One of Ransom Schwerzler’s favorite pastimes is reading other people’s mail.
“We’re reading all the dead people’s mail because that’s the most fun thing to do. If you haven’t tried it, you should. It’s wonderful. It’s what we do. It’s where we get so much of their personality, so much character and so much connection, said Schwerzler, who is the director of Meadow Garden, the home of George Walton, one of three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence.
For several years, she’s been reading Walton’s mail (and that of his contemporaries) because it gives a personal glimpse into the history of the man and the time period in a way that history books don’t and it helps her present Walton as a person who once lived rather than a note in a history book..
“History is about people not dates. Dates are only important as they connect to people,” she said.
Meadow Garden has initiatives related to the nation’s 250th birthday, including activities beginning at 10 a.m. July 4, but presenting history is one thing Schwerzler and Meadow Garden do on a daily basis at the home Walton built around 1790 and settled in.
At 26, George Walton was one of the youngest signers of the Declaration of Independence. He was born in Virginia in late 1749 or early 1750 and his parents died when he was young.
He moved to Georgia when he was about 19 or 20 and got involved in politics.
Schwerzler surmises that he moved to Georgia, the youngest of the 13 colonies, to make a name for himself in a way he couldn’t in Virginia.
“Virginia was very structured like England. There was not a lot of social mobility,” she said.
His chances of movement in that society were near impossible without a lot of money, important friends or a university education, which Walton had none of
“There was a lot more opportunity in Georgia,’ she said.
In Savannah, he apprenticed in law and when he became a lawyer, he swore an oath to King George III and was made a lieutenant in the militia in 1774 when rumblings were beginning to happen in the northern colonies.
When Georgians decided they wanted to learn more about the idea of independence from Britain, Walton signed his name to a public list citing his interest in supporting the cause.
Schwerzler said he signed up for as many committees as possible and was president of the council of safety when it passed a resolution to arrest the royal governor.
At the time, postal service wasn’t dependable and Walton, who was heavily involved in the founding of the nation, served as a courier in some instances to get important documents to people.
Schwerzler said they can use letters to track the timeline of where Walton was. It wasn’t an unusual name so those letters also help decipher which George Walton they were talking about.
Much of the history can be found on panels which were recently installed on the Meadow Garden grounds. The Sons of the American Revolution raised money for the project.
More history will be on the grounds on July 4.
People can see inside the home which has undergone renovations over the past few years. It needed an updated heating and air conditioning system as well as electrical. The entrance to the home is being moved back to its original location which faces the Augusta Canal.
Hands-on activities in the cellar where the kitchen and spinning room are located are planned for July 4.
Also on Independence Day, Carlton Powers will portray a young George Walton and he will read the document.
Schwerzler said people often see portraits of those in the Colonial Era and think they all must’ve been ancient; however, it probably had more to do with the powdered wigs they all wore.
There will be activities for children during the festivities, and there will be a dedication for a magnolia tree which was donated to the house by Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.
Not only is Meadow Garden celebrating the nation’s birthday, but it’s celebrating its 125th anniversary since the Daughters of the American Revolution saved it and turned it into a house museum.
Later this year, a coloring book will be released to help raise funds for the renovation of the upstairs of the home which is where the Waltons’ two sons would’ve lived.
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named best local writer by readers of Augusta Magazine in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
