Pictures of the Week

Pictures of the Week

Pictures of the Week

Vintage Savannah

Historic Savannah Foundation celebrates 60 years of service

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WJCL) — An organization known for its building preservation is celebrating 60 years of service.

The Historic Savannah Foundation kicked off its 60th anniversary celebration on Monday morning.

The foundation was established in 1955 in an effort to save the historic Davenport House, built in 1820, from demolition.

Their mission is to preserve and protect Savannah’s heritage through advocacy and education.

“We’re going to go about our business; we’re going to keep taking care of this city,” said Daniel Carey, President and Chief Operating Officer of the foundation. “We’re going to keep saving buildings with our revolving fund, we’re going to keep advocating for good preservation and we’re going to keep educating our youth about the value of preservation.”

Since its inception in 1955, the Historic Savannah Foundation has saved over 360 buildings in Savannah.

Civil War in Georgia, December 1864: Savannah falls

Via the AJC

                                                        Source: The Soldier in Our Civil War, 1890

“Evidently it is a material element in this campaign to produce among the people of Georgia a thorough conviction of the personal misery which attends war, and of the utter helplessness and ability of their ‘rulers,’ State or Confederate, to protect them.”

So observed Maj. Henry Hitchcock — one of Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman’s staff officers — on Dec. 1, 1864, as Federal troops prepared their next movements in the Savannah Campaign.

Advancing on Millen, the site of the Confederacy’s Camp Lawton prison camp, the Federals hoped to save their incarcerated brothers. But weeks earlier, anticipating Sherman’s approach, officials emptied the camp and relocated the prisoners to other locations. Sherman’s men would find only stockade walls surrounding a vacant yard.

While the South did not have enough soldiers in Georgia to ebb the rolling blue tide, it still had senior officers to send to the state.

Gen. P.G.T. Beauregard received command of the entire theater of operations on Dec. 1. He arrived in Augusta five days later to oversee operations — and Maj. Gen. Joe Wheeler gained yet another officer issuing orders to his horsemen, as they attempted to launch quick-strike missions against the Federals. But Northerners under Brig. Gen. Judson Kilpatrick turned the tables on Wheeler on Dec. 4; Kilpatrick’s cavalry attacked and defeated Wheeler’s men near Waynesborough.

Several unfortunate incidents occurred as the Federal trek across Georgia neared conclusion. Union Maj. Gen. Jefferson C. Davis, with the left wing, faced an ever-increasing number of formerly enslaved persons falling in behind his troops. Fearing their presence would slow his advance, Davis — who got away with murder in 1862, when he killed his commanding officer over a disagreement in Kentucky — again displayed his dark side.

On Dec. 3, after his men crossed Buckhead Creek, Davis pulled up his pontoon bridges and attempted to leave the African-Americans stranded on the far bank. Most made their way across the shallow Buckhead and rejoined Davis’s force.

Six days later, after his troops crossed Ebenezer Creek, Davis again pulled the pontoons. This time, the outcome was tragedy. The former slaves — frightened by Wheeler’s approaching cavalry — tried to cross the deeper waters of Ebenezer. Many drowned, despite efforts by several Federal soldiers to save them.

For the blessed few who reached safety, Davis repeated the act later the same day when crossing Lockner Creek.

One of Davis’ officers wrote of the Ebenezer Creek incident, “The idea of five or six hundred black women, children and old men being thus returned to slavery by such an infernal copperhead as Jeff. C. Davis was entirely too much for my Democracy.”

The Federals reached the outer defenses of Savannah on Dec. 10, and the marching portion of the campaign ended. Sherman immediately set his sights on capturing Fort McAllister. The Confederate bastion blocked access to the Ogeechee River and kept the Federals from establishing a connection with U.S. ships, offshore in the Atlantic, that carried supplies for the army.

McAllister must fall! Utilizing reconnaissance from Kilpatrick and his own observations, Sherman decided an attack from the landward approach provided his best chance to take the fort. McAllister’s heavy guns all faced toward the water; defensive measures against an attack from the rear would not prove formidable.

Confederate Maj. George Anderson and a garrison of around 120 men held Fort McAllister. Brig. General William Hazen attacked with nine regiments on Dec. 13, and Anderson’s men put up a gallant effort. Artillerymen attempted to roll cannon into the open and throw canister, but the firing — absent the protection of redoubts — allowed Federal sharpshooters to drop the gunners.

