The Sacred Harp Headquarters and Museum. The museum is located in a building on a country road (Oak Grove Road) about 2 miles south of Carrollton, Georgia. The building, owned by the Sacred Harp Publishing Company contains offices, a meeting room for Sacred Harp Publishing Company board meetings, and rooms housing a fine and growing museum collection. This includes shape-note tunebooks ranging in age from antique to new, audio and video recordings of hundreds of singings, and memorabilia about Sacred Harp singings and singers, including minutes books for many years and scrapbooks of photographs and newspaper articles. A photo and description is found on the Sacred Harp Publishing Company's Web page. It is open by appointment only. To inquire about visiting it, write to the Sacred Harp Publishing Co. at P.O. Box 637, Chelsea, AL 35043, or Mr. Charles Woods, chairman of the board of the Sacred Harp Publishing Co.
The Joe Beasley Memorial Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization created to support the growth and appreciation of Sacred Harp music and shape-note singing and to raise money to assist those involved in such music. Mr. Joe Beasley, a native of Winfield, AL, grew up in the Sacred Harp singing tradition but lived most of his life in New York City. He fostered Sacred Harp singing in the Northeast but died unexpectedly in 1995. According to the Foundation's Web site, its activities include a program to provide assistance for struggling or new Sacred Harp/Shape-Note singing groups and performances (singings) and another program to provide scholarships to assist with the financial needs of deserving students who are involved in Sacred Harp music and Shape-Note Music. Recently the foundation has embarked upon a major new project, the funding and construction of the Sacred Harp/Shape Note Music and Cultural Center in Bessemer, AL (near Birmingham). Its main feature will be a relatively large hall designed for singing. For more information, check the Web site and the contact Joe Beasley Memorial Foundation, 431 Woodland Rd., Bessemer, AL 35020, e-mail contact@joebeasleymemorialfoundation.org.
The Sacred Harp Musical Heritage Association (SHMHA) is a 501(c)(3) non- profit organization formed for educational, cultural, and historical purposes, and specifically for the preservation and study of the tradition of Sacred Harp singing including the musical literature, history, and traditional singing practices, and the encouragement of singing schools, singings, and singing conventions. The SHMA is responsible for the publication, printing, and distribution of the Directory and Minutes of Sacred Harp Singings (see chapters 2 and 3). Its recent and current projects include recordings of Sacred Harp conventions and Camp Fasola. SHMHA accepts tax-deductible contributions to support these and other future projects to promote Sacred Harp singing. For more information, contact Jeff Sheppard, president, 617 Ayers Drive, Anniston, AL 36207.
The Sacred Harp Publishing Company has announced a project to offer scholarships to college students. General information is posted on the Company's Web page.