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John Wesley (1703-1791)

Chatham County · dedicated 1958 · Located in the parking lot near the visitor center of Fort Pulaski National Monument, off U.S. 80 east of Savannah on Tybee Island.

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On February 6, 1736, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, landed at Peeper (now Cockspur) Island near here and there preached to his fellow voyagers his first sermon on American soil. A monument has been erected on Cockspur Island to commemorate the event. Sent to Georgia by the Trustees as missionary, Wesley was the third minister of the Established Church (Anglican) in the colony. He preached in the scattered settlements of Georgia, journeying thither by boat and over Indian trails. Wesley returned to England in 1737 after differences with his parishioners. "I shook off the dust of my feet and left Georgia," he wrote, "having preached the Gospel there (not as I ought, but as I was able) one year and nearly nine months."

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This marker is part of the Georgia Historical Marker Program, administered by the Georgia Historical Society. Marker texts and locations come from the Society's own marker database.

More markers nearby

Cockspur Island Lighthouseunder 1 mi
The Waving Girlunder 1 mi
History of Emancipation: Gen. David Hunter and General Orders No. 7under 1 mi
Fort Pulaskiunder 1 mi