The War of 1812 and Old Ironsides Remembrance Day War of 1812 Bicentennial is Celebrated in historic St. Marys, Georgia

ST. MARYS, GA --The city of St. Marys, Georgia has once again stepped forward to honor and commemorate the importance of the War of 1812 by declaring August 19th as "The War of 1812 and Old Ironsides Remembrance Day" through a proclamation signed by Mayor William DeLoughy. Guale Historical Society president, Patrizia Stahle, accepted the signed proclamation at the August 6th St. Marys City Council meeting.

The Guale Historical Society and the Captain James Asbury Tait Chapter of the National Society, United States Daughters of 1812, located in Houston, Texas, have joined together to promote awareness of the war and to preserve the history of the St. Marys Washington Oak trees and their use in the hull of the U.S.S. Constitution in 1797; and, again, in 1987 during the Boston shipyard renovation of "Old Ironsides."

June 18, 2012 marked the official start of the Bicentennial of the War of 1812, which was fought between the United States and Great Britain. The victory ushered in a heightened sense of patriotism in the United States and inspired Francis Scott Keys' penning of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

One of the last battles of the War of 1812 was fought at St. Marys' Point Peter when after the December 1814 signing of the Treaty of Ghent, British Admiral George Cockburn anchored off Cumberland Sound to make his move. At the Cumberland Island National Seashore Museum a separate display room contains a series of displays covering the subject. A portrayal of the conditions leading up to the war and a synopsis of the war are found in this room.

Both the St. Marys Welcome Center and the St. Marys Submarine Museum are currently displaying a six-panel mini-exhibit entitled, War of 1812: A Nation Forged by War that was provided by the National Museum of the United States Navy to interested locations across the United States and Canada. Timed to open with nationwide bicentennial celebrations, the display highlights the prominent role of the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service in bringing Great Britain to the negotiating table and forcing European recognition of a truly independent United States. For visitors with smart phones, additional content is available by scanning the QR code on each panel.

The St. Marys Peace Garden, dedicated on July 4th, commemorates the War of 1812 and the shared heritage of the U.S. and Canada.  The garden celebrates 200 years of peace, prosperity and brotherhood and was a joint effort between the St. Marys Earth Keepers and the St. Marys Convention & Visitors Bureau with support from the City of St. Marys, St. Marys Downtown Merchants, Boy Scouts Troop 318, and the St. Marys Garden Club. Our peace garden is the southeastern most point on the Binational Heritage Peace Garden Trail which was created by the Binational Tourism Alliance as an initiative to stimulate cross border tourism from Canada.  Our peace garden designation also led to the joining of St. Marys and Fort Erie, Ontario as peace garden sister cities.
 
For information about these War of 1812 offerings, and more, contact the St. Marys Convention & Visitors Bureau at 912-882-4000 or info@stmaryswelcome.com.