USA > Georgia > Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume I > Part 28
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1 McCall Says 114.
2 Consult Lawton B. Evans in School History of Georgia, p. 16, New York, 1904. See Vol. II. for a list of the Trustees.
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one to enter her borders who was not, by competent authority, judged worthy of citizenship.''3
Over two months were consumed on the voyage, during which time prayers were offered each morning and even- ing for Divine guidance that no mishap might overtake the passengers on board. At length, on January 13, 1733, the vessel dipped anchor in the harbor of Charleston, where the colonists were joyfully received. It does not detract from the genuineness of this greeting to state that Georgia was to be a buffer between South Carolina and her enemies : the Spaniards and the Indians. The next stop was at Beaufort, where the colonists, by cour- tesy of Governor Johnson, occupied the new barracks, until Oglethorpe, accompanied by William Bull and Jona- than Bryan, could first visit the future settlement. The prospecting party left in an Indian canoe; and, after winding in and out among the small islands at the month of the Savannah River, they at length espied, some eighteen miles up the stream, a bluff crowned with pine trees, at the western end of which was a village called Yamacraw. The chief of the tribe to which the village belonged was named Tomo-chi-chi. There was here a trading-post owned by a man named John Musgrove, whose wife, Mary, was an Indian half-breed. At first the old chief refused to grant the request of the Europeans for land on which to settle; but, though the good officers of Mary Musgrove, he finally consented to enter into treaty negotiations, after which the land was surveyed and the party returned to Beaufort for the colonists.
On February 12, 1733 the little band of emigrants reached the bluff, on which the infant colony of Georgia was to be cradled. The ascent was made from the western end where the slope was less precipitous; and, an opening having been cleared among the pines, four large tents
$ Charles C. Jones, Jr., in History of Georgia, Vol. I, foot-note, p. 113, Boston, 1883.
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MOMORIALS AND LEGENDS
were spread upon the heights overlooking the river, one for each tithing into which the colonists had already been divided, previous to arrival. By sunset the baggage was all ashore. With the night-fall came an evening of tran- quility and good cheer around the camp-fires. Prayers of thanksgiving were offered; and, under the silent stars, amid the vast solitudes of the forest, was spent the first night on Georgia soil.1
Some of the Compa- According to White, the leaders nies of Oglethorpe. among the early colonists at Savan- nah were: General Oglethorpe, Cap- tain Horton, Henry Parker, John Fallowfield, Colonel William Stephens, Patrick Tailfer, Thomas Jones, Thomas Chriestie, Richard Turner, Paul Amatis, James Burnsides, Peter Morel, Hugh Anderson, Anthony Camuse, P. Delegal, Walter Fox, Peter Gordon, James Houston, Samuel Lacy, John Pye, Joseph Wardrope, Thomas Young, the Messrs. Sheftall and DeLyons, Noble Jones, James Habersham, John Milledge, and Dr. Nunis.
Derivation of the To quote Colonel Absalom H. Chap-
Name "Savannah." pell: "No one can ascend the river from the sea or stand on the edge of the bluff which the city occupies and overlook the vast expanse of flat lands on either side, without knowing at once that from these plains or savannas came the river's name, derived from the Spanish word "Sabanna"; and the fact that is was baptized with the Christian, though not saintly, name which it bears is just as certain as it is that the great grassy plains in South America owe the name by which they are called to the same parental source."2
1 Consult: Lee and Agnew In Historical Record of Savannah.
2 Absalom H. Chappell in Miscellanies of Georgia, Columbus, 1874.
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Oglethorpe: His Monument and His Mission.
Volume II.
Memorials to In naming the streets of the infant
Earliest Friends. town, Oglethorpe remembered the
timely assistance given by the South Carolinians and the five principal thoroughfares, travers- ing the town at right angles to the river were called Bull, Whitaker, Drayton, St. Julian, and Bryan streets in com- pliment to friends in South Carolina, while the first public square in the settlement was named for Governor Johnson. The four wards into which the town was divided, viz: Heathcote, Percival, Derby and Decker, were named for English noblemen who were influential members of the Board of Trustees; and the various tith- ings, of which there were four to each ward, likewise bore the names of friends on the far side of the water. Thus framed in the daily accents of the people of Savannah, the names of the earliest friends of the Colony of Georgia was perpetuated. The following paragraph from Ogle- thorpe's pen is interesting in this connection :
"February-Colonel Bull came to Savannah with four laborers and assisted the Colony for a month, he himself measuring the scantling and setting out the work for the sawyers, and giving the proportion of the houses. Mr. Whitaker sent the colony one hundred head of cattle. Mr. St. Julian came to Savannah and staid a month, directing the people in the building of houses and other work. Mr. Joseph Bryan himself, with four of his sawyers, gave two months work to the Colony. The inhabitants of Edisto sent sixteen sheep. Mr. Hammerton gave a drum. Mrs. Ann Drayton sent two pair of sawyers to work in the Colony. Colonel Bull and Mr. Bryan came to Savannah with twenty servants, whose labor they gave to the Colony. His Excellency, Robert Johnson, gave seven
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MOMORIALS AND LEGENDS
horses, valued at twenty-five pounds sterling, in the currency of South Carolina."*
The Wesleys in Georgia. Volume II.
