Join us on February 14, 2026, 2:15 p.m., at the Columbus Public Library Auditorium. The program, “Seeking Summerville,” with guest speaker Sid Harden, begins at 2:30 p.m.

In 1838, Robert S. Hardaway, John Fontaine, George H. Schley, and eight other prominent Columbus, Georgia, business and political leaders established an elite settlement of summer homes and academies in the hills of Alabama. Using the memoirs of Robert Archelaus Hardaway, other historical records and personal interviews, we will explore the development and decline of what author Etta Blanchard Worsley described as “a delightful community.”

Sid Harden is a retired educator with 48 years of experience. He has served as a teacher, media specialist, instructional technology specialist and administrator in the Phenix City Public Schools and the Muscogee County School District. In addition, he was privileged to work at Auburn University as an adjunct instructor in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership, and Technology for eight years. He is an officer of The Richard Henry Lee Chapter of the SAR in Auburn, Alabama. He serves as a trustee for  the Genealogical Society of East Alabama and is an active member of the Russell County Gideon Camp. In the past four years, he has written several articles that highlight historical figures and events in east central Alabama. He and his wife Janice, who is a retired P.E. teacher and part-time Silver Sneakers instructor, live on Lake Harding in Lee County, Alabama, and are active members of Concord Baptist Church in Salem, Alabama.