Dr. L.C. Holtzendorff, a Valdosta dentist, donated a collection of maps with a focus on the Southern United States to Valdosta State College. The College intended to use them in the study of Georgia Colonial History. Holtzendorff began collecting maps during World War II. He specifically searched for maps depicting the Okefenokee Swamp, but had trouble finding them. Instead his search led him to collecting maps showing the development of Georgia, that range from the 1700s to the 1970s.