Bethseda Home for Boys

Bethesda Timeline

1740 - Founded by George Whitefield and James Habersham

1750 - St. Georgia Society founded for social and benevolent purposes by Peter Tondee and Richard Milledge (both of whom were among the original 1740 Bethesda orphans) and Benjamin Sheftall and "two others unknown".  Later became the Union Society of Georgia.

1770 - George Whitefield died, leaving Bethesda and his estate to friend, Selina Hastings, the Countess of Huntingdon.
 
1773 - The main house of Bethesda was destroyed by fire

1791 - The Countess died and the Georgia legislature confiscated the orphanage and placed it under the direction of a board of thirteen trustees. 

1801 -  With the establishment of the Savannah Home for Girls in 1801, Bethesda limited its work to boys only.

1805 - A second fire devastated Bethesda, followed by a hurricane

1808 - The Georgia legislature sells the orphanage.

1854 - The Union Society purchased 125 acres of the original Bethesda tract and establishes the Bethesda Farm School.

1859 - An additional 265 acres were added to Bethesda, nearly approximating the original 500 acres.

1870 - The cornerstone of the main building was laid .

1883 - A west wing to the main building was erected and today it is the oldest in the Bethesda complex

1885 - The Chatham County Board of Education took charge of the Bethesda School, but later discontinued.

1895 - An east wing was constructed .

1916 - The National Society of Colonial Dames of American in the State of Georgia laid the cornerstone for a non-sectarian chapel in memory of George Whitefield, which is a reproduction of his church in England. 

1938 - The renown gateway arch is built on the Bethesda campus.

1940 - Bethesda celebrates its bicentennial

1990 -  Bethesda celebrates  its sesquicentennial

1992 - Bethesda Day School is established, grades 1 - 8.

2004 - Bethesda School moves to the newly built Dick Eckburg Educational Center.

2005 - Bethesda School graduates its first high school class