Georgia Historical Society
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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.
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[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] Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Georgia Historical Society to collect, preserve, and share the history of Georgia for the enlightenment and enjoyment of the citizens of our State.
[edit] Vision Statement
Recognizing that history is the key to understanding who we were, who we are, and who we will be as individuals, Georgians, and Americans, the Georgia Historical Society is committed to collecting and preserving the record of our common past and to sharing that past with all Georgians through quality educational and research services, publications and programs.
[edit] Facilities
The Society’s statewide headquarters and research library are located in historic Hodgson Hall in Savannah, the Georgia’s oldest city. Built for the Society in 1876, Hodgson Hall features high vaulted ceilings and decorative ironwork. The building was designed by American Institute of Architects founder Detlief Lienau and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Within the Society’s library and archives is preserved the oldest collection of materials related to Georgia history anywhere in the world, including 4 million manuscripts, 90,000 photographs, 24,000 architectural drawings, 15,000 rare books, and thousands of maps, portraits, and artifacts.
[edit] Georgia Historical Marker Program
In 1951, the Georgia General Assembly formed the Georgia Historical Commission with a primary goal of marking historically significant sites. The state’s historical marker program grew out of this effort. State markers are well recognized – dark green with gold lettering and bearing the State seal. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources began administering the marker program after the Georgia Historical Commission was dissolved in 1973. Community support for the marker program has always been high, resulting in the erection of almost 2,000 markers since the inception of the program.
In 1997, the State of Georgia discontinued erecting new historical markers. Although the maintenance and replacement of markers erected prior to July 1, 1998, remains the purview of the State of Georgia through its Department of Natural Resources, headquartered in Atlanta, the Georgia Historical Society, through a contract with the State of Georgia, assumed responsibility for gathering and approving applications for new historical markers, and erecting those historical markers.
The new Georgia Historical Marker program administered by the Georgia Historical Society differs in many ways from the State program, most noticeably in the appearance of the actual markers. The new markers, of the same size, shape, and material, bear the Georgia Historical Society seal rather than that of the State. Also, rather than being dark green with gold lettering, the new markers have a black background, silver seal, and silver lettering.
The Georgia Historical Society has also made changes in sponsorship requirements and revised the review process. This is a competitive application process that can result in no more than twelve (12) markers being approved during each fiscal year of the Society. Since July 1, 1998, 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, subscriptions to GHS publications, publicity, and awards in recognition of outstanding achievements. The program was started in 1996 as part of the "Initiative 2000," which sought to redirect the Society toward broader statewide service. Today that network includes nearly two hundred local historical organizations throughout the state of Georgia and beyond. Affiliate membership is open to all not-for-profit organizations whose mission is consistent with that of the Georgia Historical Society. Members include historical and genealogical societies, commissions, museums, foundations, archives, preservation organizations, churches, and patriotic 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.
[edit] References
1. the New Georgia Encyclopedia
