It is hard to believe that the wood-frame church before you was built in 1792. With its symmetry and graceful lines, it looks as if it belongs on the banks of the Potomac, a reminder of the wealthiest planter class. In truth, Midway was founded by prosperous planters from South Carolina’s Dorchester region. They brought with them enslaved labor, rice and indigo culture, and the means to build an enduring community.

Slavery had been banned in the early Georgia colony, but that prohibition was lifted in 1751. Soon after, South Carolina planters poured into the Georgia lowcountry, reshaping the economy and politics. By the 1750s, sixty planters and their enslaved people dominated this new frontier. Midway grew from a 31,950-acre land grant designed to serve as a buffer against Creek tribes and the Spanish. The congregation’s first church was built in 1752, with a cemetery just across the road.

Midway’s settlers were strong supporters of independence. In 1775, Lyman Hall, a member of the church, was sent to the Continental Congress, where he signed the Declaration of Independence. Nathan Brownson, another resident, also served in the Continental Congress. Their loyalty to the patriot cause came at a high cost. In 1778, the British sacked Midway, destroying farms and burning the church to the ground.

It took fourteen years before another sanctuary rose on the same site. Completed in 1792, the present structure has stood ever since as a symbol of survival. With its galleries once reserved for enslaved worshipers and its pews polished by centuries of devotion, it tells both the story of privilege and of struggle. Today, Midway Congregational and its cemetery form part of the Midway Historic District, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973. It remains one of Georgia’s most treasured colonial landmarks.