It was all very nicely presented and well-marked. There was James Ogelthorpe’s snuffbox. A flintlock rifle taken from the Serphin by John Paul Jones and given to his friend Ben Franklin. A walking stick made from the wood of the Frigate Constitution. The grapeshot removed from Casimir Pulaski’s leg and what we found the most telling, the dueling pistols used by Button Gwinnett and Lachlan McIntosh in the duel that led to Gwinnet’s death. There was also a small sword used by Lafayette and a Confederate Officers sword.

TO CHECK OUT THEIR WEBSITE, GO TO WWW.GEORGIAHISTORY.COM

If you have a family history in Georgia, this is a great place to begin your genealogical research. The women at the desk were wonderful and will be glad to get you started on your search. In our case they just pointed us to the cases on either side and welcomed us to enjoy their contents. Beyond the historical displays, the Historical Society offers practical information about the history of Georgia. Census records for the state of Georgia as well as other southern states are available for the years 1790-1870. There are no Georgia Federal Census records for the years 1790, 1800 and 1810 as these were destroyed in a fire.

They have an extensive collection of manuscripts, personal papers, wills, family bibles and other family papers. They have vital records, cemetery indexes, newspapers from as early as the 1700s, city directories, military and church records and land and tax records.

For those interested in researching the history of a building, there is no better place to look. Not only do they have an extensive selection of records but they also have a checklist to help you to locate records that might be of assistance. They also offer workshops and tours, and last fall, they had a lecture series features John Jakes author of the historical novel "Savannah". They offer a quarterly magazine, "Footnotes", which gives up-to-date information on what’s happening, as well as offering books and other publications for sale.