The first post-COVID History Under the Stars at the Brewton-Parker College Historic Village in Mount Vernon, Georgia was a resounding success.
From left to right: Dr. Brandi Simpson-Miller, assistant professor of history at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia, Dr. Matthew Jennings professor of History at Middle Georgia State University, and Dr. Timothy Miller, BPC assistant professor of history and curator of the historic village.
MOUNT VERNON — The first post-COVID History Under the Stars at the Brewton-Parker College (BPC) Historic Village in Mount Vernon, Georgia was a resounding success. More than 125 students, faculty, and members of the community came together for hot chili, period music, poetry, and history under the twinkling lights of the heavens on Thursday, October 27, 2022. The event known as History Under the Stars was just becoming an annual tradition when the pandemic stopped all public events and closed the site. The BPC Historic Village features the Cooper-Conner House dating back to 1798 and the Thompson House from 1842.
Nearly one hundred BPC students, BPC faculty & staff, history professors from three other Georgia colleges, and one out-of-state consultant were all in attendance. The attendees were able to tour the historic homes of the village and inspect tools and household items up to two hundred years old.
The keynote speaker for the evening was Dr. Matthew Jennings of Middle Georgia State University. Jennings is a professor of history and is the author of two books, New Worlds of Violence: Cultures of Conquest in the Early American Southeast (2011) and Ocmulgee National Monument: A Brief History with Field Notes (2018). He is a specialist in Native American history and spoke about Muscogee/Creek struggles to maintain their lands during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.
Jennings was preceded by BPC alumnus Mr. Hunter Kennedy who gave a brief history of History Under the Stars and Dr. Frank Sharpe who read a seasonally appropriate poem by Edmund Spencer. Mr. Kennedy is a history teacher at Pinewood Christian Academy. Dr. Sharpe is the Director of the BPC Academic Success Center and Professor of English at BPC.
“I asked [Dr. Jennings] afterward about some book recommendations on Creek culture and mythology,” said Dr. Sharpe, “I’m about to order a couple of those right now.”
Also in attendance were Dr. Grant Lilford, Humanities Division Chair; Dr. Adam Coker, associate professor of history and president of the faculty; Shaffett, BPC librarian; Dr. Billy Puckett, professor of Christian studies and director of missions for the Daniell Baptist Association; Registrar Dr. Deokhyo Kim; Dr. Matthew Haley, assistant professor of music, Dr. Sharpe, and Dr. Timothy Miller, assistant professor of history and curator of the historic village. Dr. Alice Taylor-Colbert, a public historian and museum consultant, drove from Greenwood, South Carolina to attend the event. Finally, in the crowd, were Miss Dianne Wilcox, professor of literature at the Georgia Military College, and Dr. Brandi Simpson-Miller, assistant professor of history at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia.
“I want to thank Chartwells for providing the food tonight,” said Dr. Miller, “and our IT department along with maintenance for helping with our lights and sound. I am most appreciative of Dr. Haley and the students who played such lovely music, setting the mood for a beautiful evening.”
Brewton-Parker College is the only accredited four-year Christian college south of Macon and north of Jacksonville, FL. As a comprehensive Georgia Baptist institution, Brewton-Parker College provides liberal arts and professional programs in a learning community of shared Christian values. Through the application of biblical truth in scholarship and a co-curricular focus on character, servant leadership, and cultural engagement, the college strives to provide a transformational experience that equips the whole student for lifelong learning and service in Christ.
Visit Brewton-Parker College online at www.bpc.edu.
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