About the Historical Society
Independent statewide institution with oldest continuously operating research library in South. Extensive manuscripts, rare books, and genealogical resources documenting Georgia history.
Founded in 1839, the Georgia Historical Society is the oldest continuously operating state historical society in the Southern United States and one of the nation's most distinguished historical organizations. Headquartered in Savannah, GHS houses an extraordinary collection representing every section of Georgia and every era of its 286-year history: 5 million manuscripts, 100,000 photographs, 25,000 architectural drawings, 20,000 rare books, and thousands of maps, portraits, and artifacts. The collection includes national treasures such as an original draft of the U.S. Constitution, a compass and snuff box belonging to Georgia founder James Oglethorpe, Cherokee Removal and Trail of Tears records, and correspondence from presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low.
The Society's Research Center, significantly renovated and expanded in 2021, features a new archival wing with specialized storage and state-of-the-art digitization facilities. GHS serves the public through its renowned Georgia History Festival, a six-month K-12 educational program held annually around Georgia's founding date of February 12, 1733. The 2025-2026 festival theme "A Nation of Laws: Courts and the Foundation of Freedom" explores the vital role of an independent judiciary. The Society also honors exemplary Georgians through the prestigious Georgia Trustees program, recognizing individuals who embody the founding philosophy of "Non Sibi, Sed Aliis" (Not for Self, but for Others). In 2025, GHS partnered with the Atlanta History Center in an unprecedented archival exchange to make Georgia's historical records more accessible to researchers and the public.
Planning Your Visit
Founded in 1839, the Georgia Historical Society is the oldest continuously operating historical society in the South and serves as the statewide institution for collecting, preserving, and sharing Georgia history. Its research collections are housed in Savannah, where scholars, students, and family-history researchers can consult manuscripts, rare books, maps, photographs, and architectural records documenting more than three centuries of the state's past.
Beyond its Savannah research center, the Society is known statewide for the Georgia Historical Markers program, which has placed historical markers across all of Georgia's counties, and for public programs such as the Georgia History Festival. For current research-room hours, access policies, membership, and event schedules, see the Society's official website.
Explore Georgia's Historical Landscape
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