Doreen and Laura's Excellent Adventure: Georgia Coast

Georgia's coast - Savannah area

(Sightseeing)

April 1, 2018 - April 5, 2018

Our first stop in the Savannah area was the Coastal Georgia Botanical Garden.

Visitor Center at the Botanical Gardens

Above and below - the shade garden

Because they have so many pines they use pine needles as mulch.

Nice to see azaleas again.

Crepe Myrtle tree. A popular shade tree in the south - it has beautiful bark although it doesn't appear to have bark at all.

More Crepe Myrtles

This tree is called "Lord's Holly" (Ilex rotunda). As you can see - it's a massive tree.
It's nothing like the holly trees we are familiar with in the NW - for one thing it doesn't have sickly leaves.

The Gullah/Geechee Culture along the SE coast is unique and interesting. It took root in the coastal islands along South Carolina, Georgia and Florida where slaves were brought to work on large plantations. These enslaved people were isolated on the coastal islands where they tried to maintain their original African cultures. They spoke different languages and eventually they just sort of created their own language - a mix of African dialects and other languages. That together with their blended African culture became the root of the Gullah/Geechee culture.

40 acres and a mule! I had heard this before but I never knew it came from none other than General William T. Sherman.

Our first experience with Gullah/Geechee culture was at Pin Point, Georgia which was settled by freed men in 1890's, well after the end of the Civil War. The land was originally part of a large plantation which fell into debt and was seized by the state. Since the land was located on a salt marsh it was not desirable for development so it was sold to freedmen (former slaves) who created a thriving community. In 1926, the A.S. Varn & Son Oyster and Crab Factory open in Pin Point. This business provided jobs for the local residents. Although Mr. Varn was white, he treated his employees with respect and friendship. Many side businesses were formed in relation to the oyster and crab factory, such as building boats, knitting and repairing nets, making crab traps, etc. The factory closed in 1985 but the old buildings now form the Pin Point Heritage Museum.

Much of the land originally purchased by freed slaves is still owned by their descendants. As a point of interest, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was born and raised in Pin Point, Georgia.

Workers in the Oyster Factory

Example of a bateau (boat) used to get oysters and crabs from the ocean.

Oyster boats (bateaus) would pull up along side this area allowing the oysters to be shoveled into a trough just below the windows.

Individual worker stations inside the oyster factory.
The oysters would fall into the work station from the outside trough.
The workers would then crack open the oyster, throwing the shells down the hole and putting the oyster meat into a bucket.
We were there on a sunny but windy day and the air coming in through the oyster trough and up from the waste area as extremely cold. I can not imagine what it must have been like in the winter months.

The oysters where then washed and soaked.

Ice crushers used to supply ice to the cooling and storage room.

Crab picking factory

Crab picking up close.

The crab containers had a clear lid so customers could see what they were getting.

Factory where deviled crab (i.e. crab croquettes) was made.

Savannah really needs more time than we gave it so I'll just give you our impressions of it from a trolly tour we took. It's an old city with an unusual layout that adds immeasurably to it's beauty. It has regular squares laid out and reserved for what we would call "greenspace" today. Originally there were 24 of them but only 22 remain.

I just can't say enough about the gorgeous old live oak trees that are found in all the "squares". They are just amazing.

Another "square". Just imagine 22 of these laid out throughout the city.
James Oglethorpe should be proud of what he created so long ago.

This is not one of the "squares" but rather a city park which adds to the ambiance of this old city.

The riverfront adds charm to the city with easy access and long walkways to enjoy.

Beautiful old homes (many restored from the 1700's and 1800's)

More wrought iron than New Orleans (or so the trolly tour guide said!)

Great restaurants.
Paula Dean's flagship restaurant - "The Lady and Sons".
We had a delicious lunch there.
Did y'all know that Paula's first husband was Jimmy Dean of sausage fame? (I sure didn't.)

Spent an interesting afternoon at the Savannah History Museum.

Revolutionary war rations!
Reading this sign made me realize that trying to keep an army fed is no small task and protecting
your supply lines in time of war was very very important.

Here's another thing that baffles me. Men are supposed to fight in these uniforms? They look more suitable for meeting the King or Queen, marching in a parade or attending a dance. Clearly they weren't considering practicality. They do look smart though!

British Royal Marine Uniform

Von Trumback Regiment (Infantry from Hesse-Cassel [now known as Germany])

Chasseurs Volontaires de Saint-Domingue
(Voluntary Hunters of Saint-Domingue [now known as Haiti])

71st Regiment Scots Highlanders - light infantry

Model of the ironclad C.S.S. Savannah which was used in the Savannah area during the Civil War. Launched in 1863, she was burned in 1864 in order to prevent General William Tecumseh Sherman from taking control of it when he arrived in Savannah.

Surveyors chain. I can only imagine how difficult it was to keep this thing untangled.

Let me just say that I never imagined engineers laying out "defensive positions"
and mapping "terrain throughout the various theaters of war" all while a war was actively being fought.
Somehow I just can't wrap my head around that.

Basket making has a long Gullah history. I think this one is especially beautiful.

Small boats like this were the only means of travel between the many islands along the coast.
Many were made by Gullah people for transportation and for fishing, shrimping, crabbing and oystering.
Without them they could not have properly fed themselves.

Cotton was the most important crop in Georgia. That bale of cotton in the background weighs about 500 lbs.
A hand truck used to move the bale around is slightly hidden by the basket on the right.
A small cotton gin is on the left. This invention, which separated the seeds from the cotton fibers, made a huge difference in the amount of cotton that could be processed in one day.

Wormsloe Plantation - established in 1733.

Mile and a half drive through this Oak Allee (driveway).
I thought such drives would be rare but they are actually quite common.
I never tire of them - so peaceful and beautiful!