Week Eleven
Savannah, GA
The
oldest “planned” city in the United States. . .and virtually untouched by the
Civil War. Interesting history tidbit.
. .Sherman spared the City from destruction for two reasons – (1) the Mayor of
Savannah surrendered to Sherman asking that the city be spared if provisions
and housing were provided to the Union soldiers and (2) perhaps the most
interesting, Sherman’s mistress lived in Savannah and he promised her that as
long as she stayed in Savannah he would not order the city destroyed. Which one adds more “romance” to the
saving of Savannah?
We
visited the Savannah History Museum, the Roundhouse Railroad Museum and took
one of the Trolley Tours around the city.
The city is laid out in a series of squares and address directions are
generally provided East or West of Bull Street. Bull Street is the main street in Savannah and runs into the
Capital Building.
Capital Dome
The
size and opulence of the old homes reconfirms the level of wealth. Many of these houses were the “city homes”
for the plantation owners who moved seasonally between the city and country.
If you
were a Girl Scout, you’ll recall that Savannah is the birthplace of Juliette
Gordon Low and is home to the Girl Scouts.
Thousands of Girl Scouts visit her home every year and the park across
the street is a favorite site for the Girl Scout Troops to picnic while
visiting Savannah.
Juliette Gordon Low House
Not
all of the historic homes are large and opulent. This little red house is Savannah’s smallest antique home, has
three rooms and is actually a private residence. Our tour guide said that it was last reported to rent for over
$800 per month!
Savannah’s Smallest House
Boot Scraper Dual
Stair Entrance
Leaf Railing
Hitching Post and Step (NOTE: The
Hitching Post matches the corner post on the fence.)
This fence design is identical to Buckingham Palace
and surrounds the entire property.
The ironwork on
many of the houses is very ornate and used as decoration. The first example is a boot scraper forged
into the railing. The entry stairs into
many of the homes were built as a semi-circular entry way – men weren’t
supposed to see a lady’s ankles so gentlemen entered the home from the left
stairs and the ladies from the right.
Even the hitching posts at the curb were often forged in iron and very
ornate. The stone piece next to the
hitching post is a step to assist ladies or shorter gentlemen to mount their
horses.
The streets are
lined with Live Oak Trees that are over 100 years old and, in fact, there is
one in Savannah that is documented to be over 300 years old and in the National
Tree Registry. Several homes in the
Historic District have been used as the backdrop for movies including Bagger
Vance (Robert Redford) and Midnight in
the Garden of Good and Evil (Kevin Spacey).
When we think
of Savannah, we tend to recall the city history from the Civil War. However, Georgia was the 13th
original colony . George and Martha
Washington traveled to Savannah just after the Revolutionary War to “get away”
on vacation. These two cannons were
presented to the City of Savannah by George Washington during this visit. History says that both cannons were fired
during his visit but one of them misfired causing the casing to split. When it was repaired, the barrel was
slightly shorter – thus the cannons are nicknamed Martha and George.
Cannons – Martha and George
River
Street
River Street
today is all shops and restaurants. The
upper floors are offices and residences.
These buildings overlook the Savannah River and the harbor area. The reddish building to the left of the
photo is one of Masonic meeting spaces around the city. The street and the entry ramps to the river
front area were constructed from the ballast stones that came from
England. Cotton bales were so heavy on
the ships sailing to England that they had to load stones on the ships to sale
back to Savannah to provide the same ballast.
Since stone is very rare in this part of the South, they were used to
build streets and walls. Mortar is made
using sand, water and oyster shells.
Tug on Savannah Harbor. Doesn’t the bridge look familiar?
Looks like a sister bridge to the Lenny Zacim in Boston, doesn’t
it???
What would our
visit to the Georgia coast be without finding crabs? On our way out of Savannah, we spotted a seafood store. . .
How could we go wrong?? The crabs were wonderful. . .large, steamed
and cheap! ($20/dozen)
The fisherman
on the Georgia coast view crabs as a nuisance.
In years past when you bought fish, they gave you as many crabs as you
wanted because they had no market for the crabs. The locals don’t know what they are missing!
Since Savannah
is situated on the Savannah River, and not the Atlantic Ocean, we drove to
Tybee Island to “touch” the ocean again.
We both realized that we were missing the sea gulls and the smell of
salt water.
Atlantic Ocean, GA
The Tybee
Island Light Station was originally constructed in 1736 and went through
several different faces between then and now.
Until 1933, there was a light keeper (and his family) who lived on the
grounds of the light. In 1933, the fuel
for the lighthouse was converted from kerosene to electricity and thus there
was no longer a need for multiple keepers.
The last remaining keeper and his wife lived in the keeper’s house until
his death in 1947.
Tybee Island Light Station (The house in the foreground is the Head
Light Keepers’ house
that was occupied until 1947.)
The Tybee
Island Light Station is one of America’s most intact Light Stations with all of
the historic support buildings still on the original five-acre site. The remaining fortification structure for
Fort Screven is also located in this historic site area. This military base was home to the WWII
Diving School and also served as part of America’s Coastal Defense System until
it was decommissioned in 1945. Today,
many of the homes and buildings in the town of Tybee are built on the grounds
of the original fort and, in some cases, are renovated Fort properties.
If you ever
visit Tybee Island, a must visit restaurant is The Crab Shack. It’s located on the back water of the island
and has a great atmosphere and wonderful shrimp, oysters and crab stew. Alligators were taken off the endangered
species list back in the 70’s but are still protected. The day we were there was sunny but windy
and these guys kept moving to get into the sun.
The Crab Shack, Tybee Island, GA Alligator Pond
Huge Parking Lot. . .
To continue our
exploration of Civil War sites, we visited Fort Pulaski. Fort Pulaski is one of the largest and last
all brick fortifications built before the Civil War. It is a National Battlefield Site so your National Park Service
Passport covers the entry fees.
Fort Pulaski
We spent an
entire afternoon exploring Fort Pulaski.
The fort was constructed between 1829 and 1947 to defend the port city
of Savannah from foreign attacks or invasion.
During the early days of the Civil War, the fort was occupied by the
Georgia state troops. However, on
April 11and 12, 1862, the Union forces launched an artillery attack from Tybee
Island. Thirty hours later the 7.5 foot
thick walls had been breached and the Confederate commander surrendered to the
Union forces. Major General David
Hunter, the Union commander freed the slaves that resided in this area of
Georgia. It was this declaration by
Hunter that spawned the national debate on slavery that lead to Lincoln’s
signing of the Emancipation Proclamation.
The Union
maintained control of this fort for the remainder of the war and used it as a
hospital and prison.
There are
several places around the exposed wall of this fort where mortar rounds are
still imbedded in the wall and remain as evidence of the power of the artillery
rounds.
The cannons atop the wall are original. NOTE:
The mortar round in the middle of the damaged brick.
The entire
property (5600 acres) sits at the mouth of the Savannah River. When you walk the top perimeter of the fortress,
you can see all the way to the Atlantic Ocean and all of the surrounding
marshland.
NEXT STOP: TURKEY DAY IN ATLANTA, GA