HARRIS, PIERCE.
Papers, 1908-1969.
MANUSCRIPT NUMBER 187
ACCESS: Unrestricted
REPRODUCTION: Due to preservation concerns, scrapbooks may not be photocopied.
COPYRIGHT: Information on copyright (literary rights) available from repository.
CITATION: [identification of item(s)] Pierce Harris Papers, MSS
187, Archives and Manuscripts Dept., Pitts Theology Library, Emory
University.
Pierce Harris was born September 21, 1895 in Georgia. He attended both Reinhardt College and Emory University and served as a Methodist minister at congregations throughout North Georgia and in Jacksonville, Florida. He is perhaps best remembered in his capacity as minister of First Methodist Church in Atlanta (now known as Atlanta First United Methodist Church). He served there from 1940 to 1964, when he retired from the ministry.
Harris was called to First Methodist Church by Bishop Arthur Moore who wanted him to revitalize the church. Harris's folksy preaching style, together with the energetic music of associate pastor Harry "Army" Armstrong, helped attract new members; and by the time of Harris's retirement, the church's membership had climbed to an all-time high of 2,400.
After his retirement, Harris traveled throughout the nation speaking to churches, conferences, and college groups. Other accomplishments include his being a columnist for the Atlanta Journal for 23 years and his writing the book Spiritual Revolution (published in 1952).
Harris died of an apparent heart attack on January 14, 1971 while en route to Macon, Georgia, where he was to have addressed the Macon District Conference of the United Methodist Church.
This collection of Pierce Harris's papers is comprised mainly of 45 typed sermons (1956-1957) delivered at First Methodist Church in Atlanta, First Methodist Church Bulletins, and several scrapbooks. The scrapbooks primarily contain clippings of Harris's column in the Atlanta Journal. The scrapbooks have been chronologically arranged, but there is some overlap among the volumes. The earliest scrapbooks contain items dating back to the time of World War II and contain material relevant to that episode in history.
Also in the collection are several of Harris's writings, including typescript rough drafts of his unpublished book With Blind Disregard, which was to be an expansion of a series of columns he wrote for the Atlanta Journal in February and March of 1951, the typescript rough drafts of which are also in the collection. The published columns are contained in Scrapbook 8.
In addition, the collection contains correspondence, telegrams, church
bulletins, and photographs. Of note among the correspondence is a
personal letter written by J. Edgar Hoover to Harris (1964 Mar. 4).
The collection also includes items that were removed from a scrapbook that
appears to have been compiled by Madge Harris Henderson, Pierce Harris's
daughter.
CONTAINER LISTING
Box Folder Description Date A. Scrapbooks 1 1-4 Scrapbook 1 1942 Feb. 18-1945 Jan. 23 1 5-8 Scrapbook 2 1944 Oct. 8-1946 Jan. 31 2 1-4 Scrapbook 3 1941 Dec. 8-1947 Mar. 2 (bulk 1946-1947) 22 Scrapbook 4 1947 Mar. 2-Dec. 31 22 Scrapbook 5 1948 Jan. 1-Sept. 28 23 Scrapbook 6 1948 Mar. 23-1949 Dec. 2 5-6 Scrapbook 7 1944 Feb. 9-1950 Oct. 31 (bulk 1949-1950) 3 1-2 Scrapbook 7 1944 Feb. 9-1950 Oct. 31 (bulk 1949-1950) 3 3-5 Scrapbook 8 1950 Nov. 2-1951 May 1 3 6 Scrapbook 9 1951 May 2-Aug. 21 4 1 Scrapbook 9 1951 May 2-Aug. 21 24 Scrapbook 10 1952 Jun. 22-1958 Sept. 4 (bulk 1952) 4 2-4 Scrapbook 11 1952 Dec. 1-1953 Apr. 29 4 5-6 Scrapbook 12 1953 Apr. 30-Oct. 25 5 1 Scrapbook 12 1953 Apr. 30-Oct. 25 5 2-4 Scrapbook 13 1947 Mar. 16-1967 Dec. 15 (bulk 1953-1954) 5 5-6 Scrapbook 14 1951 Nov. 14-1964 Dec. 21 (bulk 1954) 6 1 Scrapbook 14 1951 Nov. 14-1964 Dec. 21 (bulk 1954) 6 2-4 Scrapbook 15 1955 Jan. 1-Oct. 3 6 5-6 Scrapbook 16 1955 Sept. 19-1956 Apr. 29 7 1 Scrapbook 16 1955 Sept. 19-1956 Apr. 29 24 Scrapbook 17 1955 Sept. 30-1956 Dec. 17 7 2-3 Scrapbook 18 1956 Apr. 30-Nov. 16 7 4-6 Scrapbook 19 1956 Nov. 15-1963 Oct. 3 (bulk 1956-1957) 25 Scrapbook 20 1957 May 7-22 8 1-3 Scrapbook 21 1957 Mar.