JUST US AND THE BUS: GEORGIA ON MY MIND

Adios St. Augustine, hello Savannah, ya' all. Bill and Jane made the three hour trip to beautiful Savannah, the jewel of the south, and the most haunted city in America.

HISTORICAL SAVANNAH

Savannah was founded in 1733 by a group of colonists from England led by James Oglethorpe.

Jimmy Oglethorpe - founder of the City of Savannah and Colony of Georgia

It was established to act as a buffer between the Spanish in Florida and the prospering colony of South Carolina. Oglethorpe had four prohibitions he demanded of his settlers: 1. no slavery; 2. no hard liquor; 3. no Catholics; 4. no lawyers. Oglethorpe had nothing against Catholics but felt their allegiance would be to Spain if they attacked. He relied heavily on the local Indians and help from nearby Charleston to get started in the New World. Oglethorpe mapped out Savannah in geographical squares, 22 of which are still in existence and make up the historical section of Savannah. The homes, churches and cobblestone streets have been beautifully preserved and are the major tourist draw to the area. Bill and Jane chose Old Town Trolley Tours from among numerous tour companies to see historical Savannah. They were picked up right at the KOA in Richmond Hill and transported to the welcome center where the tours begin. In 1779, Savannah was the site of a major American defeat during the Revolutionary War, the Seige of Savannah, where the entrenched British fought off a French and American attack which prolonged the revolution until Washington's victory at Yorktown in 1781. During the Civil War, Savannah was again under seige as the Union army approached during Gen. Sherman's horrific march from Atlanta, laying waste to a 60 mile swath of Georgia. The leaders of Savannah surrendered the city to Sherman to prevent more destruction, and he gave it as a Christmas present to Abe Lincoln. Savannah in peacetime developed into the leading cotton exporting city in the world. The Cotton Exchange was completed in 1887 on the south bank of the Savannah River, where over 2 million bales of cotton a year passed through. Savannah is actually 20 miles from the Atlantic Ocean, but the Savannah River is deep enough to accomodate the largest ocean-going ships and makes this city the fourth busiest port in the country. It seems every square in Savannah is loaded with its' own history and heroes.

The actual cannon captured by George Washington at the Battle of Yorktown and given to the City of Savannah

Owens-Thomas House - Revolutionary War hero Marquis de Lafayette stayed here - good example of the beautiful homes throughout historical Savannah

The Cotton Exchange - Savannah River is right behind it

The Cotton Gin invented by Eli Whitney

Savannah City Hall - dome is made of real gold - built during cotton heyday

SAVANNAHS' RIVERFRONT

The north side of Savannah by the river greatly prospered when cotton was king but slowly declined thereafter. Now the old cotton warehouses all along the river have been renovated and converted to restaurants, shops, pubs and boutiques. There is a beautiful walkway along the river and a new bridge over the Savannah to South Carolina. River Street was originally paved with stones brought over from England as ballast in the bottom of the ships and it is preserved still today although it is a little rough in places. On the day Bill and Jane toured the riverfront a huge rally was being held there in connection with the National Tea Party tax protest. Apparently the protesters were upset over the huge increase in our Federal government, bailouts, incredible deficits being run up, loss of freedoms, and the inevitable huge tax increases on the way. Go figure!

River Street - paved with stones from England

The red brick paved riverfront - Talmidge Memorial Bridge to S. Carolina in background

A glimpse of the thousands of protesters on Tea Party Day

SAVANNAH'S MOVIE HISTORY

Savannah has been the location where many movies have been shot over the years. The most famous was probably "Forest Gump", but others included "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", "Roots", "Glory" and "The Legend of Bagger Vance".

The steeple that the fluttering feather fell from at the beginning of "Forest Gump"

The actual bench where Forest (Tom Hanks) was sitting when the feather landed

HAUNTED SAVANNAH

Savannah claims to be the most haunted city in America, and no less than nine tour companies compete for tourists to see their ghosts. Bill and Jane chose a walking tour and their guide was a transplant from New Orleans chased away by hurricane Katrina. She was very interesting and explained that there are so many haunted houses and ghost stories in this city that volumes have been written on the subject. She explained that the original graveyard established by Oglethorpe and closed in 1750 was built over in the early 1900's by developers. This block alone has hundreds of ghost stories and one third floor apartment has not been lived in for years because no one can make it through one night with the ghosts. In another chilling episode, a deceased Civil War general returned to his home as his wife was on her deathbed with cancer. They were observed by several people walking arm-in-arm out of the home and into the garden where they disappeared forever. Bill and Jane stopped at Churchill's Pub after the tour as this place was alleged to be haunted. They asked their bartender what was so haunted about the place. He immediately became very nervous and related how one night after the bar was closed and locked and he was taking the nights proceeds upstairs when he saw a gentleman in a gray suit seated in a chair. He told this guy that the place was closed and he would have to leave. When the gentleman ignored him, he approached him and the person just vanished. The bartender said he screamed and ran to his manager who asked"Was it a guy in a gray suit?" The manager then explained the same ghost had appeared to him FOUR times in the past.

Commercial building built over original burial grounds - third floor left apartment too haunted for anyone to stay all night

Haunted Laura's Cottage on Columbia Square - notice the Orb by the tree!

Inside Churchill's Pub - here our bartender told his haunted story

GLYNCO, GA

Bill and Jane made a day-trip to Glynco, Georgia which is about halfway between Savannah and Jacksonville. Glynco is the site of a huge Federal training center where about 70 Federal law enforcement agencies send their people for training. Some State and local agencies also utilize the center for training purposes. Bill was toying with the idea of applying for a job there as a teacher. Upon arrival our couple found Glynco to be a high-security facility with tall barbed wire fence all around and checkpoint entrances with armed guards. They tried to enter but once the guard saw Abbie and Bailey as passengers they were turned away - no vicious animals allowed.

They toured Jekyll Island while in the area. It has a beautiful beach facing the Atlantic and some very quaint boutiques and restaurants.

TYBEE ISLAND

Tybee Island is situated 18 miles directly east of Savannah right on the Atlantic. Bill and Jane spent a day there on the sandy beach. They walked to the large pier which juts out into the ocean where lots of people fish, watch for dolphins and observe the large ocean-going ships as they come out the Savannah River and head into the Atlantic. Tybee Island gets real crowded in the summer as tourists fill the beach, pubs and shops, but on this day it was only moderately busy as the season hasn't started yet.

Tybee Island Beach - the Pier is in the background

ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST CATHEDRAL

The seat of the Diocese of Savannah is located at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in the historic district. When Bill and Jane stopped to tour there a Mass was just starting so they attended. It is beautiful inside. The Stations of the Cross are hand carved wood made in Austria.

Front of the Cathedral

Hand carved wooden Station of the Cross

PAULA DEAN'S RESTAURANT

A very famous site in Savannah is Paula Dean's Restaurant. She is a self-made local businesswoman who now has her own TV cooking show and has authored dozens of cooking books. The only way to dine there is to personally appear at the restaurant and make a reservation for a later date. There's always a line there at mealtimes!