Programs and Initiatives
The Georgia Historical Society provides programs, exhibits, in-school events, and educational resources that bring history to life for thousands of students and the general public across the state.
The Georgia Historical Society has administered Georgia’s statewide marker program since 1998, erecting more than 300 historical markers across Georgia on a wide variety of subjects. Today those markers and over two thousand others erected during earlier chapters in the state’s marker program are available here through a searchable database. Roadside historical markers capture Georgia history in a format readily understood by travelers and residents alike. These easily identifiable markers give readers a unique insight into the stories of our shared past. The search tools allow users to access information on markers in all parts of Georgia and even create travel routes to view markers based on individual interests such as Georgia in the Civil War or the Civil Rights Movement and can experience history where it happened.
The Georgia History Festival is the signature K-12 educational program of the Georgia Historical Society. Beginning with the new school year in September, a variety of public programs, exhibits, in-school events, and educational resources bring history to life for students of all ages and encourage Georgians to explore the richness of our state’s past. The Festival continues in February, the founding month of the Georgia Colony, with events like the popular Colonial Faire and Muster living history program held at Wormsloe State Historic Site, Super Museum Sunday, and culminates in April with the annual Trustees Gala, where each year we induct two modern-day Georgia Trustees.
In conjunction with the Governor’s Office, the Georgia Historical Society reestablished the Georgia Trustees as a way of recognizing Georgians whose accomplishments and community service reflect the highest ideals of the founding body of Trustees. The original Georgia Trustees, a governing body chartered and appointed by His Majesty King George II of England in 1732 to establish a new colony in North America, founded Georgia upon the principle of Non Sibi, Sed Allis, “Not for Self but for Others.” GHS and the Governor’s Office reestablished the Trustees in 2009. The Governor annually appoints new Trustees whose history-making accomplishments and service reflect the original Trustees’ ideals.
Each year the Georgia Historical Society selects iconic companies in our state as designees of the prestigious Georgia Business History Initiative. Through the Business History Initiative, GHS seeks to teach Georgia students, citizens, and tourists alike about the pivotal role of Georgia’s leading businesses in the economic, cultural and social development of Georgia and the United States.
The Vincent J. Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program honors and secures Vince Dooley’s legacy for his lifelong commitment to history and higher education. As a longtime member of the Georgia Historical Society’s Board of Curators, Coach Dooley demonstrated his strong belief in and support of the Society’s mission as a nationally-recognized research and educational institution. The Dooley Distinguished Fellows Program accomplishes two goals consistent with Coach Dooley’s life and legacy: recognizing senior scholars in the field of history and mentoring and developing emerging historians.
While our diversity has been a source of great strength, all too often we have failed to achieve the promises of equality and justice proclaimed in our founding documents. Through Recognizing an Imperfect Past: A History and Race Initiative, GHS uses the story of the past to foster difficult but necessary conversations that help all Americans gain a better understanding about the role race has played in shaping Georgia and the United States, and about how that understanding can help us envision a better future.
Whether through hands-on activities with primary sources in the GHS Research Center, in-school presentations by GHS staff, or curriculum aligned with state and national education standards, the Georgia Historical Society enables students of all ages to experience history beyond the textbook. Further, GHS is committed to helping educators meet the needs of 21st-century learners through a variety of online and in-person professional development opportunities. From NEH-supported summer institutes to self-paced online courses and interactions at respected professional conferences, GHS professional staff continue to partner with educators to improve history education nationwide.
The Georgia Historical Society’s Affiliate Chapter Program was established in 1996 to provide resources to local historical organizations and to provide opportunities for those organizations to learn from one another, thereby developing a more informed network of institutions dedicated to sharing the many local stories that make up Georgia’s rich and diverse history. Today that network includes nearly two hundred local historical organizations throughout the state of Georgia and beyond.
The Georgia Historical Society recognizes individuals and organizations that have helped to ensure a future for Georgia’s past through dedicated scholarship, programming, and altruism through a variety of awards programs. From awards recognizing excellence in local history across state, to publication awards, to the annual induction of new Georgia Trustees by the Governor, GHS is proud to acknowledge those who advance knowledge and understanding of the rich and diverse history of our state.
GHS coordinates a regular program of statewide lectures and public presentations that share new perspectives and scholarship with a variety of audiences. These programs regularly engage the nation’s leading scholars in lively conversation about the vital issues of our time through free, interactive public events across the state.
Featured Collection Items
Explore Georgia’s rich history through one-of-a-kind artifacts from the GHS collection.