The Thatcher Brothers (1913)

The Founders of Lynchburg

Lynchburg Georgia was founded in 1812 by the three Thatcher brothers.  Oliver, Alfred and Lewis were disheartened prospectors that had come to Georgia in search of gold.  Soon after settling the area, other prospectors followed.

Most of the new settlers were friends and family of the Thather brothers, but in 1814 a lone female came to town and would forever change the history.

Tammy Gardner

There are no records showing where Tammy Gardner came from.  It was belived that she was a prostitute and became quite wealty in the small town whose population was only men.

In 1822 there was an unusually cold winter. The supply lines to Lynchburg were cut off. In the spring of 1823 a new group of prospectors arrived finding Sally Gardner alive, but the rest of the town was missing.

Believing her to be guilty of cannibalism she was hung.

Tammy Gardner (1820)

The Potter Plantation (1860)

Lynchburg Grows

By 1860 the town had grown into a thriving city by supplying westbound travelers with supplies for the California goldrush of 1849.

The town had a population of 126 which included 33 slaves.

Like many southern towns, Lynchburg lost many young men and boys to the civil war.

Lynchburg during Civil War (1863)

The Lynchburg Lynchings (1864)

In 1864 word came that General Sherman was on his way with plans to burn the city of Lynchburg to the ground and set all it’s slaves free.

Not to give Sherman the satisfaction, some of the town’s citizens took matters into their own hands and set fire to the town themselves.

Then in one of Lynchburg’s darkest moments, the town’s citizens hung and massacred their own slaves instead of letting the Northern Army let them go free.

Sherman and his troops never came through Lynchburg.  In fact they passed by 50 miles to the east on their way to Atlanta.

Soon after the war carpet baggers from the north arrived in the city and began buying up the devastated town for 2 cents on the dollar.

The Potter Plantation Ruins (1867)

Lynchburg Today

Today Lynchburg is once again a small thriving southern town.

It's economic base is much the same as it was in the mid-1800s, devoted to serving tourist.