Botsford Church - 1773
Burke County, Burke County, Georgia
Marker Inscription
Botsford Church - 1773. Botsford Church, Constituted in 1773 by the Rev. Edmund Botsford, was the second Baptist church in Georgia. Originally located 25 miles below Augusta, known as New Savannah Church, it was moved about 10 miles to this place after the Revolution. This building, erected about 1875, replaced the first church which burned. The old minute book contains a list of members and a resolution memorializing those who died in Confederate service. Rev. Botsford, born in England, a vigorous missionary, wrote: "In August, 1773, I rode 650 miles, preached 42 sermons & baptized 21 persons." 017-3 GEORGIA HISTORICAL COMMISSION 1954
Erected by Georgia Historical Commission
The Story
Constituted in 1773 by the English-born missionary Rev. Edmund Botsford, this congregation was the second Baptist church founded in Georgia. First established as New Savannah Church some twenty-five miles below Augusta, it moved about ten miles to this spot after the Revolution; the present building dates to around 1875, replacing an earlier church lost to fire. Botsford's own words survive in the record of a single 1773 month spent riding 650 miles, preaching dozens of sermons, and baptizing new members across the Georgia backcountry.
Why it matters
It marks the earliest reach of Baptist faith into colonial Georgia, when itinerant preachers helped plant the dissenting churches that would shape religious life across the American South.
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Related people
- · Rev. Edmund Botsford
Themes & tags
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