 Founded in 1839 in Savannah, Georgia, the Society is the oldest continuously operating state historical society in the Southern United States and one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States.Founders include John Macpherson Berrien, Richard D. Arnold, Eugenius A. Nisbet, Thomas Butler King, William Bacon Stevens, Israel K. Tefft, James Hamilton Couper, and James Moore Wayne.The Georgia Historical Society is an independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining, and teaching Georgia history.