Beloved Bethesda
A History of George Whitefield’s Home for Boys
by Edward J. Cashin

George Whitefield, "the Grand Itinerant" changed the religious character of colonial America more than any of his contemporaries. Few Americans today realize that the religious history of the United States would be different if it had not been for the institution Whitefield loved and called his "beloved Bethesda." Bethesda is a home and school for Georgia’s orphans. Few Georgians are aware of the ways Bethesda affected the economic and social history of the state. For example, Bethesda sustained the state during the dark years of 1740 to 1742 when Spanish invaders threatened the infant colony. Because of Bethesda’s precarious financial situation, Whitefield became a major force in bringing plantation slavery to Georgia.

Whitefield’s "Beloved Bethesda" has seen its graduates take their places in leadership positions throughout the state, and Savannah’s residents have sustained the institution. In that respect, the story of Bethesda is also a history of Savannah.

Edward J. Cashin earned his Ph.D. in history at Fordham University. He has lived in Georgia for more than thirty years, and has served as chairman of the history department at Augusta State University. He currently serves as director of the Center for the Study of Georgia History at Augusta State. His many publications include Colonial Augusta (which was published by Mercer University Press, Old Springfield: Race and Religion in Augusta, Georgia, and William Bartram and the American Revolution on the Southern Frontier. His books have received numerous honors, including the E. Merton Coulter Award for excellence in writing Georgia history from the Georgia Historical Society, the Governor’s Award in the Humanities, and the Hugh McCall Award for excellence in writing Georgia history, presented by the Georgia Association of Historians.

Titles of related interest

The Stem of Jesse: The Costs of Community
at a 1960s Southern School
Will D. Campbell.
0-86554-449-2, H356, $25.00t, Hardback.

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