Posts tagged ‘Savannah history’

Celtic Cross in Emmet Park

Tour guides pay a lot of attention to historic River Street, paved with ballast cobblestones, and now full of art galleries, restaurants and shops. But there are a lot of historical landmarks and monuments located near the street that was a major conduit for slaves, cotton and other goods.

Here is a list of some landmarks – very close to River Street – that are definitely worth seeing.

• Emmet Park is a beautiful, tree-shaded park located on the bluff next to Bay Street. It was once known as the “Strand” and later as “Irish Green” because of its proximity to the Irish residents of Savannah’s Old Fort neighborhood. This park was renamed in 1902 for the Irish patriot Robert Emmet (1778-1803) to commemorate the centennial of his death.
• Factors Walk is literally a stone’s throw from River Street. In 1817, it was the original site for the Cotton Exchange. The first two floors of Factors Walk were for the cotton coming into port. It was named this because the men who worked with the cotton exchange were called factors. They factored how much cotton was brought in to be sold. Thus, they were given this name. Factors Walk was the center for most commercial activities. A network of iron and concrete walkways connected the buildings to the bluff.
• The Liberty Monument is dedicated to the armed schooner, “Liberty” the first American Naval vessel. She sailed from the Savannah port in 1775.
• The Salzburger Monument of Reconciliation is a stone monument cut from the Austrian mountains and presented by the City of Salzburg to honor the Salzburgers who landed in Savannah in 1734.
• The Vietnam Memorial is dedicated to the men and women of Savannah and Chatham County who served in the Vietnam War.
• The Washington Guns is the famous Chatham Artillery Washington Guns which were captured at Yorktown and given to Savannah in 1791 by George Washington.
• The U.S. Custom House, completed in 1848, is the site where Georgia founder, James Oglethorpe lived for a time, and in 1736, where John Wesley preached his first sermon in Savannah.

All of these monuments are walking distance from Heritage House, a Historic District Savannah vacation rental.

Savannah's original plan, mostly intact today

Here are some #OMGFacts about Savannah’s renovation for Twitter users (and the rest of us). All facts are designed for brevity, and are 14o characters or less. Feel free to tweet them, recite them to friends, or use them as you please. You may add your own 140-character facts/tweets in comments.

Savannah’s Renovation

• In the 1930s-1950s, many of the Historic District’s buildings were demolished to make way for new development.
• In 1955, seven Georgia women created the Historic Savannah Foundation to halt the destruction of historic buildings.
• In 1966, Savannah’s Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark for retaining much of city’s original plan from 1733.
• In 1979 the Savannah College of Art and Design began renovating downtown buildings. This effort helped fuel Savannah’s now-famous rebirth.
• Savannah’s tourism industry was modest in the 70’s, grew in the 80 and 90s. It now attracts more than 7 million visitors a year.

Want to learn more Savannah #OMGFacts? Then click Savannah #OMGFacts, or better yet, visit Savannah. Stay in a lovely Savannah Vacation Rental, and walk everywhere.

Savannah Cotton Exchange

Some more #OMGFacts about Savannah’s cotton industry for Twitter users (and the rest of us). Facts are designed for brevity, and are 140 characters or less. Feel free to tweet them, recite them to friends or use them as you please. You may add your own 140-character tweet/bullet point in the comments.

Cotton Commerce in Savannah

• After the Revolutionary War, Savannah farmers became wealthy with the production of cotton.
• In 1876, the Savannah Cotton Exchange was established to provide cotton factors, a place to congregate and set the market value of cotton.
• In the late 1800s, Savannah ranked as the #1 cotton seaport on the Atlantic, and second in the world. It moved two million bales a year.
• The boll weevil outbreak of the 1920s dealt a devastating blow to the cotton market of Savannah and the South in general.

Want more #OMGFacts? Click on Savannah #OMGFacts or better yet, visit Savannah. You can stay in the Heritage House, a Historic District Vacation Rental, within walking distance of SCAD buidings, all the squares and the Cotton Exchange.

Fort Pulaski in Savannah, after the bombardment

Here are some #OMGFacts about the Civil War events in Savannah. All facts are designed for brevity, and are 14o characters or less. Feel free to tweet them, recite them to friends or use them as you please. You may also add your own 140-character bullet point/tweet in comments.

Civil War Events in Savannah

• Fort Jackson, one of the interior brick forts guarding Savannah’s river approach during the Civil War, was never taken by naval vessels.
• Savannah didn’t see much action in the Civil War, other than the fall of the Confederate-held Fort Pulaski in 1862.
• The fall of Fort Pulaski was noted worldwide because it was penetrated by a new rifled artillery that made masonry forts obsolete.
• Gen. Sherman’s March to the Sea in 1864 started in Atlanta and ended with the capture of Savannah. The army torched everything in its path.
• Gen. Sherman was so taken with Savannah’s beauty, that he presented the city to President Lincoln as a Christmas present.

Want more #OMGFacts? Click on Savannah #OMGFacts, or better yet, visit Savannah. You can stay in the Heritage House, a Historic District Vacation Rental, within walking distance of everything downtown.

Savannah Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Here are some #OMGFacts about American Revolutionary events in Savannah. They are designed for brevity, and are 140 characters or less. Feel free to tweet them, recite them to friends or use them as you please. You may also add your own 140-character facts/tweets in comments.

