USA > Georgia > Georgia's landmarks, memorials and legends, Volume II > Part 48
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The Old Masonic From an old copy of the Savannah Morn- Hall: an His- ing News, dated March 28, 1888, is con- toric Rookery. densed the following item in regard to one of the old landmarks of Savannah:
"The two-story wooden building on a brick basement, fronting on President Street, was erected by the members of Solomon's Lodge, in 1799, and was used by the Masonic fraternity until 1858, when they re- moved to the building on the northeast corner of Bull and Broughton streets, having sold the old site to the city in 1856. Together with this particular piece of property, the city also bought the lot adjoining on the west, which was at one time the residence of General Lachlan McIntosh, of the Revolutionary Army, intending to erect thereon a guard-house or police station; but the people in the neighborhood objected, and it was sold to the late John J. Kelly for $1,000. He afterwards bequeathed it to the Union Society. The workmen yesterday pulled down the partitions which divided the old lodge-room into bedrooms, and it once more assumed the appearance of a meeting-place of the brethren. It was here that Hon. William Stephens, General James Jackson, Governor Josiah Tattnall and other illustrious Georgians and Masons met in the early days; and here it was also that the young Cuban patriot, General Lopez, who was soon afterward garroted in Havana, was made a Mason in 1850. The Whitefield Building, a noble structure, will succeed the old hall, and the site is vir- tually a Masonic contribution; for not only was the land itself the gift of the late John J. Kelly, but the money for the erection of the new struc-
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ture is part of the bequest of the late William F. Holland, to the Union Society; and both of these public benefactors were Masons of high rank. The building will be an appropriate memorial to George Whitefield, the founder of the Bethesda Orphan House, and to John J. Kelly and William F. Holland, two members of the society, whose timely beneficence has added this property to the assets from which is to be derived an income for the sup- port of the orphans of the Union Society, the present guardian of White- field's sacred trust to the people of Savannah."
"Concerning the origin of the first Masonic Lodge in Georgia there is an interesting tradition to the effect that in 1733 a number of Masons under the leadership of General Oglethorpe, while at Sunbury, then a small settlement on Medway River, organized, under an immense live oak, a lodge which was afterwards known as Savannah Lodge. However, the authentic records begin with an organization which was chartered in 1735 as Solomon's Lodge. This is the Mother-Lodge of Georgia. From the old tree under which the first shrine is supposed to have been erected, a relic of precious value has been carved in the form of a chair, which ornaments the lodge-room of the Masonic Hall. After the year 1800, Union, L'Esper- ance, Hiram and Oglethorpe lodges were instituted. During the Morgan excitement, these were broken up, however, and only Solomon's Lodge remained. The first hall erected for the meetings of the brothrhood was the two-story building on President Street, to which reference has been made in the above newspaper extract. The present hall is an elegant brick structure on the northeast corner of Bull and Broughton."
Chatham Academy : It was not until 1812 that work commenced in Savannah's Pioneer School. the erection of Chatham Academy; but the en- terprise derived its legal beginning from an Act of the Georgia Legislature, passed on February 1, 1788, in the city of Augusta, when the following trustees were appointed : Messrs. John Houstoun, John Habersham, William Gibbons, Sr., William Stephens, Richard Wylly, James Houstoun, Samuel Elbert, Seth John Cuth- bert and Joseph Clay, Jr. By the same Act the proporety of Bethesdo Col- lege, or Orphane House, was vested in Selina, Countess of Huntington, in obedience to the trust of the late George Whitefield. The Academy was thus from its inception associated with Bethesda College. These were sister insti- tutions. The one, the property of George Whitefield, bequeathed by him to Lady Huntington, in trust for literary and benevolent purposes; the other the property of Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, devised by him for benevolent purposes. The Legislature proposed to make practical use of the latter's.
*Lee and Agnew, in Historical Record of Savannah.
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gift by placing it in the hands of the trustees for the projected academy, with the proviso that nothing therein should bar the claim of any legal heir to the property of the said Zouberbuhler. But trouble arose, and, on De- cember S, 1791, the Legislature passed an Act to quiet the heirs. They were required, however, to pay an annuity of one hundred pounds, for the ensuing four years, to be applied to the support of the Academy; and, on failure to do so, the trustees were authorized to recover same in the courts.
