Buried in Athens-Clarke County Library, on the second floor in the Heritage Room, is a box of 35mm slides. The slides, no bigger than the palm of your hand, total around 965 photographs and reveal a different Athens than the one of today. But while some things change, other scenes have sparks of familiarity.
There are seven series of images containing snapshots of daily life from around 1970 to 1990. The slides of downtown Athens and the University of Georgia campus show the starkest changes, both physically and culturally.
The photographs were taken by Dan McClure, who worked in the photography department at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education and traveled with the Bulldogs in the 80s. For 34 years, he specialized in portrait photography at McClure Studios before retiring to operate the Centerville Zaxby’s.
McClure died last July, but he leaves behind a welcome contribution to the history of Athens.
Special thanks to the ACC Library and the Heritage Room for this collection. See more of their collections at athenslibrary.org.
Dan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, GeorgiaDan McClure slides, box 1-2, folder 1, Courtesy of the Heritage Room, Athens-Clarke County Library, Athens, Georgia
Like what you just read? Support Flagpole by making a donation today. Every dollar you give helps fund our ongoing mission to provide Athens with quality, independent journalism.
Stormy weather didn’t stop a crowd of around 30 people from celebrating the Athens Day of Jubilee, a holiday dedicated to the day enslaved people in Clarke County were...
The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement held a rally called Justice for Black Lives to protest police brutality and systemic racism on Saturday, June 6. Below, Whitley Carpenter presents a recap...