Date/Time: Thursday, April 17, 2008 at 12:05 P.M. Place: Alabama Department of Archives and History Topic: “Philip Henry Gosse: An English Naturalist’s View of Dallas County, 1838” Speaker: Gary Mullen

Philip Henry Gosse (1810-1888), a native of England, was lured to Alabama as a young man by the prospect of seeing firsthand the biologically rich natural history of the Deep South. Join us, on April 17 at noon, as Gary Mullen presents “Philip Henry Gosse: An English Naturalist’s View of Dallas County, 1838" on April 17 at noon. This ArchiTreats: Food for Thought presentation will be held at the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Gosse traveled to the Alabama Black Belt in 1838, arriving by steamboat at King’s Landing in Dallas County. During his eight-month stay he tutored the children of plantation owners in and around Pleasant Hill. He observed and beautifully illustrated the fauna and flora of the area, and eventually published a book, Letters from Alabama, describing his experiences. Dr. Mullen will provide an overview of Gosse’s earlier life and the circumstances that brought him to Alabama, with a focus on his personal accounts of the natural history of Dallas County in this early period.

Dr. Gary Mullen

Dr. Mullen is a professor of entomology in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, Auburn University. He holds M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in entomology and insect ecology from Cornell University. A member of the Auburn faculty since 1975, he teaches courses in medical and veterinary entomology, aquatic insects, and arachnids. He was instrumental in bringing the first public exhibit of Gosse’s beautiful watercolors of Alabama insects and wildflowers, to the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn.

This ArchiTreats presentation is one in a series of monthly third-Thursday free lectures presented by the Alabama Department of Archives and History. The public is invited to bring a sack lunch and enjoy a bit of Alabama history. Coffee and tea will be provided by the Friends of the Alabama Archives. For more information call (334) 353-4712 or go to www.archives.alabama.gov.