Pre-American Revolutionary War:

• The Liberty Boys, a group of Savannah men, met periodically at Peter Tondee’s Tavern, to promote American independence.
• George Walton, Lyman Hall & Button Gwinnett, either worked or lived in Savannah, and signed the Declaration of Independence.

American Revolutionary War

• In 1778, the British captured Savannah, fighting off the American Patriot Militia and the Continental Army.
• The Siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was a joint Franco-American attempt to retake Savannah from the British in 1779.
• The Siege of Savannah was one of the bloodiest battles in the American Revolution. Landmark is on MLK Blvd. in Savannah.
• During the American Revolution, Polish Cmdr Casimir Pulaski saved George Washington’s life. He died in the Siege of Savannah.
• A statue of Cmdr Pulaski, the highest ranking foreign soldier to die during the American Revolution, is located in Monterey Square.

Want to learn more @OMGFacts about this beautiful city? Click on Savannah #OMGFacts, or better yet, visit Savannah, and stay in one of it’s most charming Historic District vacation rentals.

James Oglethorpe, founder of Savannah

Here are some #OMGFacts about the founding of Savannah for Twitter users (and the rest of us). They are written in 140 characters or less. Feel free to tweet them or add your own in the comments.

Founding of Savannah

• James Oglethorpe founded Georgia, after a good friend died in a debtors’ prison. He sought a place to find relief for English debtors.
• James Oglethorpe and 114 settlers arrived in Savannah in 1733, after first landing in Beaufort, SC and then traveling 18 miles upriver.
• James Oglethorpe laid out in a perfect grid pattern of squares to serve as a meeting place for town residents.

Early Settlers

• Savannah had a mix of early settlers – Jews came in 1733;  Lutherans from Salzburg came in 1734. Scottish Highlanders came in 1736.
• Savannah was reluctant to admit Jews in 1733. But it changed course when a Spanish Jewish doctor arrived & cured an epidemic.
• Under Savannah, Georgia’s original charter, people were able to worship as they pleased, but rum and lawyers were forbidden.

Want to learn more @OMGFacts about this beautiful city? Stay tuned. Or visit Savannah, and stay in one of it’s most charming Historic District vacation rentals.

For Immediate Release

June 2, 2010 – Savannah, GA  – A new blog series, Savannah #OMGFacts, launched today to educate Twitter users, tourists and others about Savannah’s history – in as few words as possible.

The series, created by DowntownSavannahHomes.com, highlights Savannah’s history on themed blog posts, each containing 4-7 bullet points of 140 characters or less.

The blog posts are designed to provide the rapidly growing base of Twitter users, tourists and anyone who enjoys history “in a nutshell” with a few facts that they can easily digest or tweet. (Twitter counts more than 105 million users, and one of its most popular trends are tweets that include the phrase #OMGfacts and an interesting fact.)

Each blog post in the Savannah #OMGFacts series has a theme. For example, the post about the American Revolution includes the following bullet points:

• The Siege of Savannah or the Second Battle of Savannah was a joint Franco-American attempt to retake Savannah from the British in 1779.
• The Siege of Savannah was one of the bloodiest battles in the American Revolution. Landmark is on MLK Blvd. in Savannah.
• During the American Revolution, Polish Cmdr Casimir Pulaski saved George Washington’s life. He died in the Siege of Savannah.

Both the blogs posts and individual bullet points can be re-tweeted by anyone with a Twitter account (Twitter is free, just visit Twitter to sign up). Visitors to the blog can also provide their own 140-character fact/tweet for a post’s theme.

There are five posts in the history series to date, and more will be added. Additional blog posts about Savannah’s culture, nightlife, and movies are also forthcoming, each with 4-7 bullet points that are just 140 characters long.

To view the new blog series visit Savannah #OMGFacts, or follow @SavVacationHome on Twitter.

As you walk the streets of Savannah’s Historic District, it’s very likely you’ll  have a few history questions.  You can check the tour guides for an answer of two. But if you want to go straight to the source, you may want to visit the Georgia Historical Society, located on the corner of Whitaker and Gaston Streets.

The Historical Society is one of the oldest historical societies in the United States, and the oldest cultural institution in the state of Georgia. Its mission is to “collect, preserve and share” Georgia’s history.

The society has a beautiful library, where thousands of researchers – from all over the world – visit each year.

It’s collections include  such treasures as:

- an original draft of the U.S. Constitution, one of only a handful in existence; – a compass and snuff box belonging to Georgia founder James Oglethorpe.

- records related to the Cherokee Removal and Trail of Tears of 1836.

- the correspondence of national figures such as U.S. presidents Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson, Confederate General Robert E. Lee, and Girl Scout founder Juliette Gordon Low.

It also has a manuscript collection of family papers, military records of every Georgia war, the papers of Georgia’s major political leaders,  plantation records, papers of social and cultural organizations, plus a lot more.

The library has some rules and regulations, so please observe them. It’s posted hours are:  Tuesday through Friday, 12 p.m. through 5 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Besides the libary, the Historical Society hosts many wonderful events that are open to the public. Here is a link to forthcoming Historical Society events.

(Post-script: We researched the 130-year-old Heritage House at the Georgia Historical Society. We were able to find records about the  builder, Alexander Marcus Barbee, and traced more than four generations of the Wessels family, who originally owned the house).