If you spend any time touring the state's historic sites, you will inevitably come in contact with Georgia's historical markers. Many historians consider these markers to be remarkably accurate, leading those of us who read them to wonder who wrote them, when, and how.
There are approximately 2,000 of the aluminum markers statewide, with text covering historic events that range from the American Revolution to the Civil Rights movement. The historical marker program began in the 1950s as part of preparations for the Civil War centennial. The State Historical Commission, which oversees the marker program, was established in 1952, and the first Georgia marker was erected in June, 1952, a Civil War marker in Cobb County titled "Davis' Cross Roads."
The State Historical Commission hired two Civil War historians to research, write, and place the Civil War markers. Wilbur G. Kurtz, Sr. was responsible for the markers from Chattanooga to Atlanta. Col. Allen P. Julian handled the series of markers that stretches from Atlanta to Savannah. The two historians' main sources were the Official Record of the War of the Rebellion and interviews with Civil War veterans. By walking the battlefields with these veterans, Kurtz and Julian accurately marked sites that otherwise may never have been recorded.
Today, there are approximately 700 Civil War related historical markers statewide, with new ones still being researched and erected.
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