Savannah-the English side of the story.

We spent three nights at the Isle of Hope Marina, which is just outside of Savannah.  It is on the ICW, whereas the Savannah city docks are up the Savannah River, and subject to large ship wakes.  The Isle of Hope Marina has two courtesy cars, so getting around was not a problem.

Savannah is all I thought it would be-charming and full of history.  We have been taking the historic bus tours in each city, as it is a great way to obtain an overview of the city, its history, and plan where we want to go.  Savannah’s tour was 90 minutes, with historic overload!

In St Augustine, a Spanish Catholic settlement, we heard one side of history. In Savannah, an English Protestant settlement, we heard another.  It was like listing to the same news event on Fox and CBS.  Same events, different spin.

Savannah was formed by a trust consisting of British businessmen who created a social experiment by sending destitute families from London to make a new life by hard work, sweat of their brow type of thing in the New World.  Naturally the well healed businessmen had never been to North America, and things like Native Americans, yellow fever, etc. did not concern them.  They were not going.  They had a few rules.  Absolutely no Catholics, lawyers, rum or slaves.  The Spanish Catholics already had a beachhead in St Augustine, and the two countries were always at each other, so Savannah was to stop their migration north.  The only law was the Trust’s law, so no need for lawyers.  Slaves and rum would make the settlers lazy, and interfere with the experiment.  Well the first families over didn't fare so well, and only one of the original families made it (we toured their plantation which is a state park close to our marina).  The Trust dissolved, and the British Crown took over, and the Port of Savannah became a major cotton, and wood exporter.

The good Christians of Savannah and St Augustine did what Christians did in those days-tried to kill each other in the name of God.  In St Augustine we heard about Matanzas Pass (where the godless Protestants were massacred).  In Savannah we learned about the Battle of Bloody Marsh, where the godless Catholics were killed.  Matanzas Pass and Bloody Marsh are still names on the map today.

Well apparently several of the Founding Fathers, including Franklin and Madison, did business in Savannah, and realized that government had no business establishing a national religion in part due to the discord here, ergo the inclusion of that prohibition in the First Amendment.  I am happy to report that there are now many Catholics, lawyers and rum in Savannah!  Slavery was legalized a few years before the Civil War, and according to our tour guide, Georgia was drug into the war by its neighbor, South Carolina.  Sherman, after burning his way to Savannah during the Civil War, was presented with several thousand bales of cotton to present to President Lincoln as a birthday present by the good citizens of Savannah.  After all they were drug into the war by South Carolina.  Sherman spared the city, and we had dinner at the Pink House, his Civil War headquarters, and read his birthday letter to Lincoln.  Savannah people are survivors! 

Savannah has a very large college of art and design, which is located downtown.  

Old Cotton Exchange.

Savannah River.

City Hall.

Wormsloe Plantation-the only original settler to make it.  

His first home.  Note the small window.  He would use it to shoot someone unwelcome at the front door.  Not a bad idea...

The Pink House Pup-aka Sherman's HQ during the Civil War.  

At anchor on our way to Savannah-looks like home.

These feral hogs came out while we were at anchor.  At least they did not swim to the boat like in the Bahamas!  

Typical home along the Georgia ICW.  Much more tasteful than the huge MacMansions in  south Florida.