 Ashantilly Press papers
Collection DescriptionHistorical NoteWilliam Greaner Haynes, Jr. (1908-2001), artist, printer and environmentalist, was the son of William Greaner Haynes, Sr. (1869-1967) and Laura Grant Haynes (1871-1951). Born in Columbia (SC), his family moved to Darien (GA) in 1918 and purchased Ashantilly, the tabby house built by Thomas Spalding circa 1820 and named for his ancestral holdings in Scotland. After serving in the U.S. Army 1941-1945, including 2 years with an anti-aircraft battalion in New Guinea, Bill moved to New York where his sister Anne Lee was a commercial artist. He took courses in advertising and typography at Cooper Union. His other sister Frances was a librarian in Tallahassee (FL) at Florida State University. While in New York he met Natalie Erdman, daughter of Dr. Seward and Constance Adams Erdman, and they were married in 1952. Bill and Natalie moved to Georgia in 1954 and Bill began the Ashantilly Press with a map of Fort King George. His first book, Anchored Yesterdays, followed in 1956. Over the next 35 years, he would produce 30 books and many smaller printing jobs, such as cards and posters. After printing his last work in 1991, Bill decided to leave Ashantilly to the public as Ashantilly Center, a non-profit corporation to preserve the house and serve as an educational and cultural center. Bill had an active interest in environmental issues dealing with Darien, McIntosh County and the Altamaha River and helped found the Lower Altamaha Historical Society. Scope and ContentCorrespondence forms the largest portion of the collection: letters among Haynes family members, letters between the Haynes family and their friends, and business letters of the Haynes family. The business correspondence is mainly with William G. Haynes, Jr. concerning his Ashantilly Press and his environmental interests. Most of the publications by Ashantilly Press are represented in the collection either by unbound copies, manuscript proofs, printing expenses, or illustrations. Subjects include Ida Hilton Public Library in Darien where Frances and Natalie worked, Pape School in Savannah where Anne Lee worked as an art teacher, Florida State University where Frances worked as a librarian, First Presbyterian Church where the family attended and Bill printed the bulletins, Hofwyl-Broadfield plantation where the Dent family (friends of the Haynes') lived, other private presses, historic sites and houses in the Darien area, and the Altamaha River and its preservation. Administrative InformationPreferred CitationAshantilly Press Papers, ms3395, Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library, The University of Georgia Libraries. Related Materials and SubjectsSubject Terms | ||||||||||||||||||||