For Immediate Release
Date: July 14, 2017

The City of Savannah Research Library and Municipal Archives invites members of the public to register for a free history lecture entitled “The German Hun in the Georgia Sun: Enemy Aliens in WWI Georgia” which will take place on Friday, July 28 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in the 2nd floor media room of City Hall. Space is limited and registration is required. To register for the lecture, contact Luciana Spracher at (912) 651-6411 or Lspracher@savannahga.gov.

About the Lecture
The United States declared war on Imperial Germany on April 6, 1917. With the beginning of hostilities, American fears of sabotage escalated. What resulted was the internment of thousands of German enemy aliens, German nationals considered a threat to Americans and the war effort. Many enemy aliens found themselves guests behind the barbed wire at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia. For years, both German elites and average men lived at the North Georgia compound. In spite of their imprisonment, these men created a prison society and sought opportunities for artistic growth and intellectual development. Join us to learn more about this often overlooked part of Georgia’s history.

About the Speaker
Leisa Vaughn completed her bachelor’s degree in history from Middle Georgia State University and completed a master’s in history with a graduate certificate in public history at Georgia Southern University. While at Georgia Southern, Leisa completed an internship with the Georgia Historical Society and developed in-school programming for the annual Georgia History Festival. Her thesis, “The German Hun in the Georgia Sun: German Prisoners of War in Georgia” offered a comparative analysis of the prisoner of war programs of World War I and World War II in the state.