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Lollie Belle Wylie
Wylie in 1893
Born	Laura Isabelle Moore (1858-10-21)October 21, 1858 Bayou Coque d’Inde, Alabama, U.S.
Died	February 16, 1923(1923-02-16) (aged 64) Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
Nationality	American
Other names	Lollie Belle Moore Wylie, Mrs. Hart Wylie, Laura Isabelle Wylie
Occupation(s)	journalist, writer, musician
Known for	first paid woman journalist in Georgia
Notable work	Wrote the music to "Georgia", the official state song of Georgia from 1922–1979
Spouse	Hart Wylie (m. June 4, 1877)

Lollie Belle Wylie (October 21, 1858 – February 16, 1923) was an American poet and composer from Atlanta, Georgia. She was the first paid woman journalist in Georgia and composed the music for the song, which was the official state anthem from 1922 to 1979. She was one of the founders of the Georgia Women's Press Club and the Atlanta Writers Club. In addition to supporting forest preservation, Wylie was the historian for the "Uncle Remus" Memorial Association. In 2013, she was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement.

Early life

Laura Isabelle Moore was born on October 21, 1858, in Bayou Coque d’Inde, Alabama to Augusta (née Ellis) and Thomas Polk Moore. Her father was a physician and died in 1859. Six years later, in 1865, the family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. On June 4, 1877, Moore married Hart Wylie (1855-1887) and subsequently, the couple had two daughters, Augusta Louisa and Hart.

Career

Upon the death of her husband in 1887, Wylie began to make her living as a writer. Her first published book of poems, Legend of the Cherokee Rose: and other poems was published in 1887 and soon thereafter, she began working at The Atlanta Constitution, as the first woman paid to work as a journalist in Georgia. She managed the women's department of the paper. Between 1890 and 1892, she published an independent paper called Society. In 1891, she formed the Georgia Women's Press Club, serving as its vice president, along with charter members, Gertrude Bealer, Ella Goode Byington (president), Ivy McAfee, Essie McMillan, Maude Andrews Ohl, Mrs. A. P. Penn, Mary Pfohl, Minnie Quinn (secretary/treasurer), Mrs. W. S. Williams, Rosa Woodbury, and her daughter, Gussie Wylie.

Wylie's works appeared in the Pittsburgh Press and the Atlanta Messenger and were featured at the Cotton States and International Exposition during Lollie Belle Wylie Day. The program of the Women's Building on that day was made up entirely of her songs, poems and essays. She was appointed to head the women's department of the 1908 State Fair. Wylie co-founded the Atlanta Writers Club in 1909 and in 1918, she was elected to the presidency of the organization During her term as president, she came up with the idea of planting trees in an "Author's Grove" at Piedmont Park.

Wylie composed songs in addition to publishing poems. She wrote "Dream Bell", "Where Fadeless Roses Blow", "Thou Art My Prayer", "Witch Hart" and other songs. She also composed the music to "Georgia" which was the state's official state song between 1922 and 1979. In 1914, a play she wrote, "The Golden Goose" won an award as best play written by an author in Atlanta and was performed at the Lyric Theater. Her book, The Arcades first published in 1916, was reprinted in a second edition in 1921. Wylie served as a delegate to the Good Roads Convention and the American Forestry Association convention and was a supporter of forest preservation. She also served as the historian of the Joel Chandler Harris "Uncle Remus" Memorial Association.

Wylie died following a brief illness on February 16, 1923, in Atlanta and was buried the following day at Oakland Cemetery. Posthumously, in 1926 a granite marker was placed in her honor at the "Author's Grove" in Piedmont Park and in 2013, she was inducted into the Georgia Women of Achievement.

Selected works

• Wylie, Lollie Belle (1887). Legend of the Cherokee Rose: and other poems. Atlanta, Georgia: J.P. Harrison & Company. OCLC 1491479.
• Wylie, Lollie Belle (1896). The secret of Matanzas Bay. Atlanta, Georgia. OCLC 8390534.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Wylie, Lollie Belle (1916). The arcades. Atlanta, Georgia: A.B. Caldwell. OCLC 1629606.

References

Citations

1. ^ Crouch 1950, p. 8.
2. ^ Hargrett Manuscripts 2016.
3. Alabama Authors 2016.
4. The Atlanta Constitution 1887, p. 11.
5. ^ Dixon Evening Telegraph 1896, p. 7.
6. Crouch 1950, pp. 8–9.
7. The Atlanta Constitution 1891, p. 5.
8. The Atlanta Constitution 1895, p. 11.
9. ^ Crouch 1950, p. 9.
10. The Atlanta Constitution 1908, p. 4.
11. The Atlanta Constitution 1918, p. 11.
12. ^ The Atlanta Constitution & 2/1923, p. 12.
13. Smith 2015.
14. The Atlanta Constitution 1914, p. 6.
15. The Atlanta Constitution 1921, p. 8.
16. The Atlanta Constitution 1922, p. 7.
17. The Atlanta Constitution & 5/1923, p. 20.
18. The Atlanta Constitution & 17 February 1923, p. 20.
19. Georgia Women's Hall of Fame 2013.

Sources

• Crouch, Kenneth E. (March 1950). "The State Song of Georgia". The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 34 (1). Savannah, Georgia: Georgia Historical Society: 8–9. ISSN 0016-8297. JSTOR 40577207.
• Smith, Kelundra (April 28, 2015). "Preview: Oakland Cemetery will come to life Saturday with sound art of "Cryptophonic Tour"". Atlanta, Georgia: Arts Atl. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
• "The Arcades—Latest Book of Mrs. Lollie Belle Wylie". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 17 May 1921. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "City Federation Meeting Featured by State Song". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 3 February 1923. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Dedicate Tree to "Uncle Remus" this Afternoon". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 26 May 1923. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Lollie Belle Wylie family papers". Hargrett Manuscripts Finding Aids. Athens, Georgia: University of Georgia Libraries. 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
• "Lollie Belle Wylie's Day". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 6 December 1895. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Mrs. Lollie Belle Wylie Heads the Writers' Club". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 10 February 1918. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Mrs. Lollie Belle Wylie Wins Prize for Best Play by Atlantan". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 5 March 1914. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Mrs. Wylie Named Delegate to Good Roads Convention". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 22 January 1922. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Mrs. Wylie's Appointment". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 5 April 1908. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "A Sad Death". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 28 August 1887. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Woman's World". Dixon, Illinois: Dixon Evening Telegraph. 21 September 1896. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Women Who Write". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 6 May 1891. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Wylie". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia. 17 February 1923. Retrieved 10 April 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
• "Wylie, Laura Isabelle, 1858–1923". Alabama Authors. Tuscaloosa, Alabama: The University of Alabama University Libraries. 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
• "Wylie, Lollie Belle Moore". Georgia Women. Macon, Georgia: Georgia Women of Achievement. 2013. Archived from the original on 22 April 2016. Retrieved 10 April 2016.

• 1858 births
• 1923 deaths
• 19th-century American women journalists
• 19th-century American journalists
• 19th-century American writers
• 20th-century American women writers
• 20th-century American writers
• People from Mobile County, Alabama
• American composers
• Burials at Oakland Cemetery (Atlanta)