The Mother Church of Georgia & Washington's Southern Tour

Photo © 2010-2013 S. Lincecum

"On the original spot where the Colonists established a house of worship stands today the beautiful and classic proportions of Christ Church. Here Wesley preached and Whitefield exhorted -- the most gifted and erratic characters in the early settlement of Georgia." ¹

The edifice from 1838 stated the church building, founded in 1743, was destroyed by fire in 1796. After rebuilding, it was partially destroyed by a hurricane in 1804. It was later added that the church was again partially destroyed by fire, and the current structure was a rebuilding and improvement dating to 1897. The historical marker in Savannah's Johnson Square details this as the "current and third structure" designed by James Hamilton Couper.

Early and noteworthy members of the parish include William Scarborough, who built the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean; Dr. Theodosius Bartow, father of Col. Francis S. Bartow; Dr. George Jones, a U.S. senator; and R. R. Cuyler, a famous railroad pioneer.

George Washington attended services in the original Christ Church 15 May 1791.

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Footnote:

1. Pleasant A. Stovall, as quoted by Lucian Lamar Knight in Georgia's Landmarks, Memorials and Legends (pub. 1914).