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In
July 1953, the first Button Gwinnett Day was celebrated at the University
of North Carolina Press. This year marks our fifty-first consecutive celebration.
In 1956, Button Gwinnett Day was given new meaning because of the discovery
of a Gwinnett document among the Colgate papers given to Yale; in 1957,
an even more exciting news item gave our celebration new impetus--the
possible discovery of Gwinnett's grave in Savannah. In 1967, Fife and
Drum Belts launched an advertising campaign involving buttons and bumper
stickers lauding Button Gwinnett.
Our 1970 celebration brought us a new display. One of the charter members
of the organization who lived in Athens, Georgia, made a special pilgrimage
to Savannah to visit Button's shrine and sent us a photograph for our
display. In 1971 we acquired two new items for our archives: a copy of
a portrait of our hero (claimed to be authentic by the Fulton Federal
Savings and Loan Association of Atlanta, in whose lobby the portrait hung
until the bank fell victim to the S&L crisis); and a photograph of
the Gwinnett County water tower, which was taken from a fast-moving car
(courtesy of a member who was vacationing in the area).
The year 1972 was highlighted in a special manner. A holograph letter
of Button's, worth $100,000, was the subject of a show in the "Mannix"
television series. Our 1973 gathering brought us some stunning photographs
of Gwinnett Street and the Signers' Monument in Augusta, Georgia, taken
by a northern member of the society who had the good fortune to marry
an Augusta woman.
The year of the bicentennial was especially rewarding. We acquired a copy
of a poem written by Button's older brother, Samuel, from a manuscript
collection in the Emory University Library; a member visiting New York
was so fortunate as to happen upon two Gwinnett documents on display in
the J. P. Morgan Library; and the archivist of the society at last fulfilled
her long-time desire to visit the Gwinnett shrine in Savannah. In 1978
we were presented with a new display item: a facsimile of the shot that
Button received in his thigh during the duel with McIntosh. Also, we received
as a gift from the Georgia chapter of the Button Gwinnett Society (now
unhappily disbanded) a copy of the limited edition of Button's only biography,
which was published in 1926.
The year 1982 marked our thirtieth celebration of Button Gwinnett Day.
In honor of this occasion, we received greetings from George Busbee, Governor
of Georgia, and from Zell Miller, Lieutenant Governor of Georgia. In 1983,
we acquired an attractive new exhibit, a lovely reproduction of a painting
of the Gwinnett plantation on St. Catherine's Island. The year 1984 was
particularly eventful because the Gwinnett portrait owned by the now defunct
Fulton Federal Savings and Loan in Atlanta was authenticated and placed
on longterm display at the new High Museum of Art. It was discovered in
the museum by one of our members who was attending a scholarly meeting
in Atlanta. [More about the portrait later.] In 1985, our founder and
archivist visited Button's monument in the Signers' Garden in Washington,
D.C., and her presence was witnessed by the camera.
In 1988 our celebration was marked by a visit from Elliott Brack, the
associate publisher of the Gwinnett Extra (a special edition of the Atlanta
Journal and Constitution), Mrs. Brack, and son Andy, who brought with
them remarkable gifts for our archives, among which were a Button Gwinnett
Centennial plate and a "Walk Like a Gwinnettian" (pronounced
"Gwin-'eesh-un") poster. When Elliott Brack returned to Georgia,
he wrote an article for the Constitution in which he stated that the "University
of North Carolina Press is quickly becoming the largest repository of
Button Gwinnett memorabilia in the country."
In 1990 the story of our hero was spread far and wide through the miracle
of television. Don Ross recorded our celebration for Durham station WTVD,
and the resulting feature was fed by satellite to stations all over America.
Jim Weeks (husband of longtime Society member Pat Weeks) captured the
event on his video cassette recorder for his posterity and ours. The Bracks
once again sent many and wondrous gifts, including candy jars and beverage
can insulators bearing the name of the Gwinnett County Bank.
In 1991, our celebration had a special poignance. Although our devotion
to our cause transcends our attachment to the objects in our archives,
Society members could not suppress their distress as they watched the
fire that consumed the UNC Press offices in December. But miraculously
the collection survived almost intact. So that year we added to our archives
photographs of Society member Heidi Perov rescuing the memorabilia from
the ruins, taken by Marjorie Fowler, whose keen sense of history inspired
her to document the moment.
Except for water stains on a few pieces, the only significant loss in
the fire was the banner that used to crown our display. So in 1992 our
ever-vigilant archivist presented us with a new banner that will be the
centerpiece of our celebrations in years to come.
The Brack connection was active again in both '94 and '95. In the former
year we received copies of two books on Gwinnett County--"Vanishing
Gwinnett" and "Dynamic Gwinnett", and in the latter year
Mr. Brack sent us a copy of his column in which the entire history of
our society, as read this morning, was reprinted in the Atlanta Constitution.
In 1996 we added to our collection pictures of the Gwinnett monument on
the Rollins College "Walk of Fame," courtesy of a member who
relocated to Florida. And in 1997 we received further proof of the inexorable
spread of Button's fame, in the form of references--spotted by vigilant
proofreader Michael Taeckens and detail master Roy Alexander--in Smithsonian
magazine, volume 10 of the Nathanael Greene papers, and Rick Moody's book
Purple America. Also added that year was a biographical and genealogical
reference guide to the Signers of the Declaration, donated by former editorial
assistant Deb Baldwin. Society member Bess Sadler furnished with a new
photo of the Gwinnett water tower in closeup, with its proclamation of
"Gwinnett Is Great."
In 1999 we received some important new information relating to Button's
portrait, compliments of Jim Kvicala of the Gwinnett Daily Post. It seems
the portrait of Button formerly owned by Fulton Savings and Loan was sold
to a private collector when the bank filed for bankruptcy sometime between
1983 and 1985. This collector (identity unknown) did loan the portrait
to the High Museum for a while, but it was returned to the owner in 1985.
Its current location is unknown.
Furthermore, the authenticity of this portrait may still be in question.
It turns out that the picture was authenticated by someone employed by
the New York firm that auctioned off the painting--not exactly a disinterested
party.
On another note, the new Mall of Georgia (located in the Gwinnett Co.
area), which opened in 1999, features a 12-foot-tall statue of Button.
No word on how they managed to authenticate the image of Button that they
used in constructing the statue.
So in this,
the year of our forty-ninth celebration, we are aware that our responsibility
to keep Button's name alive is more important than ever. Our hope that
this day might be celebrated nationally still has not yet been recognized,
but we remain confident that with sustained dedication this forgotten
man may one day come into his own. |
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