The Savannah morning news., 1904-03-24

marking cellars of the stores Every
vestige of settlement has disappeared,
and where this thriving city once stood
is now one of the finest farms in our
up-country, owned by Mr.. Cade.
The Site of Lisbon.
Just across Broad river in Lincoln
county, is the site of another and rival
city, Lisbon, and which, like unto
Petersburg, has vanished from the
very face of the earth. Across the Sa-
Vannah, on the South Carolina side,
also stood Vienna, and the site of
which once-thriYing town is now only
marked by sunked spots and brick
bats.
But on the banks of Broad river, at
Petersburg, is still seen a large grave
yard, with handsome and imposing
monuments, concealed by a dense
growth of shrubbery many of which
tombs are half buried in the rich soil,
or lie prone upon the earth. On those
old monuments you can read the names
of men who helped carve their great
country from a wilderness, and helped
to form its history.
petersburg once not only rivalled, but
surpassed Augusta as a business and
trading center, and threatened to nm
dermine and destroy the prestige of
the latter place. This was when to-
pacco and indigo were our chief money
crops, and long before the introduce
ton of cotton. At that time Peters
burg claimed to be at the head of navi-
cation on the Savannah, and was for
the small and crude boats used in those
days. -
In Ante-BelIum Days.
All the surrounding country as far
north as the Indian reservation, would
bring their tobacco and other products
TO market there, the tobacco being
| placed in hogsheads, with shafts at
tached, and thus rolled into market.
| with horse or STEER Petersburg was
considered a much better market than
Augusta, and would attract trade from
near the gates of that town. Vienna
and Lisbon aspired to rival Petersburg.
and while they both grew into impor-
tant trading points, the first named
place held it's prestige as the princi-
pal metropolis.
But with the introduction of cotton.
and which supplanted tobacco, the
business of Petersburg began to de-
! cline, and her rival down the Savan-
nah to grow and expand. One by one
her stores were closed, and the pop
ulation gradually disappeared, until
! the place was left without an inhab-
| liant: and was then abandoned and
transformed into a farm. During the
war, when boy, 1 remember seeing
number of old ranshackle houses
standing in Petersburg, but the last
one has rotted down or was DESTROYED
! by fire.
Three Dead Towns.
1t is a sad pilgrimage now to visit
the sites of these three dead towns,
and hear the "Gee-Haw'' of the negro
as he guides his plow over what was
once teeming hive of busy life
| One reason given for the abandon
ment of Petersburg is that it proved
to be very sickly locality, and
was subject to malarial diseases.
Probably this is true, but the generally
accepted story is that, like unto many
| of our Southern farmers, Petersburg
owes its ruin to too much cotton.
The Introduction of larger boats,
and which could not come higher up
the river than Augusta, doubtless
fastened its decay.
But there is now a probability of
two new railroads, one from Spar
/ tanburs. S. T., to Macon, and
another from Elberton to Augusta. be-
ing built through old Petersburg,
! and If these enterprises are consum-
mated, we may yet see this old dead
town rise from its desolation and
ruins, and again become an important
! business center.