Plan Von Neu Ebenezer
Date1747
Cartographer
George Matthaus Seutter (1678-1757)
Engraver
Tobias Conrad Lotter
(1717 - 1777)
MediumBlack and white line engraving with period hand color on laid paper
DimensionsOH: 20 7/8" x OW: 23 7/8"; Plate H: 19 7/8" x W: 22 3/4"
Credit LineMuseum Purchase
Object number1986-110
DescriptionThis map depicts the plan of Ebenezer, a German settlement on the Savannah River. The adjacent map depicts southeast Georgia. These maps are also accompanied by a diagram of a water mill.The cartouche on the Ebenezer plan reads: "PLAN/ Von Neu/ EBEN=/ EZER/ verlegt von/ MATTH. SEUTTER/ Kayser & Geogr./ in Augspurg."
The lower margin of the the Georgia map reads: "T.C. Lotter sculps. Aug. Vind."
Label TextThe prohibition of slavery was an attractive feature of the new Georgia colony for a group of Lutherans from Salzburg. In 1734, seventy-eight Salzburgers arrived in Georgia and settled about twenty-one miles above Savannah. Poor soil and limited accessibility to the river forced them to choose another site two years later, called New Ebenezer. During their first year in the new location, they built over sixty houses and an orphanage. By 1740, they produced enough flour from their mill to supply the entire Georgia colony. At its most prosperous period, in the 1770s, the settlement was known for its silk production.
Perhaps more than any other ethnic group settling in America, the Salzburgers held tightly to their cultural heritage and preferred not to associate with Indians, slaves, or even other Europeans.
Exhibition(s)
1809 (dated)
June 10, 1775
