Georgia Historical Society

North of this marker, in the center of Lake Hartwell, once stood an important Native American town, Tugaloo. The area now marked by a small island was settled around 500 CE and occupied by Cherokee Indians around 1450. Traders were coming to the town by 1690. In 1716, while British Colonel Maurice Moore negotiated a treaty with Cherokee leader Charity Hagey, a group of Creek ambassadors arrived. The Creek Indians, supported by Spain and France, wished to drive the British from the Carolinas in the Yamasee War (1715-1717). The Cherokees killed the Creek ambassadors and joined the British. By 1717, Colonel Theophilus Hastings operated a trading center at Tugaloo where gunsmith John Milbourne maintained Cherokee fi****ms. Indian agent Colonel George Chicken visited Tugaloo in 1725 and described it as “…the most ancient town in these parts.” Because the Cherokee in Tugaloo were British allies during the Revolutionary War, the town was destroyed by American patriots in 1776. Start exploring Georgia’s historical markers at https://historicalmarkers.georgiahistory.com/.

More than 45,000 soldiers were held at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War in Andersonville, Georgia, making it one of the most infamous prison camps in American history. But how do we separate fact from legend when studying places remembered through generations of stories?

With Georgia Uncovered: Investigating Our State’s Legends, you can step into the role of a historical investigator using primary sources, interactive activities, videos, and more to explore the real history behind Andersonville Prison.

Examine evidence, ask questions, and uncover how historians work to better understand the past through this free online resource: www.georgiahistory.com/resource/georgia-uncovered-andersonville/

Pictured: A sketch of the Andersonville prison, by John B. Walker, 1864. Georgia Historical Society.

When the Cherokees were removed from Georgia along the infamous Trail Of Tears, the man in charge was General Winfield Scott, who died on this day in 1866. The man known as old “Fuss and Feathers” was the foremost American soldier between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Born in Virginia in 1786, Scott served as a general in three wars. He gained national fame in the War of 1812 against the British. By war’s end he had been promoted to major general. In 1838 General Scott supervised the forced ejection of the Cherokee Indians from north Georgia. Then, in 1841, Scott became commanding general of the United States Army and held that post through the beginning of the Civil War. Scott's victories in the Mexican War catapulted him into him into the national spotlight and an unsuccessful run for president in 1852. Learn more about Winfield Scott and Today in Georgia History at https://www.todayingeorgiahistory.org/.

Pictured: Winfield Scott courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution.

As part of GHS’s commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, we were honored to welcome Comte Humbert de Beaumont d’Autichamps, the fifth great-grandson of the Marquis de Lafayette, to the Georgia Historical Society in Savannah.

During his visit, GHS President and CEO Dr. W. Todd Groce provided a tour of the Research Center, where they explored GHS collection items connected to Georgia’s Revolutionary history and Lafayette’s legacy in Georgia and America.

A murder, a mansion, and millions of readers…

Published in 1994, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt spent 216 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and helped transform Savannah into a global tourist destination.

Today, a remarkable collection of photographs, ephemera, and rare materials related to the book—donated by Dr. John and Virginia Duncan—is preserved at the Georgia Historical Society, offering researchers a behind-the-scenes look at the publishing phenomenon that helped define a city.

Curious to learn more as we approach America’s 250th anniversary? Explore featured items from the GHS Collections: https://www.georgiahistory.com/resource/georgia-at-the-us250-exhibit

Pictured: Dr. John Duncan Collection of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil Books and Materials, GHS 2843.

History is closer than you think.

Join us Tuesday, June 2 from 7–8 p.m. Eastern for "History Begins at Home: Teaching with Community Archives" — an interactive workshop from NCHE's Educators of Color Community with LaPortia Mosley of the Georgia Historical Society.

You'll explore hands-on strategies for using community archives, genealogy, and primary sources to help students connect with local and global history, and leave with classroom-ready ideas you can adapt right away.

Join us on Zoom. Register here: https://bit.ly/eoccatnche

Today, we celebrate the birthday of 2015 Georgia Trustee Paula S. Wallace, president and co-founder of SCAD. Join us in honoring her remarkable contributions to the arts and education and wishing her a very happy birthday!

The Red Oak Creek covered bridge was built in the 1840s by freed slave and noted bridge builder Horace King (1807-1885). Constructed on the Town lattice design, the bridge's web of planks crisscrossing at 45- to 60-degree angles are fastened at each intersection with a total of approximately 2,500 wooden pegs, or trunnels. Although King is credited with the construction of many covered bridges throughout west Georgia, this is the only surviving bridge of this design. At 391 feet, including the approaches, this structure is the oldest and longest wooden covered bridge in Georgia. Start exploring Georgia’s historical markers at https://historicalmarkers.georgiahistory.com/.

Pictured: Red Oak Creek covered bridge courtesy of the Library of Congress. Horace King courtesy of Wikimedia.

Artist Lucy May Stanton was born in Atlanta on this day in 1875. She grew up across the street from the Wren’s Nest, Joel Chandler Harris’ home. Stanton majored in Greek and Latin at Southern Female College in LaGrange. Most of her formal art training came in Paris. Her work appeared in exhibitions in London and Paris, and she had a solo exhibit at Atlanta’s High Museum in 1927. Stanton painted many of Georgia’s leading citizens, including Harris and Howell Cobb, whose portrait as speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives hangs in the Speaker’s Lobby in Washington, D.C. She was part of the American miniature revival, using watercolor on ivory, and her unique style won national acclaim and many awards. Learn more about Lucy May Stanton and Today in Georgia History at https://www.todayingeorgiahistory.org/.

Pictured: Lucy May Stanton self-portrait courtesy of the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Portrait of Howell Cobb by Lucy May Stanton courtesy of the U.S. House of Representatives.