The collection consists of a portion of the material given to the University of Georgia by the Georgia branch of the W.P.A. upon its termination in 1941. Most of the material in the collection was gathered from areas withing the University of Georgia Libraries Special Collections Department, such as the Georgia Room vertical file and the Manuscripts Department. As one of the main purposes of the project was to preserve historical data relating to Georgia, the papers consist of transcribed legal documents, summaries of newspaper stories, personal interviews, and accounts of social and cultural events. The topics are extremely diverse, and represent only a sampling of subject heading which were given attention by the project. The two main sections of the collection are the city and county files. Prominent in this area are several subheadings devoted to cultural concerns. These include sections covering Atlanta theater, arts, and a well documented section covering opera performances presented in Atlanta from 1866 through 1940. The county files document the establishment of each county in Georgia and include historic events and/or points of interest. Also included are a group of interviews with ex-slaves from around the state and two folders of general folklore relating to slavery. Another section of note includes colonial legal records (wills, deeds, receipts, etc.), but the records do extend into the mid 1800s. These records include transcriptions of Georgia House Journals, Executive Council Minutes, Governor's correspondence, Military affairs, Indian treaties, Indian depredation records, etc.
