USA > Georgia > Chatham County > Savannah > History of Savannah, Ga.; from its settlement to the close of the eighteenth century > Part 21
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The surprise was complete-the massacre was dreadful-the white sands were crimson with blood, and the earth was strewn with wounded, dying and dead, and almost a whole tribe had been wiped out of exis- tence in a few minutes. A few, very few, escaped by swimming, some to the opposite marsh, and one swam to Tybee, a distance of three miles. From the dreadful carnage at this spot, it received the name of "Bloody Point," which it still retains at this time, it being the extreme southeast- ern point of South Carolina.
Among the cemeteries of Savannah the old or brick cemetery on South Broad street, stands first in age. Here were interred the remains of the early settlers of Savannah and of their posterity until sanitary rea- sons required in 1852, that it should be closed, and another site for sep- ulture provided further removed from the dwellings of the living. The old vaults and tombs are left, though their contents, the hallowed rem- nants of mortality, have been transferred to the other cemeteries of lat- ter date. A few, however, still repose undisturbed, and the cemetery is preserved in reverence.
Evergreen Cemetery, better known as Bonaventure, famous for its magnificent avenues of stately live oaks is almost an ideal resting place
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
of the silent dead. It is historic ground and the following description of the place was written by the late Commodore Josiah Tattnall, the gallant hero-sailor who sleeps beneath the moss covered branches of the oaks, near the spot where he was born.
" Bonaventure .- This beautiful tract of land bearing this name, and enclosing the Evergreen Cemetery was first settled in or about the year 1760, by Colonel John Mulryne, who came to this country from Eng- land, and removed from Charleston, S. C., to Georgia.
"The high ground, an extended river view, etc., made it one of the choicest sites near the city of Savannah and the first house-a large brick one-was erected at that time, facing the center walk of the old garden. This garden extended in terraces from the plateau to the river, the ter- races being supported by blocks of tabby (a concrete of shell and lime) that yet remain in tolerable preservation. This house was destroyed by fire in the latter part of the last century, during a dinner entertainment.
"In 1761 this property came-by the marriage of Josiah Tattnall, of Charleston, S C., with Mary, the daughter of Colonel John Mulryne, into the possession of the Tattnall family, Governor Tattnall (of Georgia) being born there in 1765.
"This marriage is of peculiar interest in the history of Bonaventure, since from it, date the avenues of magnificent trees which form the pride and chief feature of interest of the place. They were planted at that time, and tradition has it, in the forms of the letters M and T, the initials of the families of Mulryne and Tattnall. , The majority of these trees were of the live oak species others being mingled with them. These lat- ter the hand of time, and the gales of the Atlantic have long ago laid low, while the sturdy live oaks with their hoary heads of moss, still defy the wintry blasts, and their rustling leaves whisper a ceaseless lullaby over the quiet and peaceful sleepers at their feet.
" In the year 1847 this property passed (by purchase) into the hands of Captain P. Wiltburger, who had long associated the quiet and peace of the place, its patriarchal trees, and their deep, solemn shade, its calni and seclusion, as a fit receptacle for the departed of this eartlı, as a resting- place for the weary pilgrims of life. With him originated the idea of de- voting Bonaventure to its present and final use, and his remains sleep under the foliage of its trees.
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CEMETERIES.
"Circumstances prevented for a time the execution of this wish, but it was taken up by his son, Major W. H. Wiltburger, and the formation of the present Evergreen Cemetery Company was the result of his efforts. - In this connection it may be interesting to notice that the first adult buried at Bonaventure was the wife of Governor Tattnall, who died there in 1803, being soon followed to the grave by her honored husband. Previous to that time several children of the family had been buried there."
Bonaventure came under the control of the Evergreen Cemetery Com- pany in 1849. It is located about three and a half miles from the city and contains one hundred and forty acres. It contains many fine speci- mens of mortuary architecture, which time has invested with hallowed remembrances. Lofty oaks, draped with weeping festoons of moss, whose luxuriant growth makes the shade impenetrable to the sun's rays, have made this silent city of the dead a peerless combination of the sublime and picturesque.
Laurel Grove Cemetery, although not as grandly beautiful as the fa- mous Bonaventure, is nevertheless an attractive "resting place of the dead." The history of this cemetery is as follows: On the 9th of May, 1853, Hon. R. Wayne, mayor of Savannah, in accordance with ordinance previously adopted by council, issued his proclamation closing the old or brick cemetery on South Broad street, as a burial ground, on the first of July ensuing.
