Spanish Moss

While the Spanish Moss that hangs from Savannah’s majestic oaks is a true reminder that you are in the romantic deep South, it does not make a great souvenir. Often undetectable by the naked eye, a small biting bug called a chigger makes Spanish Moss its home. During the early days of the Colony, residents often stuffed and bounded their mattresses with the soft and bountiful Spanish Moss only to wake up irritated and itchy after the tiny bugs invaded their slumber. As a result, a common phrase emerged in Savannah, and it was – “Goodnight neighbor, sleep tight, and don’t let the bed bugs bite!”

My wife uses the moss for her potted plants but first she "nukes" them in the microwave. Put your Spanish moss in a bag and than proceed.

(Article reprinted from the Savannah Visitors Bureau web site)

Davenport House in Historic Savannah

A must see in Savannah is the Davenport House. This fine Federal-style home was completed by master-builder Isaiah Davenport as his family residence in 1820. Authentically restored, the house museum features original plasterwork, a cantilever staircase and furnishings true to the 1820s. The site also features a courtyard garden that was originally a Bicentennial project of the Trustees' Garden Club and was later re-designed by noted horticulturist Penelope Hobhouse. Threatened with demolition in 1955, the saving of the Davenport House was the first effort of the Historic Savannah Foundation and the beginning of the historic preservation renaissance in this port city.

Savannah River Street

On the bluff facing the Savannah River are nine blocks of renovated cotton warehouses that house about 80 restaurants, pubs, night spots, hotels, shops, galleries, and boutiques. Adding to the sight-seeing is a working harbor of huge, building-size ships and working tugs. Often, sailing ships from various countries are seen plowing the murky waters of the Savannah River. During the day, families stroll alongside the river, eating ice cream cones and browsing in gift shops. At night, people are eating at one of the many restaurants located on the river. Later in the night, Savannah's night life begins as the clubs and bars turn-up the music and invite you in to have fun and enjoy the beverage of your choice.

On River Street, there are several good options for lodging that offer a view of Savannah's main natural attraction (the river), along with quick walking access to River Street, City Market, and the historic squares of the city.

It hasn't always been this way. The city had turned its back on the historic waterfront, which was abandoned and deteriorating when a wide-ranging group of civic leaders joined forces in the early 1970s to create the River Street Urban Renewal Project. When the work was finished in 1977, approximately 80,000 square feet of abandoned warehouse space on the historic waterfront had been transformed into Savannah's most popular tourist attraction. Additional improvements have produced an attractive city park that hosts many festivals and special events.

The ambiance of the waterfront is an atmospheric fusion of nineteenth century old-world charm and twentieth century tourist potpourri. Stony ramps that connect Bay Street with River Street are made of English ballast stones, which gave schooners added stability for their trips from Europe, only to be thrown out and replaced with cotton bales in Georgia. The stones were used in buildings and walkways, and became the foundation of ballast stone islands found today in river channels.

Along the waterfront are three memorials worth closer examination. The first is the Freedom Monument designed to mark the disembarkation site of kidnapped Africans. A second monument is the Waving Girl, a 1971 statue by Felix De Weldon that honors Florence Martus, a Savannahian who greeted every ship entering the port from 1887 to 1931 by waving a cloth from her home on Elba Island . Further to the east is a memorial to the 1996 Olympics, during which Savannah hosted the yachting event.

On the bluff next to Bay Street are the gold-domed City Hall, Factors Walk, and Emmet Park . City Hall was built in 1905 on the site of the Old City Exchange. Earlier this year, the dome on top of the City Hall was re-gilded. Notice the bench commemorating Oglethorpe's landing on February 12, 1733. Factors Walk once housed the offices of nineteenth century cotton merchants. Today, a variety of businesses call it home. Of interest to the historian are the Washington Guns, presented by George Washington when he visited Savannah in 1791. The bronze cannons were captured from the British at Yorktown.

Tybee Island Lighthouse

The Lighthouse has been re-built four times over its history and the most recent rebuilding occurred after the Civil War. The lower sixty feet of the old lighthouse was still intact, and it was decided to add to the existing structure instead of starting from the ground up. The new lighthouse was to be a first order station, consisting of masonry and metal only and was completely fireproof. This is the lighthouse that stands today.The U.S. Coast Guard occupied the Lighthouse site until 1987 when they formed a joint partnership lease agreement with the City of Tybee Island and The Tybee Island Historical Society, which took on responsibility for full maintenance and restoration of the site. The U.S. Coast Guard still maintains the light as a navigational aid.

The lighthouse and buildings set on 5 acres of land and offer daily tours and a gift shop.

