In 1732, the Georgia Trustees, the visionary founders of the Colony of Georgia, took as their motto Non Sibi Sed Aliis, “Not for Self, but for Others.” In 1839, the founders of the Georgia Historical Society adopted this noble commitment to public service when they set out to collect, examine, and teach Georgia history for the benefit of future generations.

Today, the Georgia Historical Society is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the nation’s oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history and is committed to making these irreplaceable resources accessible to people all over the world.

As a public history institution, GHS teaches Georgia and American history through a variety of educational programs, publications, and research services. It publishes the award-winning Georgia Historical Quarterly; operates the GHS Research Center in Savannah; offers a variety of popular online and in-person public programs for audiences of all ages; organizes the annual Georgia History Festival; and, with the Office of the Governor, inducts the Georgia Trustees, the highest honor the State of Georgia can confer.

In 1973, the Georgia Historical Society created an endowment fund to ensure the future of the South’s oldest historical society and one of the oldest such institutions in the nation. Governed by a separate, independent Endowment Board, the GHS endowment is intended to provide for the perpetual care and maintenance of the Society’s collections and facilities as well as to guarantee a sustainable source of funding for the delivery of its diverse educational outreach programs, publications, and research services.