{"nrhp_refnum":"73000614","name":"Bethesda Home for Boys","other_names":["Bethesda"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"S of Savannah at Ferguson Ave. and Bethesda Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Savannah","county":"Chatham County","state":"GA","lat":31.963664833500076,"lon":-81.09274821305246,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-09-12","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Education","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Bethesda Home for Boys is a historic orphanage district of about 650 acres south of Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia. It was founded in 1740 by George Whitefield, and the main surviving structure dates from 1870.","why_significant":"The nomination presents Bethesda as the first charity in America and the oldest existing orphanage, which has operated as a home for orphaned children since 1740 apart from brief interruptions. It is also tied to the Rev. George Whitefield and to the Union Society, which has administered it since 1854. Areas of significance are education, social/humanitarian history and architecture.","narrative":"Bethesda Home for Boys is an orphanage campus of roughly 650 acres south of Savannah, Georgia. George Whitefield laid its first brick on March 25, 1740, to shelter destitute children, and it is described as the first charity in America and the oldest existing orphanage. Fires in 1773 and 1805 destroyed the first two main buildings, and a permanent structure was completed in 1870. Its center section has since been removed, leaving two two-story wings divided by a courtyard. A 1968 administration building occupies the approximate site of Whitefield's original house, and a small neo-classical brick chapel from 1925 is among the notable buildings. After a period of ruin and state or city control, the Union Society bought the tract in 1854 and has administered it since. Over 8,000 boys have been helped. The complex is largely self-contained, with residences, a gym, a cafeteria, shops and recreation facilities, and it was listed for its humanitarian, educational and historical importance.","period_of_significance":"18th and 19th centuries (specific date 1740)","architect_builder":"No architect discovered; a \"Mr. Day\" was recruited from England for the original construction","architectural_style":"Neo-classical (1925 chapel); 1870 three-story pedimented building","criteria":[],"status_note":"Occupied and in use as a boys' orphanage, in excellent condition and altered; about eighty-eight boys in residence in 1973.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:41.064858-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_GA/73000614.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000614/622946b46d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000614/622946b46d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ebyabe","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GA_Savannah_Bethesda_Home_Whitefield_Chapel02.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Ebyabe</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GA_Savannah_Bethesda_Home_Whitefield_Chapel02.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/93207271","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethesda_Academy","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4897981"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/georgia/chatham-county/bethesda-home-for-boys-73000614/"}