This year, we’re marking a milestone. From March 9 through March 15, 2026, the Coastal Georgia Historical Society, with our community partners and sponsors, will present Revolution on the Coast: A 250th Celebration (RC250), a week-long Semiquincentennial festival for Georgians to explore and experience the history of the American Revolution on the Coast.
In 1976, as the United States approached the 200-year anniversary of the nation’s founding, excitement was in the air. From sea to shining sea to the City by the Sea, Americans commemorated the bicentennial with celebration, education, and historic preservation efforts. In Glynn County, the community’s work began with the recognition of Brunswick’s own bicentennial in 1971.
Five years later, our area was ready to join the national festivities in earnest. The collections of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society show the plethora of methods that locals used to commemorate the country’s two hundredth birthday. The Brunswick chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution published “Streets and Squares of Olde Brunswick,” a pamphlet that included an 1837 map of the city and explanations of the names of its historic parks and avenues. The Bartram Trail Society, inspired by the Coastal Georgia travels of naturalist William Bartram between 1773 and 1776, republished his illustrations and a map of his journey in partnership with Georgia Power. Even several years before the celebration officially began, locals were making plans: a January 1973 report called “200 Years of Days to Remember,” prepared for the American Revolution Bicentennial Commission by the State of Georgia, shared pages of information on the Glynn County area and included $100,000 for the historic preservation of the St. Simons Island Lighthouse.
Now it’s our turn! On RC250 weekend, a replica of General George Washington’s Revolutionary War tent—the mobile command center of the Continental Army—will be set up at Gascoigne Bluff Park as the festival’s main event: the First Oval Office Project of the Museum of the American Revolution. The project also features common soldiers’ tents and a dining tent, along with costumed interpreters who will recount the different experiences of those who served in various capacities during the Revolutionary War. This will be the first time this special exhibit has visited Georgia, providing a wonderful opportunity for our state’s citizens to interact with the important history of the American Revolution. RC250 is free and open to the public on Saturday and Sunday; Friday is reserved for school tours by local students. To find more information and learn how you can participate, visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org for updates as this exciting week of programming approaches.
This month’s featured images from the Coastal Georgia Historical Society include a medal commemorating Brunswick’s 1971 bicentennial, the cover of “Streets and Squares of Olde Brunswick,” and the pamphlet “Travels of William Bartram.”
Coastal Georgia Historical Society presents this article and images from our archives as part of our mission “to connect people to Coastal Georgia’s dynamic history.” The Society operates the iconic St. Simons Lighthouse Museum and the World War II Home Front Museum, housed in the Historic Coast Guard Station at East Beach. To learn more about the Society, its museums, diverse programs, and membership, please visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.
