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336:. In 1749, Whitefield campaigned for its legalization, arguing that the territory would never be prosperous unless farms were able to use slave labor. He began his fourth visit to America in 1751 advocating slavery, viewing its re-legalization in Georgia as necessary to make his plantation profitable. Partially through his campaigns and written pleas to the Georgia Trustees, it was re-legalized in 1751. Whitefield then purchased slaves to work at Bethesda Orphanage. To help raise money for the orphanage, he also employed slaves at his Providence Plantation. When Whitefield died, he bequeathed his slaves to the Countess of Huntingdon.
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290:. Whitefield called the orphanage Bethesda, which means "House of Mercy," for he hoped many acts of mercy would take place there. On March 25, 1740, construction began on the orphanage buildings. The main house was two stories high with twenty rooms. Two smaller buildings were built behind the orphanage; one was designed to be an infirmary and the other a workhouse.
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influence with a wholesome atmosphere and strong discipline. Boys were taught trades so that they could earn a living as adults. Younger children learned spinning and carding, and all boys were taught mechanics and agriculture. Whitefield hoped that the orphanage would become the foundation of a
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316:, a charitable sponsor in England. He asked her to maintain the orphanage under its existing principles, and establish a college. However, she was not able to provide the oversight from 3,000 miles (4,800 km) away, and the orphanage almost closed.
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Bethesda has not been an orphanage for many years, but continues to focus on youth in the greater
Savannah area. Bethesda is a private boarding and day school for boys in grades 6-12 and, in April 2011, the Bethesda Home for Boys was renamed
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In 1773, fire destroyed the home. Three years later, the
American Revolution stymied plans to add a college. After several administrative changes, a new building and society, the Bethesda Home for Boys was established on the same site.
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Robert V. Williams, “George
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to better reflect their mission and commitment to the education of young men. In 2015, Bethesda kicked off its 275th
Anniversary year.
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While the children grew most of the orphanage food, the enterprise was more expensive than anticipated, and
Whitefield went into debt.
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suggested that due to the scarcity of workmen and materials in
Georgia, it might be better to move the orphanage and its children to
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309:. Whitefield refused to move the orphanage because his contributors donated money specifically for the Georgia project.
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464:"National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Bethesda Home for Boys / Bethesda"
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494:"The Final Effort to Fulfill George Whitefield's Bequest: The Bethesda Mission of 1790-1792"
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Residential buildings on the
National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
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George
Whitefield: The Life and Times of the Great Evangelist of the Eighteenth Century
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Historic districts on the
National Register of Historic Places in Georgia (U.S. state)
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Pedlar in
Divinity: George Whitefield and the Transatlantic Revivals, 1737–1770
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At his death, Whitefield bequeathed the orphanage and his slaves to the
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Beloved Bethesda: A History of George Whitefield's Home for Boys
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Bethesda Academy 9520 Ferguson Avenue Savannah, Georgia 31406
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at Stuart A. Rose Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library
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National Register of Historic Places in Savannah, Georgia
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Whitefield wanted the orphanage to be a place of strong
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Buildings and structures in Chatham County, Georgia
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369:. (Philadelphia, The Westminster Press, 1942).
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259:. Its historic building was listed on the
661:History of slavery in Georgia (U.S. state)
271:It was founded in 1740 as an orphanage by
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37:U.S. National Register of Historic Places
374:Great Evangelical Preachers of Yesterday
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314:Selina Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon
410:"National Register Information System"
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636:Christianity in Georgia (U.S. state)
415:National Register of Historic Places
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261:National Register of Historic Places
360:Pulpit Giants; what made them great
656:Schools in Chatham County, Georgia
365:Macartney, Clarence Edward Noble.
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646:Organizations established in 1740
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651:Orphanages in the United States
641:History of Georgia (U.S. state)
362:. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1973).
582:Bethesda Home For Boys records
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112:Show map of the United States
498:Georgia Historical Quarterly
381:George Whitefield's Journals
18:United States historic place
492:Scott, John Thomas (2005).
328:In the early 18th century,
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541:Princeton University Press
203:NRHP reference
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577:Bethesda Academy website
185:Architectural style
598:State of Georgia portal
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172:650 acres (260 ha)
611:Bethesda Home for Boys
230:Bethesda Home for Boys
46:U.S. Historic district
613:at Wikimedia Commons
481:four photos from 1973
468:National Park Service
420:National Park Service
332:had been outlawed in
228:(previously known as
153:31.95944°N 81.09528°W
543:, 1993 pp. 204–205.
379:Whitefield, George.
324:Bethesda and slavery
358:Demaray, Donald E.
158:31.95944; -81.09528
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87:Show map of Georgia
559:Cashin, Edward J.
522:Dallimore, Arnold
219:September 12, 1973
609:Media related to
549:978-0-691-03296-2
303:Benjamin Franklin
288:colony of Georgia
276:George Whitefield
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188:Classical Revival
126:Savannah, Georgia
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298:university.
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234:boys' school
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122:Nearest city
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473:February 7,
240:located in
236:and former
156: /
132:Coordinates
620:Categories
393:References
273:evangelist
141:31°57′34″N
434:"Welcome"
295:Calvinist
263:in 1973.
251:, in the
238:orphanage
144:81°5′43″W
284:Savannah
257:Savannah
210:73000614
353:Sources
334:Georgia
330:slavery
267:History
255:, near
249:Georgia
232:) is a
193:Website
563:(2001)
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479:with
177:Built
545:ISBN
510:2018
475:2017
446:2011
280:acre
180:1870
169:Area
504:(4)
205:No.
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401:^
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
