DAR members tour historic sites

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Members of Governor David Emanuel – Adam Brinson Chapter NSDAR recently enjoyed a trip to visit historic sites in Screven County. One of the sites visited was the Seaborn Goodall House, known locally as the Dell-Goodall House. Built in 1815 in Jacksonboro, a former town that was the county seat of Screven County from 1797 to 1847, it is a Plantation Plain-style house. Seaborn Goodall was the son of Pleasant Goodall, a Revolutionary soldier who fought at Brier Creek. The local legend of the house is quite interesting. In 1821, Rev. Lorenzo Dow came to Jacksonboro but was met by those who were not interested in hearing the gospel. When Dow held a meeting at a local church, the crowd that had gathered outside began to throw pieces of brick and stone through the windows. Goodall rescued Dow from the mob and harbored him in his home. The next day as Dow left town, he crossed the bridge over Beaver Dam Creek, stopped, and put a curse on the town asking God to destroy the town except for the Goodall House. Within a few years, the town had deteriorated and only the Goodall House remains today. The house was eventually acquired by the Brier Creek Chapter NSDAR and restored. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 17, 1977.

The group also enjoyed touring Brier Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield. Located on land that is now a part of the Tuckahoe Wildlife Management Area, the Battle of Brier Creek took place on March 3, 1779, near the intersection of Brier Creek and the Savannah River. A great deal of work has been done by the Brier Creek Revolutionary War Battlefield Association to identify unmarked burial locations and erect signage telling the story of the battle. The battlefield was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020.