Ebenezer, Georgia
Encyclopedia
Ebenezer, also known as New Ebenezer, is a ghost town
in Effingham County
, Georgia
, United States
, along the banks of Ebenezer Creek
. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
as Ebenezer Townsite and Jerusalem Lutheran Church in 1974.
It was established in 1734 by 150 Salzburger Protestants who had been expelled from the Archbishopric of Salzburg
in present-day Austria
by edict (see Salzburg#Religious conflict). Ebenezer was moved closer to the Savannah River
in 1736, and at its new location many silk mills were opened. The Salzburgers' pastor, the Reverend Johann Martin Boltzius, sought to build "a religious utopia
on the Georgia frontier." That idea was very successful for a time, and the economy thrived. Jerusalem Lutheran Church was completed in 1769.
But, after the British invasion of 1778 during the American Revolutionary War
, the town was severely damaged. It never fully recovered, although it briefly served as the capital of Georgia in 1782. It was made the county seat of Effingham County in 1797, but two years later the seat was transferred to Springfield
, taking much county business with it. By the time Ebenezer was abandoned in 1855, the town covered only 1/4 square mile. The Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church is one of the few buildings that survives in Ebenezer.
The Ebenezer Townsite and Jerusalem Lutheran Church were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
on December 4, 1974. The New Ebenezer Camp, established 1977, is located in former Ebenezer.
One of the more notable people from Ebenezer was John Adam Treutlen, the first state governor of Georgia.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Effingham County
Effingham County, Georgia
Effingham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. In the United States Census of 2000, the population was 37,535. The Census Bureau's 2008 estimate estimates that this figure has grown to 52,060. The seat of Effingham County is Springfield....
, Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, along the banks of Ebenezer Creek
Ebenezer Creek
Ebenezer Creek is a location in Georgia where hundreds of freed black slaves were abandoned during General Sherman's march during the American Civil War. After the army had crossed over on pontoons the commander in charge of the crossing, BG Jefferson C. Davis, cut them loose, leaving the escaped...
. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
as Ebenezer Townsite and Jerusalem Lutheran Church in 1974.
It was established in 1734 by 150 Salzburger Protestants who had been expelled from the Archbishopric of Salzburg
Archbishopric of Salzburg
The Archbishopric of Salzburg was an ecclesiastical State of the Holy Roman Empire, its territory roughly congruent with the present-day Austrian state of Salzburg....
in present-day Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
by edict (see Salzburg#Religious conflict). Ebenezer was moved closer to the Savannah River
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
in 1736, and at its new location many silk mills were opened. The Salzburgers' pastor, the Reverend Johann Martin Boltzius, sought to build "a religious utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
on the Georgia frontier." That idea was very successful for a time, and the economy thrived. Jerusalem Lutheran Church was completed in 1769.
But, after the British invasion of 1778 during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
, the town was severely damaged. It never fully recovered, although it briefly served as the capital of Georgia in 1782. It was made the county seat of Effingham County in 1797, but two years later the seat was transferred to Springfield
Springfield, Georgia
Springfield is a city in Effingham County, Georgia, United States. The population was 2,520 at the 2010 census. The city is the county seat of Effingham County .Springfield is part of the Savannah Metropolitan Statistical Area.-History:...
, taking much county business with it. By the time Ebenezer was abandoned in 1855, the town covered only 1/4 square mile. The Jerusalem Evangelical Lutheran Church is one of the few buildings that survives in Ebenezer.
The Ebenezer Townsite and Jerusalem Lutheran Church were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
on December 4, 1974. The New Ebenezer Camp, established 1977, is located in former Ebenezer.
One of the more notable people from Ebenezer was John Adam Treutlen, the first state governor of Georgia.