Clad in Revolutionary War uniforms, members of the National Sojourners led an Independence Day ceremony to honor the signers of the Declaration of Independence – two of whom are buried beneath the Signers’ Monument in downtown Augusta.
“We have a unique experience here in Augusta,” said Brian Coffey, a member of the National Sojourners. “I don’t think any other city can claim having two signers buried there.”
As part of the event, Erick Montgomery of Historic Augusta gave insight into the history of the 50-foot-tall monument.
Records do not indicate who had the idea to build the monument; however, the idea came about around the same time as the construction of another famous obelisk — the Washington Monument.
According to Montgomery, the cornerstones of both the Washington Monument and the Augusta Signers’ Monument were laid on the same day — July 4, 1848.
The first ceremony at the site was held with great fanfare including a procession beginning at the Masonic Hall in the 700 block of Broad Street. City leaders as well as multiple groups of Masons, Oddfellows and others were part of the event.
Only two of Georgia’s three signers are buried beneath the monument.
Their remains had to be exhumed and moved. Locating their remains took some effort.
Lyman Hall was easy to find, Montgomery said.
Hall had moved to Burke County and his grave was clearly marked, said Montgomery. George Walton had lived at Meadow Garden and died in Richmond County, but his grave was a little harder to find. He was buried in a family plot with no grave marker.
His remains were positively identified thanks to his fractured femur which occurred during his Revolutionary War service.
Button Gwinnett’s burial location remains a mystery, Montgomery said.
Gwinnett was killed in a duel near Savannah and was thought to have been buried in Savannah, but his grave was unmarked.
While July 4 ceremonies at the site have been held in the past, this was the 12th anniversary of its modern iteration.
Former Augustan and Delaware resident James Hanby visited his mother 13 years ago on his birthday which is July 4.
He thought it was strange that Augusta, with its rich ties to the Revolutionary War era and the Declaration of Independence should have no ceremony to mark it.
The next year he decided to have his own.
“There were about 12 people here, and six of them I brought from Delaware,” he said. Hanby had coordinated the ceremony until this year.
About 120 people attended this year’s event.
The ceremony included a wreath laying and the reading of the names of the 56 signers.
At the close of the ceremony, Coffey invited people to attend next year’s ceremony at 9 a.m. July 4.
Some people dispersed and visited Meadow Garden, the former home of George Walton and current house museum. Others walked across the street to Edwards Mercantile and Co. for refreshments.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the managing editor of The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