A series of land mines — or as the soldiers called them, “torpedoes” — obstructed the Federal advance and produced several casualties, yet on came Hazen’s men. In less than 15 minutes, the fort fell. Hazen used captured Confederates to remove unexploded torpedoes so the balance of his force could occupy McAllister.

Opening his connection with the Navy, Sherman met with Rear Adm. John Dahlgren. Then, he sent a surrender demand to Lt. Gen. William Hardee in Savannah. Hardee refused the offer and awaited instructions from President Jefferson Davis. Davis decided the preservation of the army in the field would prove more important than possessing Savannah. On Dec. 20, the Confederates began crossing hastily constructed pontoon bridges onto South Carolina soil.

Savannah Mayor R.D. Arnold surrendered the city to advance elements of the Federal force on Dec. 21. At the time, Sherman was visiting Maj. Gen. John Foster in Hilton Head, S.C. Returning to his troops the next day, Sherman sent his famous telegraph to President Abraham Lincoln: “I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the city of Savannah.” The city was given up without a fight, and Sherman spared it.

The March to the Sea ended. Sherman’s troops occupied Savannah until Jan. 21, 1865, when they launched the Carolinas Campaign. The Civil War continued until early May 1865, when the last elements of Confederate resistance surrendered to Federal forces.

2015 Savannah Music Festival Update

Tickets are now on sale for the 2015 Savannah Music festival.

The Savannah Music Festival is dedicated to presenting a world-class celebration of the musical arts by creating timeless and adventurous productions that stimulate arts education, foster economic growth, and unite artists and audiences in Savannah. It is the largest musical arts event in Georgia and one of the most distinctive cross-genre music festivals in the world.

See more at: http://www.savannahmusicfestival.org

Fourth Annual Savannah Rock 'n' Roll Marathon is on November 8

Savannah will host its fourth Rock 'n' Roll Marathon next Saturday November 8. The race os the centerpiece of an entire weekend of health and fitnesss events: 

November 6-7, 2014

Health & Fitness Expo

Savannah International Trade & Convention Center

Thursday: 1:00 pm-7:00 pm

Friday: 10:00 am-7:00 pm

Exhibitor Info| Spectator Info

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah Marathon, 1/2 Marathon & Relay

Start time: 7:00 am

Event Details | Course Information

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Rock ‘n’ Roll Savannah 5k & 1 Mile

5k Start Time: 1:00 pm

1 Mile Start Time: 2:30 pm

Event Details

Kides Rock Savannah

Start Time: 3:15 pm

Event Details

The event means a lot of work for Savannah-Chatham County police, who have to clear all vehicles from the 26 miles of road used by the full marathon, plus addition streets used by the 13 mile half-marathon before the race can begin.

Savannah rejects new stadium plan; Sand Gnats consider leaving

Via WJCL

A decision by the Savannah City Council could make the Sand Gnats an away team if an agreement is not reached with the team’s owners soon.

Alderman Van Johnson said, Thursday that the price tag for a new stadium – around $35 million – just isn’t feasible right now.

He said that the city doesn’t feel like this is the most important things happening right now so the city rejected a proposed report.

But Hardball Capital’s Jason Freier – the owner of the Sand Gnats – said historic Grayson Stadium is too old and outdated for the Sand Gnats to continue another year at the location.

So the city paid $55,000 for a study to determine if a new stadium would be best for Savannah.

The study said a stadium at the Savannah river landing could work for the city.

However, City Manager Stefanie Cutter didn’t think that location was best because the city doesn’t already own it. She suggested building a stadium at the Canal District instead.

On Thursday, city council members rejected the the report completely and will look for future options for baseball in Savannah.

Meanwhile, there aren’t any immediate plans to build a stadium in the Canal District.

For several weeks, the team has pushed the city for an answer. Now that they have one – and not one they wanted – there are serious questions about whether the team will stick around.

Savannah Book Festival reveals emerging, best-selling authors for 2015 event

The Savannah Book Festival organizers revealed the lineup of authors for the 2015 festival today. 

Headliners this year are Janet Evanovich, author of the bounty hunting Stephanie Plum mysteries, satirist writer P.J. O'Rourke, and mother and son authors Anne and Christopher Rice. 

