Savannah!
First things first—Breakfast at Cracker Barrel! This is quite possibly the one and only chain restaurant I would consider going to when traveling. I can’t get it anywhere close to me, and it’s a good southern institution that’s near and dear to my heart! Blackberry pancakes for me! =)
Matt hadn’t been out to Tybee Lighthouse, and of course I haven’t been, so that was our next destination! The lighthouse itself has changed a lot over the years, which is actually really rare. It’s had six different paint jobs since it was first built in 1736, which is interesting because lighthouses were not only a beacon of light in the dark to warn ships of their proximity to land, their unique paint jobs functioned as an indicator of what port city ships were approaching—if you change the paint job, sailors might not realize they’re in the right place! It was destroyed by storms in 1741 because it was built too close to the water—all the seawater rotted the foundation! It was rebuilt further inland the next year; this time it was taller (94 feet!) and sturdier. But by 1768 the sea was too close again, and they had more foundation problems. So a 100-foot lighthouse was built further back, and by 1790 it was given to the US government (up to now it was run by Georgia), and by 1857, new technology came to the lighthouse: a lens!
So things were going along great… and then comes the Civil War. But believe it or not, it wasn’t the Yankees who destroyed it—it was the Confederates! They had to burn it to keep the Yankees from using it to guide ships into the port. So there you go! And now we come to the fourth lighthouse, the one we have now. The first 60 feet from the foundation up was still intact after the fire, so they decided to build on to that instead of starting from scratch. This time, the place was built totally from brick and metal—fireproof! Up to this point, they were still using candlelight, but in 1933, they finally got electricity. Woohoo! The lighthouse was operated by a lighthouse keeper until 1948, when the most recent keeper died. The lighthouse was then given to the Coast Guard till 1987, when the Coast Guard and the Tybee Historical Society struck a deal to preserve it. The historical society is doing some renovations to the outlying buildings to make it more accessible and display artifacts better. I’d like to go back when the project is completed because I think it’ll be really nice!
And up next… lunchtime! Matt told me about this pizza place he likes a lot that’s really famous around here called Vinnie Van Go Go’s. They serve HUGE slices of pizza with all sorts of toppings. I got mine with spinach and pineapple, and it was actually bigger than my neck and my head together! Sure was good, too! =) We sat outside and watched several tours go by: carriage tours, pedal tours, bus tours, trolley tours, etc. It’s kind of nuts how many tours they have going on here! And now… exploring Savannah itself!
I found out that there used to be 24 squares in the city, but now there are 22. The other two were built over when Savannah wasn’t yet into the while historic preservation thing. An interesting thing about the squares is that their original purpose was actually protection, not beauty. Mr. Oglethorpe, the founder of the Colony of Georgia (and one of its delegates to the Continental Congress), designed the city in such a way that it would be easily navigable, and with squares so that people would have common places to go to for protection in case of an Indian attack. Each square originally had a brick wall around it, with provisions inside, just in case. If there was an attack, folks could come out of their homes and stay in the protected shelters until help came. A few years later, after no attacks had ever happened, Oglethorpe tore down the walls and made them into green parks for people to come out an enjoy. That’s what we have today!
Also interesting to me, the squares were numbered. In the center of the city, there is a huge bell. In case of a fire, someone would go ring the bell the same number of times as the closest square. When that happened, everyone would go to that square to put out the fire. Hello, fire department. =)
We walked around a bit more, I nearly lost my camera, and it was time for some Irish supper! I’d heard about a place down on River Street that is supposed to be an authentic Irish pub. Matt and I are planning a trip to Ireland, so I thought it would be a fitting place to go! Supper was really good, even though the service left something to be desired. The atmosphere was fun, and they had a live performer singing Irish songs! We enjoyed ourselves, to be sure! And now for the most exciting part of the day… the ghost tour!!!!!
Savannah is the most haunted city not only in the South, but also in the entire nation. And do you know why? Because it was built on a burying ground! And do you know why else? Roads, homes, and buildings were all built on top of cemeteries! Apparently, any time the city undergoes construction anywhere (repairing roads, digging power lines and maintaining sewers, etc.), the workers can’t dig too deep without hitting bones. Ah!
