This week’s #MarkerMonday is in honor of Independence Day. In all, fifty-six men signed the Declaration of Independence between July 4 and August 2, 1776. Georgia sent George Walton, Dr. Lyman Hall and Button Gwinnett to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and all three signed the Declaration. Each of these men made contributions and sacrifices for the cause of American independence before and after signing the Declaration of Independence

To honor Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence, a monument was constructed in Augusta, Georgia, and dedicated on July 4, 1848. The remains of George Walton and Lyman Hall were interred in crypts beneath the monument. The burial place of Gwinnett, whose body was to have been reinterred with his fellow patriots, has never been positively located.

Explore the links below to learn more about Georgia’s signers of the Declaration of Independence.

GHS is proud to house the Georgia papers from the Continental Congress (1775-1788). GHS also contains a postcard depicting the Signer’s Monument in its Georgia Historical Society Collection of Postcards dating back to the first half of the 20^th Century.

Full Marker Text

New Georgia Encyclopedia-Lyman Hall

New Georgia Encyclopedia-Button Gwinnett

New Georgia Encyclopedia-George Walton

Today in Georgia History