History
Georgia Historical Society Ensures Future for Georgia's Past

Chartered by the Georgia General Assembly in 1839, the Georgia Historical Society is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the historical society for the people of Georgia.

Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia's first city, the Society is the oldest cultural institution in the state and one of the oldest historical organizations in the nation. For 160 years, GHS has fulfilled its mission to collect, preserve, and share Georgia history through a variety of exciting educational outreach programs and research services.


Among the group of visionaries who founded the Society were some of the most distinguished statesmen and intellectual leaders of the day: U.S. Attorney General John Macpherson Berrien; American Medical Association founder Dr. Richard D. Arnold; U.S. Congressmen Eugenius A. Nisbet and Thomas Butler King; planter James Hamilton Couper; and U.S. Supreme Court Justice James Moore Wayne, to name a few. Honorary members included four U.S. presidents: John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, Martin Van Buren, and William Henry Harrison.

In order to forge a link between themselves and the earliest days of the state, the founders of the Georgia Historical Society adopted as their logo the old Colonial seal used by the Trustees. And to demonstrate their commitment to public service, they took as their motto the latin phrase employed by the Trustees more than a century earlier: "Non Sibi, Sed Aliis" - not for self, but for others.

Throughout its history the Society has collected, preserved, and shared some of the most important documents, rare books, maps, photographs, and artifacts that tell the story of our state's journey through time. The cornerstone for the collection is the impressive group of manuscripts, rare books, and archival material. Our library and archives contains diaries, personal letters, ledger books, minute books, account books, church records, and many other primary sources related to Georgia and Georgians.

In addition to housing one of the finest collections of Georgia material available, the Society has an impressive list of programs, publications, and other activities: Georgia Historical Quarterly; monthly lectures; membership programs and tours; statewide assistance in preserving local history through its Affiliate Chapter Program and Historical Marker Program; the Georgia Heritage education program; and annual Antiques Show and Sale.

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