The ordinance adopted the 3d of June, 1852, set apart a tract of land on Springfield plantation belonging to the city, as a public cemetery, and conferred upon it the title "Laurel Grove." The place was en- closed with a neat railing, connecting with a pillar of granite at each of the corners. The interior was laid out in avenues, walks, and lots; the plan of the same being furnished by James O. Morse, civil engineer.
The establishment of this cemetery was rendered necessary by the crowded state of the old cemetery, a small area of ten acres, which had been a place of sepulture for more than one hundred years. The rapid extension of the city limits, made that cemetery almost a central position, and on the score of health, it was deemed advisable to provide another place beyond the bounds of the city for the repose of the dead.
On the 10th of November, 1852, the cemetery was formally dedicated
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
with imposing ceremonies. The services were opened by a prayer from the Rev. Dr. Willard Preston, of the Independent Presbyterian Church, Hon. R. M. Charlton recited an eloquent and appropriate original poem, which was followed by a chaste and beautiful address by Hon. Henry R. Jackson. The ceremonies were then closed by an impressive prayer from the Rev. Dr. Lovick Pierce, of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
The first interment was made in October, 1852. Besides the many beautiful and artistic monuments and tombs which mark the graves of loved ones, there is an inclosure in the cemetery that attracts attention, the lots in which are deposited the remains of the Confederate dead. Here repose nearly fifteen hundred heroes of the civil war, who have been gathered from the distant battlefields on which they fell and had a soldier's burial. This noble work was accomplished by the Ladies' Me- morial Association of Savannah, which with sacred care has watched over their graves, and on each recurring Memorial day decorates them with the bright flowers of spring and early summer. A marble statue repre- senting Silence, which originally stood in the Park Extension, keeps guard over the bivouac of the heroic dead. Each grave is marked by a neat marble headstone.
The Cathedral Cemetery, or Roman Catholic burial ground, is situ- ated on the Thunderbolt road, two miles from the city. It was opened in August, 1853. Right Reverend F. X. Gartland, the first bishop of the diocese of Savannah, and Bishop Barron, of a foreign diocese, were buried here, both victims of the yellow fever in 1854. Right Reverend John Barry, another bishop of the diocese lies buried in this cemetery.
The Jewish cemetery adjoins Laurel Grove.
No single feature of Savannah more favorably impresses the stranger than the monuments to heroic characters which grace the public squares of the city. The oldest of these is the Greene monument which stands in Johnson Square. It was erected as a . tribute of gratitude to the dis- tinguished Revolutionary hero, General Nathanael Greene. The corner- stone of the monument was laid by General Lafayette in March, IS25, but the monument was not finished until 1829. It is a plain marble shaft, on one side of which is an appropriate inscription, and on the other a medallion of General Greene in bronze.
At the same time General Lafayette laid the corner-stone of the
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PUBLIC MONUMENTS.
Greene monument, he performed a similar service to a proposed monu- ment to Count Casimir Pulaski, which was to have been erected in Chip- pewa Square. This stone, laid in Chippewa Square, together with an- other of equal size united to it by copper bands, and containing the re- cords of the day, was relaid in Monterey Square in October, 1853, when the corner-stone of the present Pulaski monument was laid with impres- sive ceremonies, the military under command of Colonel (now General) A. R. Lawton, the various Masonic bodies and the citizens en masse par- ticipating. The shaft is fifty feet high, and is surmounted by a statue of Liberty, holding the banner of the stars and stripes ; on the front in relievo, is the statue representing Count Pulaski after he received his mortal wound, in the act of falling from his horse, still grasping his sword. The date of the event, October 9, 1779, is recorded above.
The Confederate monument which stands in the Park extension was completed in April, 1875, by the Ladies' Memorial Association `of Sa- vannah, and unveiled shortly after, with imposing ceremonies, the entire volunteer military of the city, civic societies and associations participating, an appropriate address being delivered by Hon. Julian Hartridge.
The corner-stone of this monument was laid on the 16th of June, 1874, with Masonic ceremonies, the military being present in force. The ceremonies were opened by prayer from Grand Chaplain Richard Webb, Grand Master Irwin laying the stone. An address was delivered by Col. George A. Mercer, and the ceremonies were closed by a salute of eleven guns, fired by the Chatham Artillery, the oldest military organi- zation in the State of Georgia.