Still the matter dragged. Finally, on December 23, 1808, the Legis- lature passed an Act providing for the sale of the property of Bethesda, both real and personal, in order that the purposes of the institution might be more effectively served. It was stipulated that the debts of the insti- tution should be paid first; and then, of what remained, one-fifth was to be given to the Savannah Poor-House and Hospital. The rest was to be divided equally between Chatham Academy and Bethesda Orphanage; and in connection with this donation the former institution was directed to edu- cate, without cost, at least five orphan children.
Funds having accumulated sufficient to warrant the building of an academy, the City Council, in 1810, on the joint application of the trus- tees of Chatham Academy and the president of the Union Society, passed an ordinance granting five lots in Brown Ward as a site for a structure to be erected by the two institutions for educational purposes. The work was put in charge of a committee of the two organizations, of which Mr. John Bolton was chairman. The basement walls were laid with heavy rock ballast, probably brought from abroad in the vessels coming to Sa- .vannah. On January 5, 1813, at noon, the completed structure as formally opened for the reception of scholars. Dr. Henry Kollock delivered an elo- quent address, and two hundred and nineteen pupils were enrolled. At a meeting of the Union Society, on May 7, 1813, it was decided to sell to Chatham Academy the interest of Bethesda Orphanage in the common prop- erty, an exception being made of the western wing. This was used for a number of years as a hotel. However, in 1887, it was purchased by the trustees of Chatham Academy and converted into class-rooms. This hand- some addition was christened Hunter Hall, in honor of Mr. William Hunter, for many years president of the board. At the present time, Chatham Acad- emy occupies the entire building, one of the most substantial and elegant structures in Savannah, with the main entrance on Bull Street .*
General Lafayette This happy event took place on Saturday, March Arrives on 19, 1825. Up to the last hour almost, the time Georgia Soil. for the arrival of our venerated guest was but conjectural, opinions were various as to the moment at which he might be expected. The stages and packets were crowded with passengers, particularly from the South. The Light Dra,
*Adelaide Wilson, in Historic and Picturesque Savannah.
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goons from Liberty County, under the command of Captain W. M. Max- well and the Darien Hussars, commanded by. Captain Charles West, had reached town on the preceding Tuesday. At half past five o'clock on Saturday morning, by a signal from the Chatham Artillery, the various organizations were warned to repair to the several parade grounds. The line was formed at eight o'clock, after which, there being no appearance of the boat, arms were stacked and the troops dismissed until the arrival. The first tidings of the welcome vessel were announced by the Exchange Bell, and almost at the same moment the volumes of smoke which accompanied her was perceived over the land; she was then about twelve or fifteen miles off, but rapidly approaching. The troops were immediately formed and marched to the lower part of Bay Street, where they were placed in position on the green in front of the avenue of trees. It proved to be an ideal day. About nine o'clock the mists dispersed, the skies became clear, and a gentle breeze arose, blowing directly up the river, as if to add speed to the vessel which was to land the distinguished visitors upon our shores.
As the steamboat passed Fort Jackson she was boarded by the Commit- tee of Reception, and the General was addressed by the chairman, George Jones, Esq. The boat now approached in gallant style, firing, by the way, while a full band of music on board played the Marseillaise Hymn and other favorite French and American airs. At the anchorage a salute was fired by the Revenue Cutter Gallatin, under the command of Captain Matthews, and General Lafayette was assisted to the first barge, accom- panied by the committee, the other boats being occupied by the remainder of the suite. At the docks were assembled the leading dignitaries and officials of the State; deputations from the Hibernian, St. Andrew's and Agricultural Societies, all bedecked with badges; besides a multitude of citizens. The Savannah Volunteer Guard, in honor of the Nation's guest, wore the Revolutionary cockade. As the General placed his foot upon the landing place, a salute was fired by the Chatham Artillery, in line on the bluff, with four brass field pieces, one of which was captured at Yorktown. He was here received by William C. Daniel, Esq., Mayor of the city, amid cheers from the assembled spectators.
