Petersburg town began as a market in Wilkes County, Georgia, United States. The town, which was founded by Dionysius Oliver and named after Petersburg, Virginia, was established in 1786 to serve the rapid growth of the Broad River Valley region of Georgia. The growth of the town was highly felt not knowing that one day it would be deserted and disowned.

History of the town

Dionysius Oliver arrived in Wilkes County in 1786 and settled in the area, where he established a trading post. Many of the local tobacco farmers used the trading point because they enjoyed the high prices at which their tobacco produce was purchased. As a result, the town grew slowly and steadily, reaching its peak between 1800 and 1810. Petersburg was Georgia's third-largest city, trailing only Savannah and Augusta. Two warehouses, shops, and some stores were built in the area to help in tobacco inspection. At its peak, Petersburg had more homesteads than business premises. In 1783, Charles Tait relocated to the town with his family. He would later become a senator in the US Senate. The efforts of Tait made Petersburg be home to several other senators.

Post-revolutionary war

After the revolutionary war, a sharp decline was recorded in major developing towns in the USA. Petersburg was not an exception and by 1810, the population had reduced to almost half of its original population. By the fall of 1840, Petersburg town was completely deserted and its former structures that once hosted hundreds of residents were abandoned. As usual, some residents still resided in the townsite with cotton farming as their main economic activity. This was after tobacco farming became expensive. The few that were still engaged in the tobacco business used boats to transport their produce to other towns. Petersburg's decline was also influenced by the river valley. Due to the town's highly undulating terrain, connecting it to other neighboring towns via railroad was difficult and expensive. The majority of the residents relocated to the west of town, where there was a large amount of undeveloped and unclaimed land. By 1944, the post office had been relocated to Lisbon town, and the town had been declared a ghost town by 1955.

Unforgiving Clarks Hill Lake

Petersburg is currently submerged under Clarks Hill Lake. The ravaging waters of Clarks Hill Lake overwhelmed the town's structures after years of abandonment. The floods destroyed the majority of the buildings, and those that survived were submerged in the lake. Today, Bobby Brown State Park charges a fee for tours of the townsite. Simply be cautious when visiting the townsite, as life-threatening accidents are common.