Providence Spring

During a heavy rainstorm on August 14, 1864, a spring suddenly gushed from this hillside. Prisoners desperate for fresh water saw the event become legendary over time, and several men claimed to have seen lightning strike the spot just before the spring burst forth. Because this damp slope had many natural seeps, it appeared to be a likely site for a spring, and workmen may have inadvertently buried the spring's outlet while digging the stockade trench. Whether the stream came by natural causes or divine providence, its appearance was seen as an answer to thousands of prayers.

Andersonville, Georgia · United States