On arriving at the top of the bluff, he was presented to Governor Troup, by whom, in the most cordial manner, he was welcomed to the soil of Georgia. Lafayette replied in feeling terms, and was then introduced to several Revolutionary soldiers, among whom were General Stewart, Colonel Shellman, Eb. Jackson, Sheftall Sheftall and Captain Rees. The eyes of the old General sparkled. He remembered Captain Rees, who proceeded to narrate some incident. "I remember," said Lafayette, taking the captain 's hand between both of his own, and, with tear-filled eyes, the two men stood for a moment, absorbed in the recollection of youthful days. The officers of the brigade and of the regiment were then introduced, after which the procession moved as prescribed in the arrangements of the day, and about half-past five o'clock in the afternoon he arrived at the lodgings assigned
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to him, at Mrs. Maxwell's, where Governor Troup also was lodged. During the passage of the procession, windows and doors everywhere were crowded to excess; and the expression of feeling displayed by all was most en- thusiastic, from the highest to the lowest. He was saluted by the ladies with the waving of handkerchiefs; which he returned by the repeated and continued inclination of the head in acknowledgment. At sundown, another salute was fired by the Marine Volunteer Corps .*
Savannah's Con- One of the artistic features of For- federate Monument. syth Park, where it stands upon a high mound overlooking a beautiful expanse of velvet green, is Savannah's handsome monu- ment to the Confederate dead. It is a structure of Gothic design, massive in proportions. The corner-stone was laid on June 19, 1874, at which time Captain George A. Mercer delivered the address, while the city council, the military, and the Masonic orders took part. The unveiling occurred on May 24, 1875, when Hon. Julian Hartridge, then a member of Congress, delivered the address. At the urgent request of the Savannah Me- morial Association, General Joseph E. Johnston acted as grand marshal. Surmounting the handsome pile stands the bronze figure of a Confederate soldier at pa- rade rest. This, together with the iron railing which surrounds the lot, was the gift of Mr. G. W. J. DeRenne, of Wormslow.
Memorial Arch: On February 14, 1914, the handsome Colonial Park. memorial arch which forms an exquisite gateway of stone to Colonial Park, was formally unveiled by Savannah Chapter, of the D. A. R., in the presence of a large concourse of people. Georgia's
*Accompanying General Lafayette from Charleston were several dis- tinguished South Carolinians, including the Governor; but, according to the laws of the Palmetto State, her Chief Magistrate was not allowed to cross the border, and he, therefore, returned, after making the proper apologies. However, two of the escort, Colonel Huger and Major Hamilton, remained and participated in the exercises.
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Chief-Executive, Hon. John M. Slaton, was an honored guest of the occasion and took a prominent part in the exercises. There is not a burial ground in the State whose soil is consecrated by the ashes of a greater num- ber of Revolutionary patriots, and the monument was reared to commemorate the heroism of these brave men. Here sleep the Habershams, the Clays, the Cuthberts, the Wyllys, the Bullochs, the McIntoshes, and scores of others identified with the heroic struggle of indepen- dence. The following detailed report of the ceremonies of unveiling is reproduced from a newspaper account :*
With fitting ceremonies the beautiful memorial arch erected at the main entrance to Colonial Cemetery by the Savannah Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution, was unveiled Thursday morning, Georgia Day, and formally presented to the city, in memory of the soldiers of the Revolu- tion whose remains are interred there.
The occasion was an inspiring one. A number of distinguished guests, including Governor Slaton, were on the speakers' platform, and soldiers, including the coast artillery corps from Fort Screven and the National Guard of Georgia, in their bright uniforms, were on every hand. The un- veiling was preceded by a parade of the military.
When the time came for the unveiling of the monument Otis Ashmore, master of the ceremonies, and Mrs. John S. Wood, regent of the Savannah chapter, descended from the speakers' platform and walked to the first row of chairs in front of the arch, where were seated Miss Rosalind Wood, daughter of the regent, and Miss Susie Cole Winburn, daughter of a former regent, who were to act as sponsors.
As the two young women were escorted to their stations, the band began playing "To the Flag," and at this signal the two immense Amer- ican flags that had previously hidden the memorial from view were drawn slowly back, disyplaying the beautiful design. As the arch came into view the heads of the men in the gathering were bared, and the soldiers stood at "salute. "'
The parade formed in front of the City Hall. The line of march was headed by the band from Fort Screven, followed by squads from six com- panies of regulars stationed there. Then came a picked company from the First 'Georgia Regiment, Captain Morgan in command, and the rear was Georgia Hussars, Captain Frank P. McIntire commanding. The mili- tary formed a square about the monument.
