Blogs from Georgia, United States, North America - page 17

In 1733 British General James Edward Oglethorpe arrived with 113 colonists to establish and settle a new colony, to be named after King George. They landed at the site of the present historic area and, with the help of the friendly local First Nations chief, Tomochichi, planned and established Savannah. Oglethorpe set out to make it a model settlement and colony, with 4 public squares, and guided by a series of original laws. He was extremely enlightened for his time: the following were all forbidden -- slavery, lawyers , hard liquor and Catholics, the latter because of constant pressure from the Spanish Catholic colony of Florida. All four prohibitions were eventually dropped, of course, over the years that followed. As the city grew more squares were added, so that by the mid 19th century the two ... read more

When Georgia cotton was the world standard, River Street was where cotton merchants’ offices and warehouses were located in six-storey buildings right by the docks for ease of loading the bales onto ships. The Civil War blockade 150 years ago put a temporary end to that trade, and when General Sherman captured Savannah he informed President Lincoln that the spoils of war there included about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton. After that War ended other fabrics began to displace cotton on world markets, and the riverfront area declined. The solidly-constructed buildings remained, but more than a century passed before the River Street Urban Renewal Project undertook to refurbish the neglectedstreet as a major tourist attraction. The original cobblestones were retained, and tracks were laid for an old-fashioned tourist trolley. Abandoned warehouses were transformed into a colourful ... read more

Travels with Just One Snowbird, SELows June 2015 Campout, Cedar Creek RV, Cave Spring, GA Summer Edition! While away at this SouthEast Loners on Wheels campout, I was asked to write an article for the club newsletter. I obliged, but now I am turning it into a Travels with Just One Snowbird Blog. There’s some fun stuff here. At the last minute, I opted to leave Winston at home, and that was the smartest decision I have made in a very long time. The trip started out very well, until the inside temperature of the RV hit 81 degrees. I turned on the dashboard A/C and nothing but hot air came out. How could this be? Moya is only 3 years old, and the A/C has hardly been used. That being said, I knew right then ... read more

Bonjour à tous Ma route continue vers le sud, avec quelques détours, comme ce matin où je programme Edisto Island à 65km de Charleston. Cette île, il y a 300 ans était, occupée par des esclaves africains, pour la production de coton. A ce jour, ils sont les seuls aux US à avoir conservés leur langue propre le Gullah ainsi que leur culture. Encore à ce jour il y a un festival Gullah. La route pour s'y rendre est un plaisir, comme hier des tunnels dans les arbres. Tout n'est que marécages et forêts, la végétation est luxuriante. Peu de monde sur la route je peux aller à mon rythme de papi, il y avait longtemps. Aujourd'hui, je constate encore, qu' il n'y a pratiquement plus de culture, l'île est devenue un centre de villégiature familiale ... read more

Love Helen, GA. We've been twice. Once in summer and once at Christmas. I would like to go again some time for Oktoberfest!... read more