John Wesley's Love Affair. Volume II.
John Wesley's Georgia Diary. Volume II.
Savannah the Birth- place of Sunday 1 Schools. Volume II.
The Monument to Tomo-Chi-Chi.
Page 85.
Christ Church : The Oldest in Georgia. Page 77.
Old Independent: A In 1755, on the petition of forty- Branch of the Kirk of Scotland. eight free-holders, a lot was granted on which to erect a building to be called the Independent Presbyte- rian Church, the land granted and the church built thereon to be for the use of such persons in the district of Savan- nah as supported the doctrines of the Church of Scotland. From its foundation, the Independent Presbyterian Church has been independent in name and fact. It has no connection either with the Presbytery of Savannah or with the Synod of Georgia and is governed solely by its
* Consult: Lee and Agnew in Historical Record of Savannah; Jones, Stevens, etc.
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own board of elders. The lot granted to the congregation was located on Market Square, between St. Julian and Bryan Streets, and running east to Whitaker. It was specified in the grant that the meeting-house was to be erected within three years. Before the expiration of this period, a brick structure was completed and a call extend- ed to the Reverend John .J. Zubly, a native of Switzerland who accepted the charge and remained pastor until 1778. At the time of the siege over a thousand shells poured into the town from the batteries of the allies, producing havoc and destruction ; four houses were burned, several were demolished, and quite a number injured almost beyond repair. Shots from the galleys in the river reached Zubly's meeting house in Decker Ward. The church was turned into a hospital, and a chimney built in the center; but when the siege was over it was little more than a ruin. On April 15, 1784, there appeared in the "Gazette" a call from the trustees for a meeting to be held in the office of Olive Lewis, Esq., the purpose of which was to devise plans for rebuilding the structure. The call was signed by Jonathan Bryan, Robert Bolton, and William Gibbons, Trustees. Several years later, the new building was destroyed by fire, and the congregation worshiped with the Baptists until another edifice was completed, in 1800, on St. James Square, between York and President Streets.
On January 13, 1817, with impressive ceremonies, the cornerstone of the present beautiful edifice of the Inde- pendent Presbyterian Church was laid, and in the month of May, 1819, the building was dedicated. President James Monroe, then on a visit to Savannah, attended the exercises, together with other dignitaries. Dr. Henry Kollock, the pastor, preached the dedicatory sermon from the text: "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than the former." Haggai, 2:9.
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With its adjunctive buildings, the Independent Pres- byterian Church constitutes one of the most impressive features of the city of Savannah. The main structure is modeled upon the classic style of architecture, while the building occupied by the Sabbath-school, in the adjoin- ing area, is composite in design, an edifice of two stories, substantially built and handsomely equipped. Com- mencing on Bull Street, the spacious grounds of the Inde- pendent Presbyterian Church extended to Whitaker. On the latter thoroughfare stands the gray-toned parsonage. The congregation is perhaps the wealthiest in Savannah. According to the conditions of a legacy left to the church by the late Miss Mary Telfair, there are two features of the interior which cannot be altered : the high Dutch pul- pit and the galleries. Among the distinguished divines who have occupied the pulpit of this historic church since. the beginning may be included : Rev. John J. Zubly, D. D., the first pastor; Rev. Willard Preston, D. D., the late venerated and beloved Dr. I. S. K. Axson, who officiated for more than a generation, and the brilliant and eloquent Dr. James Y. Fair, who recently resigned after a ministry of several years. Dr. Axson was the grandfather of Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, the present Mistress of the White House. On the list of Sunday School superintendents is included Judge E. J. Harden, who wrote the "Life of Gov. George M. Troup."*
The Moravians: An Extinct Settlement. Volume II.
The Jews in Geor- gia: An Outline History. Page 97.
