In 1989, then President Walter Murphy received the commencement dress of Myrtie George McFarlin, the daughter of George A. McFarlin and Sarah Eugenia Cotton McFarlin. The dress was preserved by Mrs. JoAnne Campbell, a relative on her father's side and remained at the Troup County Archives until it was returned to us in 2016. After a generous donation by a LaGrange College alumnus, we decided to send it to a textile conservator. We worked with Howard Sutcliffe, Principal Conservator at River Region Costume and Textile Conservation in Montgomery, Alabama and he did a fabulous job. Watch his video the day he brought it to us. Thank you, Howard!
Myrtie McFarlin was born in 1861 near Opelika, Alabama. Her father was killed in action during the Civil War in 1864 while Myrtie was a small child. Her mother eventually remarried.William Daniel Russell and together they had five children. Myrtie graduated from LaGrange Female College, now LaGrange College with a Census records state that Mr. Russell was a farm manager who died in 1931. Myrtie died in May 13, 1951 at the age of 89 in Troup County, Georgia, possibly in Hogansville.
Detail of handmade button known as a Dorset button. You can find out more about these buttons on Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorset_button
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