Petersburg, Georgia

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The dead town of Petersburg, Georgia was an upriver market located in Wilkes County, Georgia (now Elbert) County. Named after Petersburg, Virginia, it was founded by Dionysius Oliver in 1786 to serve the rapidly growing Broad River Valley region, and enjoyed a good connection with Augusta, Georgia via the Savannah River. Petersburg gained importance as a tobacco inspection, vital to local planters in obtaining good prices for their casked produce. During the peak of its prosperity, from 1800 to 1810, it was the third largest city in Georgia after Savannah and Augusta. From then the town declined and finally reverted to agricultural land. The last known sale of a numbered lot occurred in 1837. According to Georgia Place-Names, the Petersburg post office was moved to nearby Lisbon in 1844, and closed in 1855.

Several reasons have been advanced for the decline. The tobacco monopoly was squeezed out by cotton, which required no formal inspection and therefore tended to bypass the town. Other reasons given were the advent of steam boats (which were not practicable above Augusta), and an unhealthy climate in the town (the original plat described the property as "low land"). A constant theme in Coulter's book (see References below) is slow paying credit customers. Later, Petersburg's location convenient to its rivers worked against the construction of railroads essential for economic life after 1850. But above all the spirit of westward expansion powerfully attracted its inhabitants.

The town is best remembered today for its 'Petersburg boats', a pole boat of ten tons carrying capacity well suited for the stretch of river between Petersburg and Augusta, and in common use until well after the War.

1 Geography
2 Notable People and Places
3 External links
4 References

[edit] Geography

Upper Savannah River between Augusta and Petersburg, GA

Petersburg was located at 33°57'48"N, 82°34'13"W (WGS84/NAD83), at the confluence of the Broad and Savannah Rivers, 75 river miles above Augusta, and 305 river miles above Savannah. The 80 lots first laid out by Oliver occupied an area of about 40 acres. Population as reported by the U.S. Census of 1810 was 332, including slaves, and earlier may have numbered twice as many.

The site is now mostly submerged by Clarks Hill Lake, but visitors to Bobby Brown State Park can see foundations during low water. Maritime historians and archaeologists conducted a multidisciplinary investigation on the submerged ruins of the town in 1988.

[edit] Notable People and Places

Nearby, smaller towns were Lisbon, Georgia, and Vienna, South Carolina. These have also disappeared.

A few miles away, Willington, South Carolina was home to Moses Waddel's Academy. Established in 1804, this classical prep school trained a generation of distinguished South Carolina leaders including Hugh S. Legaré, John C. Calhoun, A. P. Butler, George McDuffie, and James L. Petigru. Waddell later became President of the University of Georgia.

Elijah Clarke, the Revolutionary War hero, retired to the Broad River Valley and died there in 1799.

William Wyatt Bibb practiced medicine in Petersburg, and was a U. S. Representative from Georgia. He went on to serve in the U.S. Senate 1813-1816. He later moved to Alabama as the Territorial Governor, and in 1819 was elected as the first Governor of that state.

Charles Tait was brought with his family to the area in 1783 and served in the U.S. Senate 1809-1818, making Petersburg the home of concurrent Senators.

George Rockingham Gilmer, born in Wilkes County and another pupil of Waddel's Academy, was U. S. Representative in the 1820's and Governor of Georgia 1829-1831 and 1837-1839.