Lu’s Famous Cheese Straws & Catering, LLC

04/26/2026

04/03/2026

09/20/2025

Come on out today and see us in Brooklet at the Peanut Festival!

09/04/2025

Check out the article about us on Voyage Savannah! Here is the link!

Today we’d like to introduce you to Luann And Robert Howell. Hi Luann and Robert, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.It all started about 45 years ago. I was lucky to get the opportunity to work with a group of ladies at Pt Wentworth First Baptist church....

11/15/2024

SPRINGFIELD – In an effort to maintain balanced growth that reflects the needs and best interests of Effingham County, Development Services has extended an invitation for residents to apply for a spot on the Zoning Districts Stakeholder Committee.

Development Services is seeking collaboration with individuals who share a vested interest in rewriting Article IV-Zoning Districts of the Effingham County Ordinance. Effective interaction with stakeholders is essential to making informed decisions, identifying potential opportunities and ensuring sustainable and positive change.

Committee members will be asked to review and provide feedback on the draft ordinance, including any proposed additions, deletions or modifications. Their expertise and perspective will help ensure that the final document is balanced and in the best interest of all parties.

Individuals interested in joining the Zoning Districts Stakeholder Committee should notify Community Planner Kimberly Barlett at [email protected] . Applicants are encouraged to include an explanation of why they believe they would be a committee asset.

The deadline to apply is Nov. 19.

The initial meeting of the Zoning Districts Stakeholder Committee is set Dec. 10 from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Effingham County Administration Complex, 804 S. Laurel St. The agenda includes:

 Introduce participants and discuss expectations for collaboration
 Outline the purpose of the zoning districts rewrite and the goals for the process
 Provide an overview of the project timeline and key milestones
 Discuss action items and assign specific tasks
 Address potential issues and risks associated with the project and explore solutions
 Define next steps, including scheduling follow-up meetings and setting future goals

11/15/2024

11/14/2024

09/18/2024

SPRINGFIELD – A large group of property owners will soon have a chance to help determine the future of an area that was pivotal in Effingham County’s past.

Two hundred sixty-nine people who own property inside an overlay district along the Ebenezer Road corridor near New Ebenezer will be invited by letter from the Effingham County Board of Commissioners to participate in a “charette” at New Ebenezer Retreat Center on Oct. 9 from 6-8 p.m. A charette is an intense, collaborative session where a group of stakeholders come together to address a design or planning issue.

Charettes are common in community development. The one for New Ebenezer will provide a way for participants to determine the standards for a historic overlay district, which imposes additional zoning requirements to existing ones.

Residents who live near New Ebenezer, also known as Historic Ebenezer, have expressed a desire to preserve the area’s historical and cultural significance. It was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places as Ebenezer Townsite in 1974.

Ebenezer refers to the original settlement of the Georgia Salzburgers, a group of about 150 Protestant refugees from Salzburg, Austria. Established in 1734, it was initially located near Ebenezer Creek but was moved to its current spot closer to the Savannah River a couple years later and renamed New Ebenezer.

One of New Ebenezer’s most notable citizens was John Adam Treutlen, who served as the first elected governor of Georgia (1777-1778). The town was the state capital in 1782.

New Ebenezer features Jerusalem Lutheran Church, which houses the oldest continuously active Lutheran congregation in America. Also listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1974, the church, built between 1767 and 1769 using bricks made from local clay, is notable for its thick walls, some original window panes and bells brought from Europe that are still rung before each service.

Jerusalem Lutheran Church played a significant role during the Revolutionary War, serving as a hospital and later a stable for British troops.

In addition, Union Gen. William Tecumseh Sherman passed through New Ebenezer in December 1864 during the Civil War’s “March to the Sea.” He spared the church but used it as a stable.

The “Ebenezer Creek Massacre” that occurred nearby remains a tragic part of Civil War history. As Sherman’s troops were crossing the creek, Brig, Gen. Jefferson C. Davis ordered the removal of a pontoon bridge before hundreds of freed slaves who were following the Union army could cross. This left the freed slaves stranded on the opposite bank.

In the ensuing chaos, many of the freed slaves attempted to swim across the creek and a significant number of them drowned. Others were recaptured by Confederate forces.

A marker honoring the unknown number of slaves who died in the event is located near the Jerusalem Lutheran Church cemetery.

Invitations to the charette are set to be mailed Friday.

New Ebenezer Retreat Center is located at 2887 Ebenezer Road, Rincon.

09/17/2024

Lu’s Famous Cheese Straws & Catering, LLC will be set up and ready to sell you delicious cheese straws and short bread cookies!

09/06/2024

It is with heavy hearts that we lost my dad this morning. He will be missed by many.

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Rincon Royce Lee Ashcraft, 95, passed away Friday, September 6, 2024 at the Effingham Care Center. Born in Pine Bluff, AK moving with his family at the age of 7 to Meldrim, GA, Royce spent the majority of his life in Port Wentworth where, he was a member of First