The monument cost $25,000, and is built according to a design fur- nished by Mr. Robert Reid, of Montreal, Canada. In style, the design is modern Italian, and stands about fifty feet in height from the base to the crown of the marble figure, by which it is surmounted. The monu- ment sets on a terrace of earth work six feet high, by forty feet square, and surrounded by a stone coping ; the terrace being reached by stone steps from either of the four facings. On the corners are pedestals which stand out from the Monument proper, and are each graced by a life size marble statue of a soldier on duty.
On the base of the pilasters are appropriate mottoes. The front panel on the first stage shows a figure in alto relievo, representing the
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH. ·
South mourning ; the reverse panel shows another figure also in alto re- lievo, of a military character. The two sides or lateral panels, bear in- scriptions, one of which is -
"TO THE CONFEDERATE DEAD ; "
the other,
"COME FROM THE FOUR WINDS, O BREATH, AND BREATHE UPON THESE SLAIN, THAT THEY MAY LIVE."-Ezek. xxxii, 9.
The shaft is capped by a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier at "parade rest," the generous gift of G. W. J. DeRenne, esq. Ease, grace and manliness distinguish the figure, and the accessories of musket, worn hat and tattered clothing are true to the life, reproducing with wonderful exactness the rents, patches, darns and rude sewing that betray the hard- ship and deprivations the Southern Confederate soldiers had to endure in their gallant but painful struggle of four years of unsuccessful warfare.
The Gordon Monument which stands in Chippewa Square was erected by the Georgia Central Railroad and Banking Company in honor of W. W. Gordon, the first president of the company, a man of exalted charac- ter, and one who did much to advance the material prosperity of the State.
The Jasper monument in Madison Square was unveiled on the 22d of February, 1888. The occasion was a memorable one in the history of the city. The president of the United States, Grover Cleveland, and party, Governor John B. Gordon and staff, were among the notable per- sons present. A heroic bronze figure of Sergeant Jasper surmounts a pedestal holding aloft the flag. The poise of the figure is magnificent, and has been greatly admired. It is the work of Mr. Alexander Doyle, a sculptor who at an early age has achieved great success in his art.
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BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS.
CHAPTER XXXV.
BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS AND HOSPITALS-SOCIAL AND SECRET SOCIETIES.
ATO city in the country according to its population is better supplied with societies for the amelioration of the wants of the poor and dis- tressed and for the purpose of fostering fraternal relations than Savannah. This speaks stronger than anything else could of the natural kindness of heart of the people, and is a characteristic which has been prominent from the time the first settlement was made on the site of Savannah.
The renowned divine George Whitefield is prominently associated with Savannah as being the founder of Bethesda Orphan House. The project was suggested to him by General Oglethorpe soon after his ar- rival in 1738, and enlisted the full energies of his active and powerful na- ture. He secured from the trustees a grant of five acres of vacant ground anywhere he might select. With the aid of James Habersham a site was selected about ten miles from Savannah on a branch of the west fork of Burnside River. In 1740 the erection of the Orphans' House was begun. He, Whitefield, named it Bethesda and in behalf of his beloved enterprise he awakened by his eloquence the interest of the people of two continents.
Whitefield's Orphan House had a somewhat varied career. In 1750 we find Whitefield laboring to expand his noble charity into a college, and endeavoring to enlist the governor in the project. He was not successful, but nineteen years later he succeeded in converting Bethesda into an academy with the idea of making it similar in design to the one in Philadelphia. The capacity of the house was increased by the erec- tion of two wings, each one hundred and fifty feet in length. At the first religious services held in the chapel of the new Orphan House Academy, the governor, Sir James Wright, the council and assembly were invited to attend. The Georgia Gasette of January 31, 1770, in giving an account of the services says : " Last Sunday, His Excellency the Governor, Council and Assembly, having been invited by the Rev-
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
erend George Whitefield, attended divine service in the Chapel of the Orphan Home Academy, when prayers were read by the Reverend Mr. Ellington, and a very suitable sermon was preached by the Reverend Mr. Whitefield from Zachariah, fourth chapter, ninth and tenth verses to the general satisfaction of his auditory. After divine service the Company were very politely entertained with a plentiful and handsome dinner, and were greatly pleased to see the useful improvements made in the house in so much forwardness, and the whole executed with taste and in a masterly manner ; and being sensible of the truly generous and disinterested benefactions afforded to the province, through his means, they expressed their gratitude in the most respectful terms."
Whitefield's death which occurred in July, 1770, was a severe blow to this long fostered and cherished institution. After his death the Home passed to the care of Lady Huntingdon to whom Whitefield in his will bequeathed the charge in the following words: " I will and bequeath the Orphan House in Bethesda and likewise all buildings, lands, books. and furniture belonging thereto, to that lady elect, that Mother in Israel, that mirror of true and undefiled religion, the Right Honorable Selina, Countess of Huntingdon. In case she should be called upon to enter upon her glorious rest before my decease, to Honorable James Haber- sham a merchant of Savannah."