Bethesda: The Oldest Organized Charity in America. Page 80.
* Consult: Lee and Agnew in Historical Record of Savannah.
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Tondee's Tavern : The Cradle of Lib- erty in Georgia. On the northwest corner of Whita- ker and Broughton streets, memo- rialized by a tablet of bronze, is one of the most sacred spots in the city of Savannah. Rich in historic associations, it was here that the earliest protest of the Colony was made against the oppressive measures of the English Parlia- ment. Here the citizens of Savannah assembled in re- sponse to the first bugle call of patriotism. Here the Council of Safety held weekly meetings on Monday morn- ings; and here, on July 4, 1775, assembled the Provincial Congress which formally severed the tie of allegiance between the Colony and the Crown. In the spring of 1899, the Colonial Dames placed a tablet of bronze upon the building which occupies the site of Tondee's Tavern. The inscription thereon reads :
"Stood, on this site, in colonial times, Tondee's Tavern, where gathered the 'Sons of Liberty.' Erected by the Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America."'
Peter Tondee, the owner of this famous hostelry, was a patriot of the most loyal pattern. According to tradi- tion, he held the post of door-keeper, at the gatherings of the "Sons of Liberty"; and, though his establishment was open to the public, on ordinary occasions, no one could enter the long room, when the patriots were to meet there, without first pronouncing the shibboleth of freedom. In front of the tavern, on June 5, 1775, was erected the famous liberty pole, which became the rally- ing center of the town; and from the porch, Archibald Bulloch, then President of the Council of Safety, read the Declaration of Independence to the assembled popu- lace, after which thirteen guns were fired from the old battery on Bay street. Though little is known of the man who owned the tavern, beyond the fact that he was one of the patriotic hand, his name is imperishably writ-
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
ten among the immortals and his memory will be fragrant in Georgia to the latest generation.
More than fifty years after the Revolution there were a number of patriots of '76 still living in Savannah. Some of these were granted Federal pensions as follows : Peter Zavadooski, a private, in 1839; John Masterson, a corporal, in 1848; George Dunham, a private, in 1848; and Thomas Sullivan, a private, in 1849. The soil of Colonial Park is rich in Revolutionary dust; and some of the most illustrious of the Georgia patriots lie here entombed .*
Colonial Park.
Volume II.
Resolutions of Pro- At the instance of Governor Wright, test Adopted by there was held in Savannah soon Friends of the King. after the famous meeting of the patriots, on August 10, 1774, a gath- ering of loyal citizens, whose purpose was to check the growing sentiment of hostility to the Crown. Among those who attended the meeting were quite a number of conservatives, who were not prepared for radical action at this time but were later found on the side of the Colonies. To counteract the influence of the patriots, resolutions were adopted protesting in very strong terms against the rash and impulsive action taken by the "Sons of Liberty" and seeking to discourage any future assem- blages of like character. The need of protection, the weakness of the Province, and the uniform kindness shown by the mother country to the youngest of her offspring, were among the various arguments set forth. The list of dissenters is herewith reproduced because it contains the names of some of the first families of Savan-
* See Vol. II for epitaphs and inscriptions on the monuments in Colonial Park.
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nah at this time and throws an important side-light upon the history of the period :*
James Habersham
Lachlan McGillivary
James Hume
Thomas Johnston
James Robertson
Alexander Thompson
Lewis Johnson
John Irvine Edward Langworthy James Mossman
Joseph Butler William S. Kenner
Henry Youngs
Philip Younge
Thomas Moodie
Philip Moore
Joseph Ottolengie John English James Read
David Montaigut
William Moss
Henry Younge, Jr.
James Farley
Thomas Ross
Richard Wright
Abraham Gray
John Hume
Leonard Cecil
Moses Nunes
Andrew Robertson,
Henry Preston
Robert Bolton
Noble Jones
James Habersham, Jr.
.James A. Stewart .John Mullryne
Robert Walt
Alexander Wylly William Moore
David Gray
Francis Knowles
George Finch
William Ross
John Parkerson
E Jones
William Brown, Jr.
John Herriott N. Wade
Charles Younge
Robert Gray Samuel Shepherd
James Dixie, William Strother
George Henly
John Spence
D. McInnes
Henry Forest
* Consult: White's Historical Collections of Georgia, Savannah, 1854.
