Georgetown Heritage Society
Since 1977.
America’s Bicentennial celebrations in 1976 sparked a nationwide preservation boom. In Georgetown, a group of citizens who had worked diligently on Georgetown’s Bicentennial celebration also had a heightened awareness of historic resources at the local level. It was the vision of this group that led to the formation of the Georgetown Heritage Society.
As its name suggests, the Society’s mission is to preserve and promote interest in Georgetown’s heritage—its historic buildings and sites and the people associated with them, as well as the documents, pictures and other records relating to them. Among the Society’s lasting achievements that all Georgetown citizens still enjoy today are organizing the first Christmas Stroll, reviving the old traditional May Fair (now the Red Poppy Festival), starting the Georgetown History and Visitor Information Center (now run by the City) and collecting a substantial repository of historic photographs and documents (now in the custody of the Georgetown Public Library). Today the Georgetown Heritage Society works to fulfill our mission in a variety of ways. The most visible is the annual Holiday Home Tour, featuring five historic homes decorated for the holidays that are open to the public during the second weekend of December. Proceeds from the tour are used to support other GHS initiatives including informative programs and educational publications. Most recently (2013), the Olive Street National Register Historic District was established in Georgetown; a project initiated, managed and funded by GHS. The charge of the Society continues to expand to meet responsibly the growth and needs of the community – ever mindful of preserving the past for future generations.
GHS enjoys a cooperative relationship with the City of Georgetown, other organizations and the community; sharing resources, programing and facilities to promote historic preservation and heritage tourism.
We encourage all to join GHS and share the camaraderie of membership through like-minded interests, regular programming and special events!
more history
our focus
The Society is heading in a new direction while maintaining our mission to preserve and enhance the quality of life in Georgetown.
We are reaching out to broaden our volunteer base - offering more opportunities for members to be active throughout the organization.
We are expanding efforts to enlist a new demographic - adding more family, students and singles to our membership rolls.
who we are
After 37 successful years of preserving the past for future generations, the Georgetown Heritage Society is poised to ask the question, ‘what’s next?’
GHS realizes that our mission succeeds through education and involvement. We feel the growth of the organization depends on engagement. By combining a learning factor with a can-do attitude, we can move the Heritage Society into a new era.
We are ready to take on larger and broader measures toward historic preservation; ready to take a hands-on approach to preservation utilizing the resources available to take on ‘bricks & mortar’ projects. That means we are reaching out for help financially and physically; more volunteers willing to go to work with everything from pencil and paper to hammers and paint; more financial backing to put toward preservation projects; more professional resources to help throughout the process.
We are all stewards of our history. We, every generation, every part of the community, must work together to meet growth responsibly – appreciating what has been done and being ever mindful of what lies ahead.
We look forward to seeing you often and active in GHS!
Susan Firth, President
Board Members & Staff
Amanda Parr, President
Michael Walton, Vice President
Sarah Milburn, Treasurer
Eileen Roybal, Secretary
Allan Barnes, Director
Melissa Boyd, Director
Linda Burns, Director
Cindy Harrington, Director
Brent Sumner, Director
Cathy Vines Serrano, Office Manager