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Jane Anderson display at Arrendale Library, Piedmont College(1/16/04) Jane Anderson, one of northeast Georgia’s most infamous personalities, is the subject of a historical display at the Piedmont College Arrendale Library in Demorest.Known as “The Georgia Peach” and derisively as “Lady Haw-Haw,” Anderson was a world-renowned newspaper correspondent during World War I and the Spanish Civil War but worked as a propagandist for the Germans during World War II. Born Foster Anderson in Atlanta, she was a member of the prominent Luckie family, for whom Luckie Street is named. She spent her adolescence in the territory of Arizona and later lived with her grandparents in Demorest, where she attended--and was expelled from--Piedmont Academy in 1904. Writing as Jane Anderson, she first made a name for herself as one of the few female correspondents during World War I, sending gripping, front-line accounts of the war in Europe to British and American newspapers. Anderson was married to American composer Deems Taylor for a time, and was reported to be the mistress of authors Joseph Conrad and H.G. Wells during her late twenties. She married the Marques de Cienfuegos of Spain, and during the Spanish Civil war was captured and apparently tortured by the Communists. It was her treatment at the hands of the Communists that many believe led her to work for the Nazi party as a radio announcer broadcasting pro-German propaganda to American and British troops following the outbreak of World War II. The soldiers dubbed her “Lady Haw-Haw” in reference to another propagandist, William Joyce, nicknamed “Lord Haw-Haw” by the British press. After the war, Anderson mysteriously disappeared and was never heard from again. She is believed to have returned to Spain, but it is not known when or where she died. Included in the small display are works by Anderson as well as numerous newspaper accounts of her life and activities during World War II. Pictures of her, and her residence in Demorest are on display, along with White County resident John Edwards’ book, “Berlin Calling: American Broadcasters in Service to the Third Reich.” The semi-permanent display is located in the library’s lobby and is available for viewing during regular operating hours: Monday-Thursday, 7:45 a.m.-11 p.m., Friday, 7:45 a.m.-4 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sunday, 2-10 p.m. Contact Jennie Inglis, On-Campus Library User Services Coordinator at (706) 776-0111 or refdept@piedmont.edu for additional information. |
