As you walk the streets of Savannah’s Historic District, it’s very likely you’ll have a few history questions. You can check the tour guides for an answer of two. But if you want to go straight to the source, you may want to visit the Georgia Historical Society, located on the corner of Whitaker and Gaston Streets.
The Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in the United States, and the oldest cultural institution in the state of Georgia. Its mission is to “collect, preserve and share” Georgia’s history.
The society has a beautiful library, where thousands of researchers – from all over the world – visit each year.
It’s collections include such treasures as:
- an original draft of the U.S. Constitution, one of only a handful in existence; – a compass and snuff box belonging to Georgia founder James Oglethorpe.
- records related to the Cherokee Removal and Trail of Tears of 1836.
- the correspondence of national figures such as U.S. presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low.
It also has a manuscript collection of family papers, military records of every Georgia war, the papers of Georgia’s major political leaders, plantation records, papers of social and cultural organizations, plus a lot more.
The library has some rules and regulations, so please observe them. It’s posted hours are: Tuesday through Friday, 12 p.m. through 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Besides the libary, the Historical Society hosts many wonderful events that are open to the public. Here is a link to forthcoming Historical Society events.
(Post-script: We researched the 130-year-old Heritage House at the Georgia Historical Society. We were able to find records about the builder, Alexander Marcus Barbee, and traced more than four generations of the Wessels family, who originally owned the house).