Lady Huntingdon had only fairly begun her active charge of the Home when all the buildings were destroyed by lightning just previous to the War of Independence. This misfortune, together with the bloody struggle between the Colonies and the Mother Country was almost a death blow to this great charity. After the destruction of the buildings by fire, Lady Huntingdon contributed largely from her private means to restore them.
In 1788 another effort was made to make Bethesda what Whitefield had labored so zealously to accomplish, and in the Georgia Gasette of June 3d of this year appears the following notice : "To the public. Bethesda College near Savannah instituted by the Reverend G. White- field, Chaplain to the Right Honorable the Countess Dowager of Hunt- ingdon, is to be opened the twenty-fourth instant under the patronage of her Ladyship, whose warm zeal to promote the happiness of mankind in spreading religion and learning in this State, is above praise, and by
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BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS.
whose authority and appointment, the Reverend David Phillips, late from England, anxious to carry her Ladyship's pious designs into the fullest execution, solicits the attention of such Ladies and Gentlemen and Guardians of Youth, as are desirous of sending young gentlemen for in- struction in every branch of useful and polite literature, comprehending English grammatically, Writing and the use of Figures, and every branch of the Mathematics, the use of the Globes, Latin, Greek and French in- cluding Board, Washing, etc., in the following terms, viz. thirty guineas per annum for each student without distinction of age, or class of educa- tion. Punctuality is expected in four quarterly payments. A line for admission to the Reverend David Phillips, Superintendent, or the Rev- erend Benjamin Lindsay, Rector of Christ Church Savannah, Classical Tutor of the said College, will have immediate attention from their de- voted much obliged humble servant, David Phillips."
This last attempt to make Bethesda an educational institution was not successful, and after various vicissitudes the property was sold under an act of Legislature, passed December 23, 1808, and the proceeds di- vided as follows : one-fifth to the Savannah Poor House and Hospital Society and the remainder equally between the Union Society and Chat- . ham Academy.
Union Society .- This benevolent society is nearly contemporaneous with Bethesda Orphan House founded by Whitefield. In 1750 five large- hearted men, of five different religious denominations, formed themselves into a charitable club with the particular purpose of caring for, and main- taining orphan children and relieving distressed widows. They styled themselves the St. George's Club as there was already in existence an association of Scotch emigrants confined exclusively to Scotchmen. At what time the " St. George's Club" was transformed into the Union So- ciety does not precisely appear, as the records of the society were de- stroyed by the British troops when they evacuated Savannah in the sum- mer of 1782. The assumption of its new name was an expression and a proof of a liberality of sentiment and feeling most honorable to its founders and their early associates, who laid aside distinctions of faith when so noble an object for combined effort was presented. It is to be regretted that, owing to the destruction of the records, we are able to give the names of only three of the original five members : Benjamin
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
Sheftall, a Jew; Peter Tondee, a Catholic, and Richard Milledge, an Episcopalian. Each member contributed two pence weekly to carry out the object of the organization. Three members formed a quorum for regular meetings, and the 23d of April, the calendar day of the canoni- zation of England's patron saint, St. George, was the occasion of the an- niversary celebration.
During the Revolution the society had a remarkable experience. When Savannah was captured by the British in December, 1778, a large number of the citizens, among whom were four members of the Union Society, were arrested and sent on board the prison ships. Some days afterwards, the prisoners holding office in the American army were sent on parole to Sunbury a few miles south of Savannah, on the sea coast, and among these were the four members of the Union Society-Morde . cai Sheftall, John Martin, John Stirk, and Josiah Powell. They were retained here for four years, during which time they held their meetings and observed the anniversary of their society, John Powell having been elected president and John Martin secretary. At the first anniversary April 23, 1779, an entertainment was provided for the society by a num- ber of British officers, who participated in it. The toasts and sentiments expressed mark the high-toned, chivalric courtesy of that period. The first was, the " Union Society" by the president ; the second was " Gen- eral George Washington " by a British officer ; the third, " The King of Great Britain," by an American officer.
