Exhibit: "Tracing Footsteps: Austin Dabney's Revolutionary Life in Georgia's Records"

The Georgia Archives opens a new exhibit, “Tracing Footsteps: Austin Dabney’s Revolutionary Life in Georgia’s Records”, on view January 3 through April 18, 2026, at the Georgia Archives, 5800 Jonesboro Road, Morrow, GA 30260.

The exhibit traces the documentary trail of Austin Dabney, an enslaved man who joined a Georgia regiment during the Revolutionary War and suffered severe wounds. In the years after the war, Dabney was recognized for his military service and was freed by an act of the Georgia legislature in 1786. Using records preserved by the Georgia Archives, visitors can explore how Dabney’s life appears in historical documents and what those records reveal about the Revolutionary era in Georgia.

“Tracing Footsteps” invites the public to engage with the power and limits of the historical record. The exhibit brings together materials that document Dabney’s service and later recognition, and asks visitors to consider how individuals are recorded, remembered, and sometimes obscured in official paperwork, and what it takes to reconstruct a life from surviving evidence.

The Georgia Archives presents the exhibit as part of its broader programming for America’s 250th anniversary, offering opportunities for visitors, educators, and lifelong learners to connect Georgia history to the national story through primary sources. Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.