George Walton (1749 - 1804), a signer of the Declaration of Independence, was a patriot, soldier, statesman, jurist, and Freemason. Born a Virginian, he became a Georgian in about 1770 and was an early leader in the Liberty Movement in Savannah. He served as a colonel in the Revolutionary Army, a member of the 2nd Continental Congress, Chief Justice of Georgia from 1783 to 1786, United States Senator from 1795 to 1796, Governor of Georgia in 1779 and 1789, a state legislator, a Superior Court judge, and a trustee of the Academy of Richmond County, Augusta, and of the State University at Athens. Named in his honor are Walton County and two Masonic lodges: Walton No. 200 in Jasper County, Georgia, and George Walton No. 699 in Augusta, Georgia. His last home, Meadow Garden, stands here, and his remains are buried here in Augusta. After shedding his blood for American liberty, he devoted the rest of his life to establishing civil government in his state and nation. An active and faithful member of Solomon's Lodge No. 1, F. and A.M. of Savannah, Georgia, he has long been held in highest veneration by the Freemasons of Georgia.