By Lynn Bowman
I have been charged with what could be the biggest challenge in my life for accuracy and for an unparalleled duty to community. THIS task I MUST get right for everyone who has a connection to Buford and the Bona Allen Company. Here is my charge.
The US Army Corps of Engineers has assigned the Museum of Buford, through generous and local funding by Home South Communities, the task of documenting and recording oral histories detailing the story of the Bona Allen Company and its impact on the area. This is an incredible opportunity for us as a community to define our history and communicate it to the rest of the world through the oral histories and documentaries that come from the footage. We have an extremely challenging task because there are very few individuals surviving who can contribute first-hand knowledge of earlier days working and interacting with the Bona Allen Company. There may be even fewer who will agree to be filmed for posterity.
Our funding will allow us to interview up to 10 individuals. There are strict guidelines that we must follow, and for that reason we had three highly talented firms quote the project. Home South Communities chose Red Clay Interactive, a Buford firm with a passion for local history and deep experience producing quality work that earned countless awards.
The reason for this article is two-fold. The first reason is to appeal to the community to help us identify individuals who can contribute first-hand accounts of the daily and historical operations of the Bona Allen Company. My initial thoughts are that we should concentrate on the oldest people who are willing to be interviewed on camera and who have a sharp and concise memory of their past and their experiences. The second reason is to request community suggestions for possible questions that will help unlock the greatest potential for meaningful dialog. The questions should be engaging and open ended to encourage freestyle thoughts. So in order to accommodate this second request, I have enclosed our initial draft of potential questions for our reader’s review. So do you have improvements to these and/or other questions that will unlock nearly lost and forgotten memories in those we interview? Just remember that the general purpose of this project is to tell the Bona Allen Company story and its impact on the community. Feel free to email your suggestions to bufordbowman@gmail.com.
Bona Allen Company
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Did you or someone in your family work for Bona Allen Company? If so, how long were you employed and what were your daily responsibilities?
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What was it like working for Bona Allen Company?
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If you had to make one statement defining Bona Allen, what would that be?
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What is your most meaningful memory of the Bona Allen Company?
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What is your worst memory of the Bona Allen Company?
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How do you feel Bona Allen Company influenced your family’s life?
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In your opinion, how did Bona Allen Company. affect the city of Buford?
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What was it like to work at the Tannery and/or Bona Allen?
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During the 1930’s, Buford was described as the depression proof town. Have you ever heard this statement and what are your thoughts?
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What was your reaction to the tannery fire in 1981, and how did it affect you and/or the city?
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Bona Allen Company had “employee-only” rental housing and would often finance ownership for employees wishing to own their home. Did your family benefit from either of those programs?
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In your opinion, what were the working conditions like between the owners and employees at Bona Allen Company?
Interactions with the Allen Family
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Did you have any personal interactions or connections with the Bona Allen family?
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What stories have you heard about Bona Allen, Senior? (Be careful to print only verified accounts.)
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Can you recall any stories or have memories of any of the Allen family?
The Bona Allen Shoemakers Baseball Team
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What are your memories of the baseball team, the Bona Allen Shoemakers?
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Did you attend games at home and/or away?
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What memories do you have of the semi-pro baseball team, and what was its impact on the community?
