Georgia Day Is Wednesday

Published 12:03 am Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Georgia Day is Wednesday, Feb. 12. Georgia Day is the special day by which the state honors its colonial founding as the Province of Georgia.

On Feb. 12, 1733, James Oglethorpe landed the first settlers in the ship Ann, at Savannah, which was to become Georgia’s first city, and later its first state capital. Named after King George II of Great Britain, who had signed a charter for the colony a year earlier, Georgia was the last of the 13 original British colonies to be established in North America. Since its founding 286 years ago, Georgia has grown to more than 9 million people and has progressed from a rural state to a commercial, financial and cultural center for the Southeast.

The Robert Loughridge Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has enlisted the Dalton-Whitfield County Public Library to help raise awareness of Georgia Day. Lizzy Gregory Stuckey, youth services manager at the library, has arranged book displays for Georgia Day. The displays will be up throughout February and focus on books by Georgia authors, about Georgia history, and about notable Georgians. There are displays for both children and adults. DAR encourages everyone to take advantage of the multitude of books and information about Georgia available at our local library.

DAR has again partnered with Dalton Public Schools and Whitfield County Schools to create greater awareness of Georgia Day. DAR has requested that Dalton Public Schools and Whitfield County Schools add Georgia Day to their school calendars and include Georgia Day information in classroom announcements, closed circuit TV and lighted digital signs where available. Media specialists in the elementary schools are creating displays of books on Georgia, planning special activities, and encouraging students to research the history of Georgia, past and present.

Jane Harrell will feature Georgia Day in her “Southern Scenes” broadcast on WBLJ Radio during February. Her program highlights Georgia history, folklore and interesting facts about Georgia.

The Robert Loughridge Chapter of the DAR encourages all of Dalton to celebrate Georgia Day by supporting Georgia businesses, buying Georgia-made products, shopping locally and becoming more knowledgeable about Georgia history.