Members of the Archibald Bulloch Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and a few dozen folks sparked by local history gathered Thursday morning at Triangle Park in Statesboro to witness the dedication of a historical marker celebrating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

And Helen R. Powell, the Georgia State Regent for the DAR, spoke about the marker’s true connection to the community.

“It's not monuments alone that preserve history,” she told the crowd. “It is people. It is volunteer hearts, like yours, that research, teach, restore, commemorate and serve. It is through your dedication that history remains alive, not just in books, but in community, in conversation, and in the values that we pass forward.”

Martha Ann Tanner, regent for the local Archibald Bulloch Chapter, welcomed the group with the backdrop of a long train passing behind the park at the intersection of Savannah Ave. and East Main St., small planes flying overhead and the sounds of the Triangle Park fountain.

As the nation prepares to mark birthday #250, Powell offered the Statesboro sign as one of the DAR’s presents to the country.

“The DAR America 250 Patriot Marker Project is a nationwide effort with a bold and inspiring goal to place commemorative markers in every state across the nation,” she said. “These markers are not merely decorative, they are declarative. They proclaim that here, in communities like Statesboro, history matters. Here, we remember. These markers honor a diverse and often under-recognized group of patriots. Soldiers, sailors, soldiers who fought, who braved uncertainty, and civil servants who supported the cause of liberty in countless ways.”

During Tuesday’s event, Arabella McLamb was recognized as the state winner of the Georgia History Essay Contest. The Bulloch Academy eighth grader’s essay about Charles Carroll Carrollton, who was a Maryland farmer, politician and the only Catholic signer of the Declaration, competed with 111 DAR chapters in Georgia. McLamb is only the second state winner from Bulloch County in the contest’s 50-year history and will be the first to participate in the DAR’s national essay competition.

Accompanied by her parents and grandparents, McLamb read her essay to the group.

Adding the perspective of local history, Virginia Ann Waters, executive director of the Bulloch County Historical Society, spoke about St. Phillips Parish, which is what the area that become Bulloch County was known at the time of the Declaration signing. Waters read the names of area residents who are found in the records of the DAR as known supporters of the Revolution.

“You will notice, as I read these names, so many of them are your DAR ancestors,” she told the crowd. “I will begin with David Alderman, who is one of mine, Joseph Anderson, Clifton Bowen, William Henry Cohn, William Denmark, John Everett, Joseph Hodges, Joshua Hodges, John Holloway, William Holliday, James Jernigan, Bridger Jones, James Jones, John Kirkland, David Lee, Charles McCall, John Michael Jr., William Monk, John Neville, John Shears Olive, Henry Parrish, Benjamin Richardson, Thomas Rigdon, John Robert, John Stanford, Custer Stutzfield, John Tillman, John Tomlinson, Frederick Williams, James Williams, Seth Williams, Samuel Williams and William Wise.”

Regent Tanner then brought the group to the front of the park and unveiled the marker, its engraving echoing State Regent Powell’s words:

“This marker connects this community to the broader narrative of our nation's founding, while also reminding us that history is deeply local,” she said. “The revolutionary spirit lived not only in great halls and battlefields, but in towns and communities just like this one. It lived in ordinary people who chose to do extraordinary things in the name of liberty. Today, we honor them, but we also look forward. As we stand at the threshold of America's next 250 years, we are called not only to remember, but to act, to preserve our history with care, to educate with purpose, to inspire patriotism rooted not just in pride, but in understanding and responsibility.”