Beloved Bethesda : A History of George Whitefield's Home for Boys

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.