-1958 Feb. 17 8 4-6 Scrapbook 22 1958 Feb.-1959 Jul. 29 8 7 Scrapbook 23 1959 Apr. 24-1961 Sept. 13 9 1-4 Scrapbook 23 1959 Apr. 24-1961 Sept. 13 9 5-8 Scrapbook 24 1953 May 16, 1961 Sept. 11-1963 May 1 10 1-5 Scrapbook 25 1952, 1954, 1963 May 3-1965 May 7 26 Scrapbook 26 1964 Jan. 20-1971 Jan. 16 10 6 Items removed from Scrapbook 1 1942-1944 10 7 Items removed from Scrapbook 2 1945 11 1 Items removed from Scrapbook 2 1945-1946 11 2 Items removed from Scrapbook 3 1941-1945 11 3 Items removed from Scrapbook 3 1946 11 4 Items removed from Scrapbook 3 1946-1947 11 5 Items removed from Scrapbook 4 1947 11 6 Items removed from Scrapbook 5 1948 11 7 Items removed from Scrapbook 6 1948-1949 11 8 Items removed from Scrapbook 6 1948-1949 12 1 Items removed from Scrapbook 7 1944-1950 12 2 Items removed from Scrapbook 7 1950 12 3 Items removed from Scrapbook 8 1950-1951 12 4 Items removed from Scrapbook 9 1951 12 5 Items removed from Scrapbook 10 1952-1958 12 6 Items removed from Scrapbook 11 1952-1953 12 7 Items removed from Scrapbook 11 1953 12 8 Items removed from Scrapbook 12 1953 12 9 Items removed from Scrapbook 13 1953-1954 12 10 Items removed from Scrapbook 14 1951-1964 13 1 Items removed from Scrapbook 15 1955 13 2 Items removed from Scrapbook 17 1956 13 3 Items removed from Scrapbook 18 1956 13 4 Items removed from Scrapbook 19 1956-1963 13 5 Items removed from Scrapbook 21 1957 13 6 Items removed from Scrapbook 22 1958-1959 13 7 [Items removed from Scrapbook 22?] 1958-1959 13 8 Items removed from Scrapbook 23 1959-1961 13 9 [Items removed from Scrapbook 23?] 1959 13 10 [Items removed from Scrapbook 23?] 1959, n.d. 13 11 Item removed from Scrapbook 24 1953 13 12 Items removed from Scrapbook 25 1952, 1954, 1965 13 13 Items removed from Scrapbook 26 1964-1971 14 1 Items removed from Madge Harris's [?] scrapbook 1942-1963 14 2 Photographs removed from Madge Harris's [?] scrapbook 1959, n.d. 14 3 Loose clippings 1941, [195-?] 14 4 Loose clippings 1956-1957, n.d. B. Pierce Harris's Writings 1. Sermons 14 5-9 Sermons 1944-1956 15 1-5 Sermons 1956-1965 15 6-7 Sermons n.d. 15 8 Sermon notes, nos. 2-20 1941 15 9 Sermon notes, nos. 21-35 [1941?] 15 10 Sermon notes, nos. 36-52 1938, 1941 2. With Blind Disregard 16 1-6 With Blind Disregard [typescript of book; two copies] n.d. 16 7 With Blind Disregard [columns] n.d. 17 1-2 With Blind Disregard [columns] n.d. 3. Miscellaneous Writings 17 3 "All Golfers Are Goofy" n.d. 17 4 Articles for "The First Methodist Messenger" 1963-1964 17 5 Dedication of the Centennial Building 1953 17 6 Eulogy for Rev. John F. Yarborough 1952 17 7 Graduation address at Massey Business College n.d. 17 8 Notes n.d. 17 9 Radio Breakfast, Station WNPT [transcript] 1953 17 10 Writings n.d. 17 11 Writings 1965, n.d. C. Correspondence 18 Correspondence 1947-1965 19 1-2 Correspondence 1965-1966, n.d. D. Other 19 3-8 First Methodist Church Bulletins 1908-1925 (bulk 1923-1925) 20 1-2 First Methodist Church Bulletins 1925-1936 (bulk 1925) 20 3 "The First Methodist Messenger" 1937-1961 (bulk 1937-1938) 20 4 Various church bulletins 1926-1965 20 5 "A Prayer for Professional Drivers" n.d. 20 6 Alcoholic Rehabilitation Program 1964 20 7 Biographical sketch of Rev. Harry P. Armstrong n.d. 20 8 Biographical sketch of Pierce Harris [incomplete] n.d. 20 9 Board of Stewards Meeting 1958-1965 20 10 Collected newspapers and newsletters 1941-1965 20 11 Collected pamphlets 1923, 1960, n.d. 20 12 Collected poems n.d. 20 13 First Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA 1936-1953 21 1 First Methodist Church, Atlanta, GA 1954-1965, n.d. 26 1 "In Memoriam: Mrs. Pierce Harris" 1957 21 2 Mary Harris Memorial Fund 1957 21 3 Memorabilia 1963, n.d. 21 4 Miscellaneous 1963, n.d. 21 5 National Association of Handicaps, Inc. 1953 21 6 "Pastoral Assignments, North Georgia Conference, The Methodist Church" 1961-1962 26 2 Publicity flyer n.d. 21 7 Publicity flyers 1962, n.d. 21 8 Records of visitors received while in hospital [1957]
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