Georgia Historical Marker Program
In 1951, the Georgia General Assembly formed the Georgia Historical Commission with a primary goal of marking historically significant sites. The state’s historical marker program grew out of this effort. State markers are well recognized – dark green with gold lettering and bearing the State seal. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources began administering the marker program after the Georgia Historical Commission was dissolved in 1973. Community support for the marker program has always been high, resulting in the erection of almost 2,000 markers since the inception of the program.
In 1997, the State of Georgia discontinued erecting new historical markers. Although the maintenance and replacement of markers erected prior to July 1, 1998, remains the purview of the State of Georgia through its Department of Natural Resources, headquartered in Atlanta, the Georgia Historical Society, through a contract with the State of Georgia, assumed responsibility for gathering and approving applications for new historical markers, and erecting those historical markers.
The new Georgia Historical Marker program administered by the Georgia Historical Society differs in many ways from the State program, most noticeably in the appearance of the actual markers. The new markers, of the same size, shape, and material, bear the Georgia Historical Society seal rather than that of the State. Also, rather than being dark green with gold lettering, the new markers have a black background, silver seal, and silver lettering.
The Georgia Historical Society has also made changes in sponsorship requirements and revised the review process. This is a competitive application process that can result in no more than twelve (12) markers being approved during each fiscal year of the Society. Since July 1, 1998, nearly 200 new historical markers have been erected in 57 counties throughout the state. Of these markers, forty-four percent represent African-American, Female, and Native-American subjects. Markers are selected by an independent Marker Review Committee which reviews applications for historical markers twice annually.
Read more about this topic: Georgia Historical Society
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