Revolutionary road

As usual on our travels, we stayed off the interstates, and dawdled our way south on the scenic highways. And as equally usual, this brought us an unexpected bonus.

We passed through a small town, and noticed an elegant cemetery set back from the road behind an old brick wall (rare enough), and the gravestones interspersed with oaks, all dripping with Spanish moss. It looked lovely. We turned around a half mile or so down the road, then drove back, looking for a place to park, so that we could explore the cemetery. We saw a sign for a museum, and turned into their car park. No sooner had we switched off the engine and starting collecting camera equipment, when there was a sharp knock on the door. I eased open the door,  fearing the worst…

"Hello, I'm the tour guide here, and I'm just about to start a tour of the church. Come along."
"Well I, just…we…."
"Oh come on, no time to talk about it now. I have another young man waiting. Come on."
"Well, okay…we…."
"Out!"
"Sorry, yes. Coming."

And we are so glad we did -  wonderful tour of an 18th Century church in the town of Midway, a church that was originally sited to point the way towards and indicate the prosperity of the town of Sunbury. Now better known as the lost town of Sunbury, or the Dead Town.

As well as burning the original version of the church at Midway, the British Army also commandeered the town of Sunbury in 1779 and turned it into a prisoner-of-war camp. Oops. The town, once as prosperous as Savannah, never recovered (especially after the Union Army razed it in the Civil War 100 years later).

We were also given a fascinating tour of the plantation house just behind the church, and their fascinating collection of furniture and household items. All in all, a very happy accident. We never did get to see the cemetery!