Georgia Historical Society

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The Georgia Historical Society, headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, is the oldest cultural institution in the state and one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. It is the first and only statewide historical society in Georgia. For over 168 years, GHS has collected, preserved, and shared Georgia history through a variety of educational outreach programs, publications, and research services.

1 History
2 Georgia Historical Marker Program
3 Affiliate Chapter Program
4 Publications
5 References
6 External Links

[edit] History

The organization was chartered by the Georgia General Assembly in 1839, with headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. Founders include John Macpherson Berrien, Richard D. Arnold, Eugenius A. Nisbet, Thomas Butler King, James Hamilton Couper and James Moore Wayne.

[edit] Georgia Historical Marker Program

The Georgia Historical Society took over management of the state's Historical Marker Program in 1999 after Georgia Historical Commission discontinued in 1973. Since that time nearly 130 new historical markers have been erected in 57 counties throughout the state. Of these markers, forty-four percent represent African-American, Female, and Native-American subjects. Markers are selected by an independent Marker Review Committee which reviews applications for historical markers twice annually.

[edit] Affiliate Chapter Program

The Georgia Historical Society's Affiliate Chapter Program is a statewide network designed to help local historical organizations, through workshops on the care of historical records and artifacts, consultation visits by Society staff, technical assistance, and guidance. The program was started in 1996 as part of the "Initiative 2000," which sought to redirect the Society toward broader statewide service. Affiliate membership is open to all historical and genealogical societies, commissions, museums, archives, and patriotic organizations in Georgia. The program currently includes over 165 member organizations.

[edit] Publications

The Georgia Historical Quarterly has been published by the Society since 1917 and contains scholarly articles and book reviews on Georgia and Southern history. The Society also publishes a quarterly newsletter, Footnotes, for its members, which became Georgia History Today after a rebranding initiative in 2006.