Ceremony honors Augusta’s ties to Declaration of Independence

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) – A monument stands on Greene Street to honor some of those who made our freedom possible.

On Tuesday, a ceremony was held to honor Georgia’s three signers of the Declaration of Independence.

“The monument itself was built in 1848. The Masons were here and laid the cornerstone for the monument to honor the three signers from Georgia that signed the Declaration of Independence,” said Thomas Miller, a local history teacher who was representing the William Few Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Now a ceremony and monument honors Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall and George Walton.

Walton was from Augusta.

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“We just like to do this event so we can bring awareness to this monument being downtown and have a nice way to celebrate our country’s freedom,” said Noah Vaught, president of Chapter 162 of the National Sojourners.

The ceremony was put on by the National Sojourners, a branch of the Masons.

“We are a group of veterans who want to get together to celebrate our country’s ideals and promote Americanism and patriotism,” said Vaught.

It’s all about honoring the freedom so many fought for.

Vaught said: “It’s just a reminder to other people um why to continue to understand how great this country is and um and why our freedom is just that important.”

They were letting freedom ring with flowers being placed in a wreath and kids ringing a bell in honor of the more than 50 signers of the Declaration of Independence.

Vaught said: “It’s just important for any young person here to take away a little bit of history.

Preserving that history is why Miller says events like this one are important.

Miller said: “It’s important to be able to visit sites like this and be able to honor as well as educate others about the people that were there before us. You really get so much more history and a totally different side of the story when you’re actually able to be at these places.”

Miller said there’s many organizations like the national Sojourners and the local Masonic chapter that honor and celebrate local history.

He encourages anyone who is interested to reach out and get involved.

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