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Josiah Tattnall John Jamieson John Simpson
Alexander Stokes
George Fraser
James Nicol .James Thompson John B. Garardiau John Patton .James E. Powell,
Peter LaVein
Quinton Pooler
John Graham Thomas Reid John Storr John Lowery Matthew Stewart
William Thompson Stephen Britton James Low Jonathan Holden John Mills
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
Savannah in Hands of British : Betrayed By Old Negro. Volume II.
Georgia Patriots Outlawed by the Tory Government. Volume II.
Fort Wayne. At the eastern extremity of the bluff, a site occupied in after years by the gas house, stood Fort Wayne. It was constructed in the fall of 1778, when the likelihood of invasion was imminent, and was named in honor of the gallant officer who was afterwards largely instrumental in repelling the British from Georgia soil: General Anthony Wayne. But, ex- cept on the water front, the city of Savannah was in an almost defenceless condition.
Savannah's Revolu- tionary Monuments. Page 103.
Wormsloe: The Home of Noble Jones. Page 87.
Brampton: The Home of Jonathan Bryan. Page 93.
Bonaventure: The Seat of the Tatt- nalls. Page 91.
White Bluff : The On the Vernon River, nine miles to Country-Seat of the the south of Savannah, was located Houstouns. the country-seat of Sir Patrick Houstoun, Registrar of Grants and Receiver of Quit-Claims for the Colony of Georgia. On the death of the old baronet, this splendid estate
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was inherited by his eldest son, Sir George Hous- toun, who remained loyal to England during the Revolution, though his brothers, John and William, were foremost among the rebels. The former be- came Governor of Georgia on the eve of the fall of Savannah. This incident has been preserved among the family traditions : "While the seat of govern- ment was at Savannah, Governor Houstoun's eldest brother, Sir George Houstoun, had a country-seat nine miles from the city, on the Vernon River, called White Bluff. The Governor was accustomed to spend much of his time at this place. The British got wind of this and on one occasion sent a boat and crew up the river to capture the Governor. He heard of this raid in time, however, and ran through the garden into the woods be- hind the house, climbed a tree, and remained hid until the raiders left." Governor Houstoun died at White Bluff, on July 20, 1796.
Beaulieu : The On a bluff of land overlooking the Estate of Gov. Vernon River, at a point seven miles William Stephens. distant from the ocean, stood the ele- gant old home of William Stephens, an early Colonial Governor. This noted Chief-Magistrate was at one time a member of the English Parliament. His famous "Journal", a work of three volumes, pub- lished by a London firm, in 1742, constitutes an important source-book, upon which later-day historians have largely drawn. Thomas Stephens, a son of the royal Governor, was a leader of the malcontents and a thorn in the pater- nal flesh. Deputed to present the grievances of Georgia to the Trustees, he went to England for this purpose, seemingly without the least regard for the feelings of his father, an old man. The errand was not successful; ยท but so mortified was Governor Stephens by the circum- stances connected with it that he soon afterwards relin-
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
quished the official helm. Withdrawing to his plantation near Savannah he there lived in retirement until his death. The fine old estate embracing originally five hundred aeres was confirmed to him in 1739 by Ogle- thorpe. He called his country-seat Beanlieu, after an old English manor owned by the Duke of Montagn, in the New Forest. The attractive bluff at this point is fragrant with other memories. Here, on September 12, 1779, debarked the troops of Count d'Estaing, the gallant French Admiral, to engage in the heroic but hapless siege of Savannah; and here to guard the approaches to the same town, during the Civil War, were planted strong batteries. Beaulieu is today one of Savannah's aristo- eratie suburbs .*
Tybee: First Cap- On Tybee Island, at the mouth of the ture of Revolution Savannah River, the first light-house Here Made. on the Georgia coast was built under the supervision of Oglethorpe, in 1733. The present handsome structure, is the tallest light house between Charleston and St. Augustine. This was the scene of the famous capture made by the first vessel commissioned for naval warfare during the American Revolution. The boat was a converted sehooner, officered by Commodore Oliver Bowen and Captain Joseph Haber- sham. To meet the exigencies of the time, it was hastily put in commission, in 1775, and within a few days there- after, off the coast of Tybee, 16,000 pounds of powder was captured, some of which was sent to Boston, where it was used in the battle of Bunker Hill. At Fort Sereven, on Tybee Island, the United States government main- tains a strong battery, the numerical strength of which at present is 14 officers and 460 men. One of the quaint sights of the island is Martelle Tower, a structure built by
* Lee and Agnew, Wilson, etc.
