SMYRNA, Georgia (SmyrnaVinings.News) — While most accounts of Georgia history start with James Oglethorpe, an upcoming lecture at the Smyrna Library will argue that a second person deserves just as much credit.
Dr. Michael Morris will present “Mary Musgrove (Coosaponakeesa): Georgia’s Forgotten Co-Founder” from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, in the library’s meeting room at 100 Village Green Cir SE, Smyrna, GA 30080. Admission is free, and light refreshments will be served.
Musgrove was born to a Creek mother and an English trader and spoke both languages. She served as a translator between the colonists and Creek leaders.
She also supplied the struggling settlement with livestock and food, and she supported Oglethorpe’s military efforts with Creek warriors from her networks. The lecture will trace her rise as an intermediary between two cultures and her eventual fall from prominence.
Morris holds a doctorate in history from Auburn University, with concentrations in early American and Native American history, particularly Southeastern cultures. Over more than two decades in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, he has worked to bring Native American history into foundational U.S. history courses.
The Friends of Smyrna Library is sponsoring the lecture with a grant from Georgia Humanities. The discussion is part of the Smyrna Library’s Semiquincentennial programming marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
For more information, please visit FriendsOfSmyrnaLibrary.com.
IF YOU GO
- What: “Mary Musgrove (Coosaponakeesa): Georgia’s Forgotten Co-Founder”
- Who: Presented by Dr. Michael Morris
- When: Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, 3-4 p.m.
- Where: Smyrna Public Library, Meeting Room, 100 Village Green Cir SE, Smyrna, GA 30080
- Cost: Free admission
- Sponsor: Friends of Smyrna Library with a grant from Georgia Humanities
- Refreshments: Light refreshments will be served
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