The Columbus-Lowndes Public Library’s Local History Department (LHD) has processed and created an online exhibit for the Mary A. McClure Hutchinson Martin collection covering 1945-1954.
The collection consists of correspondence, receipts and some photographs concerning Mary’s farm that she inherited from her husband, William Nelson Hutchinson.
In 1949, Mary contacted the newly created Displaced Persons Commission in order to sponsor European couples and families who had been left displaced following World War II.
She corresponded with at least 10 families and individuals between 1949 and 1951. They lived in countries such as Germany, Austria and Italy and included family names such as Kosinska, Ecker, Zadurowicz and Windolph. Those families that came to live on Mary’s farm in Lowndes County planted crops, cared for livestock and generally managed the farm.
The Displaced Persons Commission reached their quota of accepting 200,000 persons by 1952 and was then eliminated.
Mary also worked as the supervising principal of the Demonstration School at Mississippi State College for Women (now Mississippi University for Women) from 1931 to 1954. She died on March 16, 1972, and is buried in Friendship Cemetery.
The Mary A. McClure Hutchinson Martin collection was processed and organized by LHD intern Katy Osborne, a history graduate from Mississippi University for Women.
In addition to processing the collection, Osborne created an online exhibit in order to highlight this little-known part of Lowndes County history. The online exhibit also allows for portions of this collection to be shared with a worldwide audience.
Katy included images from the collection such as documents from the Displaced Persons Commission as well as photographs of the displaced persons who wrote to Hutchinson seeking work on her farm.
To view the Mary McClure Hutchinson Martin online exhibit visit https://katymosborne.wixsite.com/maryhutchinson.
For more information, contact Mona Vance-Ali at 662-329-5304.
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