A Tree in Ardsley Park - First Suburb of Savannah

I live in Ardsley Park and it is a wonderful place to live and walk around. The beautiful parks and trees covered with hanging moss make this area a place to visit. Washington Avenue is probably the most beautiful street in Savannah and worth the time to visit the first suburb of Savannah.

History:

During the years 1908, 1910 and 1922, plans were taking shape for the construction of a handful of grand homes in Ardsley Park and Chatham Crescent, the city’s first automobile suburbs. These neighborhoods were development simultaneously on open, boggy land on the fringes of the streetcar lines in what was then the southeastern part of Savannah. Surprisingly, Ardsley Park was- and still is- a relatively small subdivision. The idea was the brainstorm of Harry Hays Lattimore, William Lattimore and anonymous partners in the Ardsley Park Land Corporation. No one is certain how the Ardsley name evolved though some have theorized that it was borrowed from a British neighborhood. The area was laid out in grids with squares, similar to the plan used in downtown Savannah by Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the colony. The northern and western boundaries of Ardsley Park were marked at Estill Avenue and Bull Street by an impressive looking retaining wall made of Belgian block similar to those used as ballast on ships sailing from England. At key intersections stone pillars with Spanish-looking tile roods marked the entrances to the park. Adjacent to Ardsley Park was a much larger piece of acreage known as the Granger Tract. Owner Harvey Granger was something of a transportation visionary who is credited with paving the first concrete road in the state and finishing the Atlantic Coastal Highway, which ultimately connected the seaboard states with Florida.
The Spanish Revival-style hotel was designed by noted architect Henrik Wallin, who assisted Henry Bacon with New York’s Astor Hotel. Apparently the developers hoped that wealthy Northerners would check into what was to be a luxurious hotel and decide to purchase a second home in Chatham Crescent. Unfortunately, the hotel encountered numerous problems and barely got off the ground. Eventually, Savannah High School (now the Savannah Arts Academy) was built on the nearly eight acres of land set aside for the hotel.
Ardsley Park was designed with tree-planting strips, or tree lawns, between the streets and sidewalks, while Chatham Crescent featured large trees planted directly on the front lawns. More than 5,000 trees were planted in Chatham Crescent under the direction of Henri Bignault, a landscape architect trained at the Ecole de Beaux Arts.

General Oglethorpe Monument in Calhoun Square

In 1901, the Colonial Dames, the Daughters of the American Revolution and other patriotic associations began to plan for a monument to the colony's founder. The Georgia Legislature allocated $15,000 for the project. The very prominent and well regarded Daniel Chester French and his associate Henry Bacon, were given the commission. French is famous for having also done the seated Lincoln in Washington, D.C.

The statue depicts General Oglethorpe in a heroic pose, attired in the uniform of a British General of his period, with sword unsheathed, point held down. As was custom, it is facing his enemy which, in this instance, is South to Florida where the Spanish were.


The figure of Oglethorpe is bronze and rests on a stepped, inscribed, pink-gray marble pedestal with garlands and pine cones on it. On the corners are rampant lions presenting shields at each corner. The shields show the following:
1. Coat of arms of Oglethorpe
2. Seal of the Colony of Georgia
3. Seal of the State of Georgia
4. Seal of the City of Savannah

Two Italian Renaissance stone benches are on either side of the site. The statue itself is ten feet high. It was unveiled at a ceremony on November 23, 1910.

The Fragrance Garden in Forsyth Park

The other day I was in Forsyth Park and I must admit that I have not wandered off the walking track and boy did I miss something and that is the Garden of Fragrance. It is tucked in the northwest part of the park and right next to the children's playground and let your nose take you there. It is impressive and a wonderful place to set on the benches in the garden and just smell. Anyway, this is what the city states and I quote "The Fragrance in Forsyth Park, Savannah, Georgia was originally begun in 1959 by the Garden Club Council of Chatham County, and was dedicated April 3, 1963. The garden was designed by the late Mr. Georges Bignault, and was his final work as a Landscape Architect.

The Garden is surrounded by wells on three sides, helping to contain the fragrance of the plants and the fourth side is enclosed by the ornamental iron fence. The entrance is particularly enhanced by the handsome iron gates from the Old Union Station. These gates were erected in memory of Frances Smith Littlefield by members of her garden club and friends.

Through the years, the garden began to suffer from neglect and reached the point of needing renovation. This need was answered in 2002, when the Park & Tree Department, in collaboration with the Trustees Garden Club and the Junior League began to renovate the Fragrant Garden. Pressure washing, painting and infrastructure modifications were made, and new plant materials were installed. The Trustees Garden Club has provided an endowment of $5000 for future upkeep of the gard