These four gentlemen preserved the existence of the society, which in 1786 was incorporated by the Legislature of the State, with the title of the Union Society. In 1854 the board of managers of the society purchased one hundred and twenty-five acres of the Bethesda estate and erected buildings for the accommodation of the orphans under its charge and removed them thither. The civil war again necessitated the tem - porary abandonment of Bethesda and it was occupied first by Confeder- ate and subsequently by Federal soldiers. With the return of peace it was again restored to the uses to which it had been originally dedicated in the incipiency of the Colony. In 1870 the main building was begun but was not finished for several years after. It stands near the site of Whitefield's " Big House of Mercy," a monument to that great philan- thropist. The tree under which, it is said, Whitefield preached to the Indians is pointed out.
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BENEVOLENT ORGANIZATIONS.
On the 23d of April, 1888, the one hundred and thirty-eighth annual report of the society was submitted by the president, in which it was stated that of the one hundred and six boys under the care of the society during the year, eighty-nine were still in the institution.
The following list embraces the presidents of the society so far as known. From 1750 to 1778 there is no record to show who filled the re- sponsible position. In 1779 Josiah Powell was president, in 1786 Will- iam Stevens, in 1790 Noble Wimberly Jones, from which year to the present the following have respectively held the position : Joseph Clay, Joseph Habersham, William Stevens, George Jones, James P. Young, Mathew McAllister, Joseph Habersham, Charles Harris, General David B. Mitchell, William B. Bulloch, William Davis, J. McPherson Berrien, James Johnston, Dr Moses Sheftall, John Hunter, Richard W. Haber- sham, Steele White, Thomas Polhill, Dr. R. D. Arnold, Solomon Cohen, Edward Padelford, Joseph S. Foy, Robert D. Walker, John M. Cooper, William M. Wadley, Abram Minis, J. H. Estill.
St. Andrew's Society, an association of Scottish sons, was organized about 1790, and in point of age it ranks second to the Union Society. By some it is claimed to be of equal age. The exact date of its birth is, however, uncertain. Its first president was General Lachlan McIntosh, with Sir George Houstoun as vice-president. The purpose of the society is stated to be " to cherish the recollections of our homes and the birth- place of our fathers ; to promote good-fellowship among Scotchmen and their descendants in this adopted country ; and to extend to unfortu- nate Scotchmen and their families assistance and counsel in case of neces- sity."
During the War of 1812 it seems the society was not maintained, as we find no record of its meetings. It was reorganized in 1819. In 1849, or 1850, the society purchased the lot on the southwest corner of Brough- ton and Jefferson streets and erected a commodious hall. During the late war the society became financially involved and was obliged to dis- pose of the property. Its fortunes were revived soon after the war, and the society is now in a flourishing condition. Meetings are held in Knights of Pythias' Hall. The present officers are P. M. Dougan, presi- dent ; Thomas Ballantyne, first vice-president ; J. M. Lang, second vice- president ; H. A. McLeod, secretary and treasurer ; W. W. Fraser, cor-
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HISTORY OF SAVANNAH.
responding secretary ; J. Malloch, William Falconer, and D. G. Alexan- der, stewards.
Female Orphan Asylum .- When the Union Society was organized in 1750, the purpose of the organization was the care and education of or- phans and destitute children, without distinction of sex. In 1801 a sep- aration was suggested by Rev. Henry Holcombe, pastor of the Baptist Church, in Savannah, which gave rise to the Female Orphan Asylum. The first board of directors was composed of the following ladies : Mrs. Elizabeth Smith, Mrs. Ann Clay, Mrs. Jane Smith, Mrs. Sarah Lamb, Mrs. Margaret Hunter, Lady Ann Houstoun, Mrs. Holcombe, Mrs. Han- nah McAllister, Mrs. Susannah Jenkins, Mrs. Ann Moore, Mrs. Moore, Miss Rebecca Newell, Mrs. Mary Wall, and Mrs. Martha Stephens. The Legislature of Georgia granted an act of incorporation in 1810, and for the first thirty-seven years of its existence the work of the society was confined to the eastern portion of the city. The scope of the work grad- ually increased, and in 1838 the necessary funds to erect the building on the corner of Bull and Charlton streets were secured by Mrs. M. Marshall and Mrs. M. Richardsone. The present board is composed of the fol- lowing ladies : Mrs. A. Minis, president; Mrs. John Hardee, treasurer ; Miss L. Gilmer, secretary ; Mrs. Charles Lamar, Mrs. George L. Cope, jr., Mrs. W. J. Sams, Mrs. C. F. Mills, Mrs. J. W. Lathrop, Mrs. Wood, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Whitehead, Mrs. Bowman, Mrs. MacIntyre, Mrs. Van Vorst, Mrs. Hull, Miss Saussy, Miss Read, Miss Anderson.
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