Evanovich will kick off the festival Feb. 12 and O'Rourke will be the keynote speaker Feb. 13. Anne and Christopher Rice will close the festival Feb. 15. The main day of the festival is Feb. 14, when the bulk of the authors will be presenting and signing their current and previous books. 

For more information, go to http://www.savannahbookfestival.org/

The 2014 Savannah Film Festival

It is time for the annual Savannah Film Festival.

The Savannah College of Art and Design presents the yearly event, attended by more than 40,000 people. 

The eight day schedule is filled with cinematic creativity from both award-winning professionals and emerging student filmmakers and is host to a wide variety of competition film screenings, special screenings, workshops, panels, and lectures.

This year’s festival runs from October 25 through November 1. 

For more information, visit the official Savannah Film Festival website.

St. Vincent's Academy Tour of Homes 2014

This year’s tour of homes promises to be a fascinating look inside 7 residences in Historic Savannah, as well as the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, and the Convent of St. Vincent de Paul. Certainly, the centerpiece of Savannah's fall tour is the elegant tea served on the grounds of the Convent. Come and see for yourself why attendees call this this the "best tour in Savannah."

Where

St. Vincent's Academy

207 East Liberty Street

Savannah, GA 31401

For  more information, contact

St. Vincents Academy Tour of Homes & Tea 2014

912.819.8833

Kensington Park: Savannah's 1950s suburb is latest addition to official list of American historic treasures

The Savannah neighborhood of Kensington Park recently earned a place on the National Register of Historic Places, the official list of America's historic treasures.

Featuring single-story ranch houses with carports and green lawns spread out along streets that wind in confusing arcs, Kensington Park seems a world removed from the oak-shaded squares of downtown Savannah and its mansions and row houses built between the Colonial period and the Civil War. 

The Savannah most outsiders and tourists know is a full two centuries older than Kensington Park. But the younger neighborhood's nearly 400 homes still pack a certain time-warp factor, having changed little in the decades since young professionals began seeking out places to raise families away from the core city.

Why the historic designation? In part because their streetscapes and architecture are such a radical departure from Savannah's older communities. The uniform lot sizes and strict north-south, east-west grid pattern that Savannah's streets had followed since its founding were shattered by Kensington Park, where homes were set back from the street to make room for larger front yards, sidewalks were eliminated and streets curved along U-shaped paths and ended in cul-de-sacs. 

Here are a few views of Savannah’s newest historic district:

For more information, go to the Kensington Park Comunity Association website. 

First Friday Art March: A Program by Art Rise Savannah

Join Art Rise Savannah at their First Friday Art March on 10/3 from 6-9 PM. For more information, go to

www.artmarchsavannah.com/events or @artrisesav

Second Annual Savannah Food & Wine Festival

Save the Date 

for the Second Annual Savannah Food & Wine Festival

We all know of Savannah’s established reputation as a foodie’s paradise. Publications including Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure have sung the praises of the enjoying a juicy bourbon-molasses grilled pork tenderloin with collard greens and sweet potatoes in an 18th-century Hostess City mansion. 

It is once again time for experienced and novice foodies alike to savor Savannah’s diverse and delectable cuisine. 

So save the dates: the second Savannah Food & Wine Festival is scheduled to be held from Nov. 10-16. with unique culinary, spirits and wine experiences throughout the city and historic district. The most up to date festival information is available on the website www.savannahfoodandwinefestival.com, on Twitter at https://twitter.com/savfoodwinefest and Facebook athttps://www.facebook.com/SavannahFoodandWineFestival.

To be a volunteer, simply sign up on the website and choose one of the many volunteer positions available, 

http://www.savannahfoodandwinefest.com/volunteers.html. Volunteers need to plan to attend one of the mandatory planning meetings on either Thursday, Oct. 30 at 5:30 p.m. or Monday, Nov. 3, at 6:00 p.m. at the Tourism Leadership Council office, located on Hutchinson Island in the Savannah International Trade & Convention Center.

The Savannah Food & Wine Festival is presented by the Tourism Leadership Council, a 501-(c) 6 organization, with proceeds benefiting the TLC Scholarship Fund, with educational opportunities for hospitality program students in colleges and universities in the Coastal Empire and many local charitable organizations.