IS SERVED HISTORY

en. James Edward Oglethorpe. Wesleyan College in Macon. Nancy Hart. Old Capitol in Milledgeville. On their own, each is an excerpt of Georgia’s history. Put together on commemorative plates, these scenes depict people and places who shaped the history of our state.

In 1933, the Transylvania Club of Sandersville, Georgia, led by Louise Irwin, sponsored a set of plates in observance of the club’s 25th anniversary and Georgia’s bicentennial. Produced originally by Wedgwood, the plates have been used at the Governor’s Mansion, in the White House and by members of England’s royal family.

In 1974, they were named the official historical plates of Georgia by the state legislature. They remain popular collectors’ items today.

“Sales for the plates have remained steady over the years. Families in the Middle Georgia area, where the plates originated, inherit Georgia Plates from parents and grandparents. The nostalgia associated with the plates, whether through decorative or dining ware, keeps the love for the plates continuing through generations,” said Deana Bibb, Georgia Plate marketing chair for the Transylvania Club.

For many families, the plates have made their way off dusty china cabinets and into daily rotation.

“For years, my plates lived in my china cabinets and were generally brought out only for special occasions, but as I have gotten older, I have come to appreciate that china is meant to be used and enjoyed on a daily basis, so they have graduated from being on display to being a real part of our lives,” said Anne Brooker of Sandersville, who got her first set of plates as a high school graduation gift in 1989.

Dianne Mathis, a longtime collector and friend of the plates’ original designer, explained why so many have fallen in love with these slices of history.

“These plates pulsate with life as they tell the state’s history, emphasizing the valor of many heroes while reminding historians of our state’s agricultural products,” she said, adding that the plates’ borders feature cotton, peaches, long-leaf pine and other agricultural symbols.

Belleek Pottery in Northern Ireland is now the producer of the plates, which continue to be sold in Sandersville as well as online at gaplates.com. The income from the sale of Georgia Plates supports a variety of causes on behalf of the Transylvania Club.