SPRINGFIELD, Ga. – In a sense, Effingham County commissioners’ vote last week to move forward with plans to turn a county-owned, 165-year-old boat ramp on Abercorn Creek into a full-fledged recreation facility is an example of history repeating itself.
Now, as in 1859 when the plat for the landing was first surveyed, the idea behind the project is to provide more public access to water, according to county commissioner Phil Kieffer.
But unlike the 1800s, when public access was focused on commerce and transportation, the goal today is recreation, said Kieffer, who represents the district in which Abercorn Landing is located.
“Back then, the landing was established to provide the public access to Savannah to move goods and produce by boat,” Kieffer said. “Now, there’s a premium being put on providing public access to water for recreational purposes.”
That emphasis exists at the county, state and federal levels. Kieffer noted the county has budgeted $1 million to launch what is being called the Abercorn Landing Waterfront Project. The project will be managed by Savannah-based engineering firm Moffatt & Nichol.
A historic landing, reimagined
While federal and state permitting could take six months to a year, Kieffer said he expects construction of the first phase – primarily a floating dock and fishing pier – to begin quickly once permits are in place.
Future phases, depending on funding from grants and SPLOST revenue, will include restrooms and other amenities at the site. It’s located not far from where Abercorn village once stood – the first Salzburger settlement in Effingham County.
Laid out in 1733 and settled by 10 families in 1734, Abercorn village served as a temporary stop for Salzburgers waiting on a road to be cut to Ebenezer, according to the Georgia Historical Association. It was abandoned within a few years.
Today, Abercorn Landing is less than three miles from Old Augusta Road in a part of Effingham County booming with industrial and commercial development. Yet, the site remains a quiet spot upstream from Savannah’s water treatment plant, which processes about 50 million gallons of Abercorn Creek water daily.
On a recent Thursday morning, only a handful of anglers, hunters, pleasure boaters and picnickers visited the landing. An alligator lounged across the creek, adding to the sense of calm.
For Kieffer – whose great-great-grandfather, Allen Newell Kieffer, surveyed the original plat in July 1859 – Abercorn Landing and the surrounding growth are not at odds.
“These things can coexist,” he said. “And those things help pay for these things. It’s very important to know that. Those things (development) can help pay for these things, and a lot of other things we need around the county. There is a give and take.”
