Midway is a city in Liberty County,

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, United States. It is a part of the Hinesville-

Fort Stewart Fort Stewart is a United States Army post in the U.S. state of Georgia. It lies primarily in Liberty and Bryan counties, but also extends into smaller portions of Evans, Long, and Tattnall Counties. The nearby city of Hinesville, along with ...

metropolitan statistical area. The population was 2,141 in 2020. Midway has several museums, including the Midway Museum and the Dorchester Academy Museum. The Midway Historic District is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

Midway's history dates back to the 18th century.

Puritans The Puritans were English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries who sought to rid the Church of England of what they considered to be Roman Catholic practices, maintaining that the Church of England had not been fully reformed and should b ...

migrated to St. John's Parish, Georgia, from Dorchester, South Carolina, in 1752 and established several settlements, including what became the Midway community. The Council of Georgia granted them , as colonial officials wanted a large number of settlers in the area to help protect them from the Creek Indians. The original Midway settlers were primarily

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

planters and developed a strong agricultural economy, aided by the 1,500

slaves Slavery is the ownership of a person as property, especially in regards to their labour. Slavery typically involves compulsory work, with the slave's location of work and residence dictated by the party that holds them in bondage. Enslavemen ...

they brought from South Carolina. The city of Midway was incorporated in 1925. In 1973, the Midway Historic District, encompassing the Midway Congregational Church and Cemetery, the Midway Museum, and the Old Sunbury Road, was added to the

Geography

Midway is located in eastern Liberty County at (31.799873, -81.412298). The current city limits include the former unincorporated community of Dorchester. The city limits extend east to include Exit 76 on

Interstate 95 Interstate 95 (I-95) is the main north–south Interstate Highway on the East Coast of the United States, running from U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Miami, Florida, north to the Houlton–Woodstock Border Crossing between Maine and the ...

, at the eastern terminus of U.S. Route 84. Via I-95 it is northeast to

Savannah A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) biome and ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach th ...

and south to Brunswick. US 84 leads west from I-95 through Midway to Hinesville, the Liberty

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

. To the east from I-95, Islands Highway continues to Colonels Island among the Atlantic coastal marshes. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, Midway has a total area of , of which , or 0.04%, are water.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 2,141 people, 615 households, and 457 families residing in the city.

Industry

Midway has an industrial park with nine manufacturing facilities. In 2007,

Target Corporation Target Corporation is an American retail corporation that operates a chain of discount department stores and hypermarkets, headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the seventh-largest retailer in the United States, and a component of th ...

opened a regional distribution center, with two sections to the facility being present: Tradeport East and Tradeport West

Culture

The Midway Museum is home to documents, exhibits, and furnishings associated with the Midway Society from the Colonial period through its last meeting in December 1865. The Midway Museum was Georgia's first colonial museum.

Lemonade stand shutdown

In July 2011 Midway received national attention after city police shut down a lemonade stand run by young girls attempting to earn money for a waterpark trip. Police and city officials maintained the girls were required to obtain a

business license Business licenses are permits issued by government agency, government agencies that allow individuals or companies to conduct business within the government's geographical jurisdiction. It is the authorization to start a business issued by the loc ...

. Neighboring Richmond Hill allowed the girls to set up their lemonade stand at its first

farmer's market A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

later that month.

In the media

The 2014 award-winning independent film ''A Promise'' was filmed in Liberty County. In 1980 key scenes for the Italian horror film '' City of the Living Dead'' were shot within Midway Cemetery across the road from Midway Congregational Church.

Education

Public education A state school, public school, or government school is a primary school, primary or secondary school that educates all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in part by taxation and operated by the government of the state. State-f ...

is provided by the Liberty County School System. Public schools located in Midway are: * Liberty Elementary School (grades K through 5) * Midway Middle School (grades 6 through 8)

Notable people

* Moses Allen, minister (d. 1779) * Benjamin Andrew, planter (d. 1790) * Daniel Baker, Presbyterian minister (d. 1857) *

Nathan Brownson Nathan Brownson (May 14, 1742 – November 6, 1796) was an American physician and statesman. He served Georgia as a delegate to the Continental Congress in 1777 and as the Governor of Georgia in 1781. Nathan Brownson was a member of the Societ ...

, physician and statesman (d. 1796) * Lyman Hall, physician and statesman (d. 1790) * Abiel Holmes, clergyman and historian (d. 1837) * Raekwon McMillan, American football linebacker (b. 1995) * Daniel Stewart (Brigadier General), politician and brigadier general, (d. 1829) * John W. Wilcox Jr., rear admiral in the U.S. Navy (d. 1942)

References

External links

Official websiteMidway Museum
{{authority control Cities in Georgia (U.S. state) Cities in Liberty County, Georgia Populated places established in 1925 Populated coastal places in Georgia (U.S. state) Hinesville metropolitan area