What is the 18th century Georgia town whose name was proclaimed by James Oglethorpe, following a violent act of nature?

joezhou300

Savannah Apr 18 05, 9:08 PM

lanfranco

If I'm remembering correctly, Dr. Oglethorpe and the crew/passengers of The Ann were forced to land where they had not intended by a storm sometime in the early 1730's. The site became Savannah. I must say that I had trouble finding detailed and consistent sites on this: http://www.ourgeorgiahistory.com/chronpop/1805 Apr 18 05, 9:24 PM

robboy

Ah, you're on the right track, lanfranco, as a storm had a bunch to do with it, and the locale is very close by Savannah. Savannah is named for the river, from the language of the local Yamacraw or Creek tribes, and brother James was wise enough to leave that alone. The town in question was named by Oglethorpe by pure inspiration on his part. Apr 18 05, 9:42 PM

peasypod

Just a stab, but would it be Ebenezer? Known as the 'Stone of Help' by pastors who recommended the name to Oglethorpe. Apparently the Georgia Salzburger pastors read texts praising God for deliverance after a severe storm at sea nearing the end of their Atlantic voyage on the ship Purysburg. Amongst these texts was a passage from Samuel referring to the Eben-ezer stone. After becoming ship-wrecked they landed safely in Savannah and Oglethorpe granted them land about 25 miles north, in a swamp on a creek bordering Uchee Indians. This was then known as Ebenezer. Apr 18 05, 10:35 PM

robboy

No, ma'am, Miss Peasy, but Ebenezer was laid out for the same reasons as my town. As I said, it was an 'Act of God', so you might want to think simile or metaphor. You'll smack yourself on your pretty head when you get it. Apr 19 05, 4:10 AM

lanfranco

Well, I started out looking for an Ararat (there is one in Virginia), and discovered that Georgia has a town called Noah. I couldn't find much information about it, however. I'll just suggest it as a possibility. Apr 19 05, 8:35 AM

robboy

I'm not sure how you arrived at flooding and such, but there are different kinds of storms. Some produce the darndest fireworks this side of Hell. Apr 19 05, 2:47 PM

jbean

Thunderbolt, GA Apr 19 05, 3:57 PM

robboy

Finally, like a shot out of the blue. Good job, jb. Story goes that it was named by Oglethorpe following a thunderstorm where lightning struck a boulder in half, causing a stream to flow (which continues to this day) and the smell of the water is intensely sulfurous. Following describes it in better detail. http://sherpaguides.com http://sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/northern_coast/thunderbolt_isle_of_hope_skidaway.html">www.sherpaguides.com/georgia/coast/northern_coast/thunderbolt Apr 19 05, 6:21 PM

peasypod

Thankyou jbean for helping me to smack myself in the head. According to Oglethorpe, the town was named after "a rock which was here shattered by a thunderbolt, causing a spring to gush from the ground, which continued ever afterward to emit the odor of brimstone." Apr 19 05, 6:23 PM

peasypod

....obviously not quick enough of robboy's nimble fingers. Apr 19 05, 6:25 PM