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A More Perfect Union

The New Georgia Encyclopedia is supported by funding from A More Perfect Union, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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Tomochichi

Tomochichi

As a principal mediator between the native Creek (Muscogee) and English settlers during the first years of Georgia's settlement, Tomochichi (left) contributed to the establishment of peaceful relations between the two groups. His nephew, Toonahowi, is seated on the right in this engraving, circa 1734-35, by John Faber Jr.

James Oglethorpe

James Oglethorpe

James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, was a forward-thinking visionary who demonstrated great skill as a social reformer and military leader. This portrait is a copy of Oglethorpe University's oval portrait of Oglethorpe, which was painted in 1744. The portrait was discovered in England by Thornwell Jacobs and brought back to Atlanta to hang in the president's office at Oglethorpe University.

Black and white photograph of WTCU parade float in Bainbridge, Georgia

Woman’s Christian Temperance Union

Women's Christian Temperance Movement (WTCU) members participate in the Decatur County centennial parade in Bainbridge, 1923. The WCTU formed its first Georgia chapter in 1880. Largely due to their efforts, Georgia passed a local option law in 1885.

Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia, #
dec014.

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Black and white photograph of crowd gathered in Valdosta for 1907 prohibition vote

Prohibition Vote

A crowd gathered in front of the Lowndes County courthouse in Valdosta for a prohibition vote in 1907. That year, Georgia became the first state in the South to pass a statewide ban on the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol.

Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia, #
low104.

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1907 Prohibition Act

1907 Prohibition Act

Georgia's 1907 Prohibition Act placed a statewide ban on the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol. Georgia was the first southern state to pass a statewide ban on alcoholic beverages.

Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Lamartine Griffin Hardman Papers, #LGH-DOC-IV-3-13.

Moonshiners

Moonshiners

Men operating a moonshine still in Pickens County in the 1920s.

Courtesy of Georgia Archives, Vanishing Georgia, #pck162-82.

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Southern Express Co. Liquor Receipt

Southern Express Co. Liquor Receipt

Georgia's 1907 ban on the production, sale, and transportation of alcohol was not without loopholes. This receipt from the Southern Express Company, a well-known "jug train," shows that alcohol sales to individuals were allowed in regulated quantities.

Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Lamartine Griffin Hardman Papers, #LGH-DOC-IV-4-12.

Nutri-Tone Adverstisement

Nutri-Tone Advertisement

Nutri-Tone was one of the many spirituous tonics that gained popularity in the prohibition era. Doctors who prescribed alcohol under therapeutic pretenses profited greatly between 1920 and 1933.

Nutri-Tone Permit

Nutri-Tone Permit

This permit renewal form regarding the sale of medicinal alcohol is taken from correspondence between Governor Hoke Smith and Piel Bros. Brewery in New York.

Prohibition Broadside

Prohibition Broadside

Published in 1907, this broadside celebrates the passage of Georgia's statewide prohibition law.

Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Lamartine Griffin Hardman Papers, #LGH-DOC-III-OS1.

Atlanta Athletic Club Membership Card

Atlanta Athletic Club Membership Card

This membership card belonged to Governor Lamartine Griffin Hardman—one of three signatories for the 1907 prohibition bill. Private locker clubs frequented by the wealthy escaped closure by serving alcohol only to their members.

Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Lamartine Griffin Hardman Papers, #LGH-DOC-VB-47-12.

Prohibition Telegram

Prohibition Telegram

In this telegram dated September 11, 1930, the North American Newspaper Alliance (NANA) requests Governor Lamartine Griffin Hardman's position amid calls for prohibition reform.

Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Lamartine Griffin Hardman Papers, #LGH-DOC-V-60-8.

Georgia Commission on Alcoholism Map

Georgia Commission on Alcoholism Map

The Georgia General Assembly founded the Georgia Commission on Alcoholism in 1951. This map of "Georgia Clinic and Rehabilitation Center Patients Treated By Counties" was created by the commission to gather statistical information on alcoholism treatment in Georgia.

Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Herman E. Talmadge Collection, #HET-DOC-IX-432-48.

Drinking Age Petition

Drinking Age Petition

This petition supporting a change in the legal drinking age from eighteen to nineteen, signed by concerned "parents, educators, and friends of youth," was sent to the Georgia Senate in May 1980. The legal drinking age in Georgia was changed to nineteen later that year.

Courtesy of Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Herman E. Talmadge Collection, #HET-DOC-IX-432-48.