In front of the arch and to the left of the speakers' platform were seated the members of the Savannah Chapter, Daughters of the American
*Savannah Morning News.
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Revolution, the hostesses of the occasion, and their guests. Behind these were as many people as could crowd into the limited space, and the streets were blocked for some distance on either side.
The Right Rev. F. F. Reese, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia, pronounced the invocation. The dedicatory address was delivered by Judge Walter G. Charlton, of the Superior Court of Chatham County, who pre- sented the arch to the city in perpetuity. John Rourke, Jr., in the ab- sence of Mayor Richard J. Davant, accepted the gift on behalf of the city.
CHATTAHOOCHEE
Cusseta. On February 13, 1854, an Act was approved creating out of the two counties of Muscogee and Marion a new county, to be called Chattahoochee, after the river which formed its western border. The following commissioners were empowered by this Act to choose a county-site and to negotiate a purchase of land on which to erect public buildings, viz., James R. Love, William Bagby, David M. Glenn, William Wool- dridge and Joshua M. Cook. Near the center of the county a site was chosen, to which, in honor of a tribe of the Lower Creek Indians, was given the name Cus- seta. The town was incorporated in 1855. Since obtain- ing railway connections, Cusseta has commenced to bris- tle with new life and to enter upon a new era of develop- ment. The Cusseta Institute was chartered in 1897, with the following board of trustees: J. M. Leightner, Dr. C. N. Howard, W. F. Cook, J. J. Hickey, C. C. Wilkinson, John Stephens, J. C. F. McCook, D. J. Fussell, J. S. Brewer, and C. W. F. King.
CHATTOOGA
Summerville. Within a few months after Chattooga County was created in 1838 from Walker and Floyd, an Act was approved by Governor Charles J. McDonald, making the site for public buildings per- .
*Acts, 1897, p. 182.
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manent in the town of Summerville.1 During the same year a charter was granted to the Summerville Acad- emy, the original trustees of which institution were : John Hunter, Robert Bailey, John T. Story, Edwin Sturdi- vant, and Middleton Hill.2 Three years later five new trustees were added to this number: Charles A. Heard, Charles Price, S. E. Burnett, D. C. Hunter and R. W. Jones. The Summerville Male and Female Academy was chartered in 1856. It is said that the name of this town was suggested by its peculiar charm of environ- ment, in a picturesque open valley of the mountains. Se- quoya, the modern Cadmus, who invented an alphabet for the Cherokee language, lived at one time near Al- pine, on the borders of Chattooga. Two famous Indian villages of frontier days in this county were: Broom Town and Island Town. Judge John W. Maddox, at one time a member of Congress, and Hon. William C. Glenn, a former Attorney-General of Georgia, were natives of Chattooga.
CHEROKEE.
Canton. Originally the name of this historic town was Etowah, so called from the river which divides the county into two almost equal parts. Soon after the county was erected out of lands then recently acquired from the Cherokees, Etowah was chartered by an Act of the Legislature, approved December 24, 1833, at which time the following residents were named as commission- ers : Howell Cobb, Philip Croft, M. J. Camden, James Burns and William Gresham.3 These gentlemen were also made trustees of the town academy, with the excep- tion of Mr. Camden, in whose place William Lay was chosen. But Etowah did not suit the people for some reason, and on December 18, 1834, the name was changed
1 Acts, 1839, p. 210.
2 Acts, 1839, p. 6.
3 Acts, 1833, p. 331.
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to Canton .? Early in the forties, one of Georgia's most illustrious sons, Joseph E. Brown, afterwards Governor, Chief Justice and United States Senator, chose this town as his future home; and late in the fifties the County of Cherokee became the birth-place of another Governor, Joseph M. Brown. Canton was for years the home of Dr. John W. Lewis, a Senator of the Confederate States, and here, at a green old age, resides Judge James R. Brown, a noted jurist and a brother of Georgia's war Governor.
