale of these plates has been a major funding source for the Sandersville Public Library with thousands of the plates being sold; and

WHEREAS, since the Sandersville Public Library merged with the Washington County Library in 1998 to form the Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library, the club has continued to generously support public library services in Sandersville and Washington County with donations in excess of $300,000.00 to the Rosa M. Tarbutton Memorial Library; and

WHEREAS, such support of the public library is commendable and worthy of recognition by this body.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body recognize and commend the Transylvania Club of Sandersville, Georgia, for its support of the public library and its civic efforts through the years for the betterment of the community and the state.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to transmit an appropriate copy of this resolution to the Transylvania Club of Sandersville, Georgia.