We met up with the group, called Cobblestone Tours (HIGHLY recommended!), in front of Colonial Park Cemetery. It’s a good-sized cemetery, taking up an entire city block, but we soon were told what we see today is only 10% of the original cemetery! There are over 8700 people buried there that we know of, but only 651 marked graves. A lot of the gravestones were taken up and moved during the city’s occupation during the Civil War, much like what happened to the gravestones in Alexandria, VA. Also, the soldiers actually burned bones from an above-ground sarcophagus to keep warm in the winter time. Wow.
Anyway, our guide was amazing! His name is Patrick, and he was dressed in a Confederate Civil War uniform, with a lantern and haversack at the ready. He is a fabulous storyteller with a fantastic sense of humor. Matt and I both really liked him. As many know, I always take notes when I travel. It’s just what I love to do. =) Since it was dark and I wasn’t on my own, I had decided I wouldn’t try and take notes on the tour, just enjoy it and listen. But that didn’t last long! I was so interested in all of it, I didn’t want to forget! About half way through the tour, Patrick asked me about what I was writing. I told him it was for my blog and asked if that was ok. He said he’d rather I didn’t because it’s copyrighted material, and he’s worked hard to make the tour what it is. Well of course I can respect that, but I was absolutely mortified! It was not at all my intent to steal his stories or use any of his material for something malicious or anything like that, and I felt so bad!
So I put the notebook away and just listened to the rest of the tour—which was fantastic—but afterward I made a point to apologize and let him know it was not at all my intent to use his material. I let him know I’m a tour guide as well and I absolutely respect his material. As soon as I said that, he asked me where. I said Alexandria, VA, and he said, “Oh! Well you should have just slapped me across the face and told me you’re a tour guide, too. You can use all of it.” HA! We got to talking, and he let me know that there are 89 tour companies in the area (WHOA!), all competing for business. So they have to be more careful than we do (there are two tour companies in Alexandria) about the material and distribution of information outside of the actual tour. So we talked a little more. He asked Matt where he’s from, and when Matt said Savannah, Patrick asked if Matt knew about one of the houses several blocks away. When Matt said no, Patrick looked a bit surprised and said, “Follow me.” So we did! Along the way, we stopped at several other places and basically got a whole other tour! We didn’t finish up till midnight, which of course is pretty late, especially after a full day of touring and being on our feet, but it was ENTIRELY worth it! Like I said before, I highly recommend the Cobblestone Tour company, and ask for Patrick! =)
By the way, the ghost stories in Savannah are WAY scarier than the ones I tell on my tour!
And up next… sleep! =) Church the next morning was great. The church family there is welcoming and friendly, and a few of the folks there wanted to make sure I knew they wanted me to pack up and move on down for good! The preacher is Larry Wright, and not only is he one of the nicest people I’ve ever met, he’s also coming up for a lectureship close by in Maryland next month, so I’ll probably see him again soon! Small world. =)
A bunch of us went out to a Barbecue place called the Smokin’ Pig for lunch, and just as good Southern BBQ ought to be, it was delicious! Yes, I truly got the Southern experience. It was fun getting to know the folks from church, too. It turns out we know a lot of the same people, which I always find funny, but comforting at the same time. You’re never far from family. =)
It rained in the afternoon, so Matt, his roommate Doug, and I went back to Matt’s place to watch a movie until time to go back to church that night. Well, I watched the movie. The boys napped! After church that night, I told Matt I definitely wanted to go back into Savannah for supper down on River Street. =) I’d heard about the Cotton Exchange Tavern, so that’s where we went! I’m glad I got to know Doug while I was down there, too. The three of us had fun at supper. The Cotton Exchange Tavern exists because of the cotton and shipping industry from back in the 1800s. I don’t know so much about the cotton factory side of it, but I sure did like the food! The service was great, and so were the fried green tomatoes. =)
And then it was time for bed! Matt and I had to set out early the next morning to get back to Atlanta. Whew! The trip was a bit of a whirlwind, but next time I’ll know exactly where I want to go back to and what I want to make sure and not miss!
And for my next adventure… Philly again! I’ll be doing and seeing some different things this time around, and I’m excited about it! =) More to come soon!
And if you missed the Savannah pictures last time, they are HERE!
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