History of the There are few people living in Georgia
Famous "Joe who have not heard of the famous weapon
Brown Pike." of defence devised by Georgia's war Gov- ernor to meet the exigencies of a very grave situation in this State during the late civil conflict. It was known as the "Joe Brown Pike." But while the name of this hostile instrument may be a familiar one to the ear there is not one man in a hundred who knows what the "Joe Brown Pike" resembled or where and how it was manufactured. The following article on the subject from the pen of Clark Howell, Jr., appeared in the Atlanta Constitution of July 14, 1912. Says Mr. Howell :
"Half a century ago, when the Civil War was well under way and the Union forces were making their dreaded invasion of the Southland, when all the gun factories and practically everything in a manufacturing line was owned by the North, Georgia's famous war Governor. Joseph E. Brown, issued an official call to the mechanics of Georgia, urging them to produce the so-called 'Joe Brown Pike.' The South was short on weapons or defence and the Governor adopted this as a dernier resort.
"The call 'was issued from the executive department of the old State Capitol at Milledgeville, February 20, 1862. Along with the call there was sent to every. mechanic and blacksmith in the State a letter urging him personally to help in the general work of aiding the Confederacy in its dire troubles by making pikes. If the receiver of one of these letters notified the Governor that he was favorably disposed he was sent full'in-
2 Acts, 1834, p. 263.
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structions as to how to manufacture the implements, as well as 'a sample pike.
" The pikes were 'made with a long white oak or hickory stick with an iron head. The wooden part of the pike was 6 feet 7 inches long and was bound by four iron bands, the blade being 18 inches long and reminding one of the two-edged swords of the Crusaders. The blade, when not in use, could be lowered into the stock, which was about twice the size of an ordi- nary broom handle, but could readily be placed in position for defence or attack by releasing a spring, which pushed the blade into position, where it was held by the upper bands. In the same way it was dropped and caught by the lower bands.
"The celebrated order of Georgia's war Governor is here produced :
" 'Executive Department, Milledgeville, Ga., February 20, 1862. "' 'To the Mechanics of Georgia :
"The late reverses which have attended our armies show the absolute necessity of renewed energy and determination on our part. We are left to choose between freedom at the end of a desperate and heroic struggle and submission to tyranny, followed by the most abject and' degraded slavery to which a patriotic and generous people were ever exposed. Surely we cannot hesitate. Independence or death should be the watch- word and reply of every free-born son of the South.
"' 'Our enemies have vastly superior numbers and greatly the advantage in the quantity and quality of their arms. Including those, however, which have been and will be imported, in spite of the blockade, we have guns' enough in the Confederacy to arm a very large force, but not enough for all the troops which have been and must be called to the field. What shall be done in this emergency? I answer: use the 'Georgia pike,' with a side knife, 18-inch/ blade, weighing about 3 pounds. Let every army have a large reserve, armed with a good pike and a long knife, to be brought upon the field, with a shout for victory, when contending forces are much exhausted or when the time comes for the charge of bayonets. When the advance columns come in reach of the balls let them move in double quick time and rush with terrific impetuosity into the lines of the enemy. Hand-to-hand the pike has vastly the advantage of the bayonet, which is itself but a crooked pike with a shorter staff, and must retreat before it. When the retreat commences let the pursuit be rapid, and if the enemy throw down their guns and are likely to outrun us, if need be, throw down the pike and keep close to their heels with the knife, till cach man has hewn down at least one of his adversary.
" 'Had five thousand reserves, thus armed, and well trained to the use of these terrible weapons, been brought to charge at the proper time, who can say that the victory would not have been ours at Fort Donaldson? But it is probably unimportant that I state here the use to be made of that which I want you to manufacture. I have already a considerable number of pikes and knives, but desire within the next month ten thousand more
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of each. I must have them, and appeal to you, as one of the most patriotic classes of our fellow citizens, to make them for us immediately.
" 'I trust that every mechanic who has the means of turning them out rapidly and the owner of every machine shop in this State will at once lay aside all other business and appropriate a month or two to the relief of the country in this emergency. Each workman who has the means of turn- ing them out in large numbers without delay will be supplied with a proper pattern by application to the ordinance department at Milledge- ville. Appealing to your patriotism as a class and to your interest as citizens, whose all is at stake in this great contest in whicht you are en- gaged, I ask an immediate response.
" 'In ancient times that nation, it is said, usually extended its conquests further whose arms were shortest. Long range guns sometimes fail to fire and waste a hundred balls to one that takes effect, but the short range pike and the terrible knife (as they can be almost in a moment) wielded by a stalwart patriot's arm, never fail to fire and never waste a single load.
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