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the Federal government for defensive purposes, at the outbreak of the second war with England, in 1812. This fort is still the property of the United States, but is no longer used except as a residence for officials. Tybee is today a great resort for lovers of the surf. It is the only island on the Georgia coast reached by direct railway connection, or to quote a Savannah rhapsodist "the only spot in Georgia where the headlight of a loco- motive engine casts its silvery beams on the rolling waves of the deep and dark bue ocean."
Thunderbolt: Five miles to the south-east of Savan- How the Name nah lies Thunderbolt. Guarding one of Originated. the rear approaches to the city, it was the site of early fortifications. Here also an important garrison was stationed during the ('ivil War. As for the origin of the name, there is still in existence an old letter written by Oglethorpe, in which he traces the derivation to a rock which was here shattered by a thunderbolt, causing a spring to gush from the ground, which continued ever afterwards to emit the odor of brimstone. At present, Thunderbolt is one of the many play-grounds to which the population of Savannah resorts in summer. It is also a place where refreshments are served to patrons who are not strict prohibitionists.
Georgia's First Newspaper: "The Gazette." Volume II.
Chatham Academy : Savannah's Pioneer School. Volume II.
Sketch of the Roman Catholics in Georgia.
Volume II.
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GEORGIA'S LANDMARKS, MEMORIALS AND LEGENDS
Habersham House. One of the stateliest of the lingering land-marks of Savannah is Haber- sham House. Situated on Bernard street between Perry and McDonough, it faces Orleans Square. This quaint old monument of the ante-bellum South possesses a charm of interest both for the relic hunter and for the lover of art. It was built some time after the War of 1812 for Mr. Archibald S. Bulloch, a wealthy citizen of Savannah who lavished many thousand dollars upon the handsome dwelling. Mr. Jay, the architect who designed it, belonged to a noted family of New York, but was living at this time in London. His reputation for build- ing artistic homes covered both sides of the Atlantic. When Mr. Bulloch began the erection of his home-so the story goes-he undertook to build it on the basis of so much per brick, without stopping to count the ultimate cost; and in consequence of the somewhat unusual terms of the contract it is said that enough bricks were put into the stately walls of the edifice to have reared a whole block of tenements built after the fashion of modern times.
This fact was clearly established many years ago when Mr. Neyle Habersham, who was residing here at this time, sought to dig a wine cellar through one of the walls. The workmen dug for days into a solid mass of brick and mortar, and finally when it came to light that the stubborn obstruction was not less than fifteen feet in thickness, the undertaking was abandoned. The contrac- tor who built the house must have demanded a king's ransom for his work on completing the structure; and, though Mr. Bulloch was a man of large means, he no doubt whistled when he paid the bill. The original own- er's occupancy of the mansion was short-lived. It soon passed to other hands. One of the subsequent purchasers was a Mrs. Maxwell. It was while this lady resided here that Bishop England, one of the most celebrated Roman Catholic prelates in America, planted a tree in a corner of the lawn which became for years a conspicuous senti
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nel in this locality, but fell at last a prey to the destruc- tive storm-king.
In 1823 the house was bought by Mr. Robert Hutchin- son who-palace though it was-acquired it for the small sum of $7,000, a mere bagatelle in comparison with what it cost Mr. Bulloch. The latter, in fact, paid this much for the iron railing which enclosed the front yard. Some ten years later the house became the property of Mr. Robert Habersham who lived here until his death. He was the father of Mr. Neyle Habersham above mentioned. Finally, in 1905, the historic mansion was purchased by the present owner, Mrs. Arthur E. Boyd. In architec- tural design Habersham House is a modification of the classic, representing a style typical of the ante-bellum South. There was a garden at one time on top of the house, a perfect jungle of sub-tropical plants and flowers. There was also a portico in front extending fifteen feet forward over the rooms of the first floor. This was built to furnish two extra rooms when Mr. Habersham acquired the place.
Perhaps the most picturesque feature of the palatial old home is the stately stone portico in front upon which six-majestic columns arranged in circular position up- hold a dome-like ceiling. The parlor is sixty feet in length, the dining room thirty-five. The broad hallway extends to the rear of the house, while an old fashioned flight of stairs winds up from the center, supported by Corinthian pillars. The drawing room is very large and the ceilings very high. The mantels are made of Italian marble, in the panels to which there are many delicately carved figures. The classic appearance of the hall is enriched by the fluted columns at each end, behind which in the concave walls stand huge gilded mirrors. The rooms are modelled upon the same impressive style, splendidly decorated and regal in proportions. From the external view-point, Habersham House is a lordly man-
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