The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-17
THE STORY OF OLD MIDWAY.
THE SETTLEMENT AND FORTUNES
OF THE HISTORIC COLONY.

people Who MADE lt FAMOUS and
,he Events That Have Transpired
within the Boundaries of the
parish-Narrative of "A Century and
a Half of Happenings Connected
with the Progress of Georgia.
Rev James Stacy of Newman has writ
zen q history of the Midway Congrega-
,i,ual church, in Liberty county which
has inst been published, and is an inter-
Sing narrative of one of the historical
institutions and places of the country.
The writer prepared the work during
his IDLE moments, and such scraps of time
ae he could afford TO take from otherwise
active and busy pastorate, but he has
written most interesting history. His rea-
sons for writing it are because the old
church has d history, many of the sources
If information concerning which are fast
rassing away and will soon be gone. Hav-
Inc recently been made historioghapher
nj the synod of Georgia, it fell naturally
within the sphere of the authors duty
ia undertake the task. The history of the
Midway people is interviewer with that
OF the Presbyterian Church in Georgia,
and The history of the one is, to a great
extent. that of the other.
The history of Midway dates back 80
Years In the early part of 1870 a com
p3ny of Puritan immigrants met in Ply
mouth England, with a view to emigrat-
ing 10 the new world. They came 10 Mas
sachusetts, and founded the town of Dor
chester Sixty-five years later some of
The colony having moved from Dorchester
10 Connecticut, reached the shores of
south Carolina and founded another Dor
chester. on the Ashley river. eighteen
miles from Charleston. There is very little
of history regarding the Carolina Church
and colony and there is not now a trace
Of the town which was said to have once
had a population of 1900 people, though
this is believed 10 be an overestimate. Aft
e. fftv-six years in South Carolina the
colony decided to move. The town was
sickly, on account of the low marshy
lands surrounding it, and besides, being
mostly an agricultural people The
colonists had become too much
creased, and fearing dispersion they
concluded to move and came to Geor-
eia finally settling at Midway.
The settlement was founded In Deem
Der. 1852 twenty years after Oglethorpe
landed 1t was the sixth and
last colony of any size that
entered the province. The first was
that under Oglethorpe; the second was
that of the Salzburgers, which settled
at Ebenezer; the third was that of the
Moravians, which settled between Savan-
nah and Ebenezer, and at the breaking
out of the Spanish war, went to Pennsyl-
vania; the fourth was that of the Scottish
Highlanders, which settled at Darien, then
New Inverness; the fifth was the second
band of SalZburgerS and MoraViaus with
which came the Wesleys.
The Midway colony settled on tract
Of land between the Midway and New
port rivers and at the headwaters of the
two streams, in what was afterward the
parish of st. Johns, and later Liberty
county, within easy reach of the road from
Savannah TO the Altamaha. The place was
low and swampy, with occasional high
knobs in the midst of low, malarial
sWamps At first no name was given
either to the church or community. They
were known singly as settlers on Midway
and Newport rivers" and their house OF
worship was known as THE Meeting
House" As the river was known as Med
way and the district soon became familiar
" known as the Midway district" the
church and community were sometimes
called by the one and sometimes by the
other. There has always been a diversity
OF opinion, Rev. Mr.. Stacey says, as 20
the true spelling and pronunciation of the
name. Even on the tombstones in the
Old hurying ground ii sometimes is spell
ed Midway" and sometimes Midway"
VA A log log house of worship sp2
sermon was preached i'm it in June of that
year. and the first communion was held in
september The church was of the Congre-
gauonal or Independent form. A couple of
years later another church was built. The
congregation continued 10 grow in num-
hers and strength Hntn tho revolutionary
period. In l778 the invasion from Florida
Resulted in he hrpaIxiDp Of . obIIrpb
'ne burning of the meeting house, the des
Uucuon of the farms, the dispersion Of the
People and the complete breaking up of the
community. The smoke of battle having
passed. away and peace declared the peo-
pie returned 10 their homes and commence
81 rebuilding their houses which had been
burned and 10 repair their farms, which
had been desOlated.
Ihe congregation was without a house
"i worship, but a coarse building was
''tcted which served its purpose until 1892,
"nen the building which still stands was
erected Among the pastors of the church
WIS the late Rev. !. 5. X. Arson, for
many years pastor of the Independent
'ourch in Savannah, who served the Mid
way congregation from his ordination in
INt' until 1853. Until his death in 1891,
w. ANson was held in the grea test esteem
W lhe people of Midway, and his memory
viii always be revered. Many distn-
,"ufch. Finally the church was dsmem-
pe'ed and the people OF WalthouryiIle, tif-
teen miles from Midway established
enufch of their own.
ne next great misfortune which befel
"HpWay was the general Decentralization
E1ieh came with the Federal army. just
Moore the fall of Savannah in December,
1.h Nlbatrick's Cavalry, in its circular
SWING made the old church with it's sacred
precincts, their camping ground for nearly
Nv" months, with the usual accompanying
instruction Private houses were entered,
pC' iSions were taken, silverware was
soith horses and stock carried away, fine
,'rtIA ges converted into wagons by cut
eus oil the tops, and a general reign of
,vLIer prevailed. The corner stone, laid In
S- Tor q monument in commemoration
u lao early settlement of the colony. was
r",'ftned and rihed of its contents. With
s,'"Ioad communication cut off, all the
.u ana supplies for miles around the
IuIeh having been taken. with every
Nurse gone. and all The cattle nios ana