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Prowling Savannah March 8-12, 2023
March 9-11 in Savannah, Georgia could have passed as Reunion Redux as nearly 100 classmates and spouses convened one block (and one 40-foot descent) above that city’s namesake river. With howdies, handshakes and hugs, we gathered on the roof top of the Drayton Hotel for welcoming cocktails and dinner. It was brisk, but we were toasty in party-favor orange vests and hats adorned with a signature Ed Strauss Tiger frolicking at signature Forsyth Fountain—a good night above the gardens for new believers. Savannah is a synonym for historic. Our Thursday morning immersion began in Christ Episcopal Church where local resident-host Bobby Glenn introduced Rector Michael White p’25 and Robin Willams PhD, chairman of the Department of Architectural History at SCAD, the Savannah College of Art and Design. Rev. White sketched the history of this founding parish and Dr Williams introduced to us the Savannah Plan, the ordered grid of garden squares, lots, and streets established in 1733. We listened attentively in the magnificent Greek Revival sanctuary, the third to stand on this site, the location where John Oglethorpe’s original pioneers knelt in grateful prayer.
Rector Michael White p’25 and Robin Willams Ph.D. at Christ Church Cathedral Enlightened about the city’s plan, we boarded three trolleys to explore the scenic, tree-and moss-shaded streets to visit the Ships of the Sea Museum, housed in an 1819 home; the 1830 Cathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist, a Gothic Revival sanctuary restored to its early 20th century magnificence, and the Andrew Low House, the 1850’s mansion of successful Scottish Immigrant (he arrived in Savannah when 18 years old) and the father-in-law of Juliet Gordon Low, who founded the Girl Scouts of America. Throughout these three days we enjoyed the expert commentary of our charming and immensely knowledgeable local guides. Thursday evening we dined in three excellent restaurants, within easy strolls from the hotel. On Friday we ventured out of town, to the suburban marshlands and sinuous waterways south and east of the city. We marveled at formidable Fort Pulaski, survivor of 30 hours of intensive Union bombardment before its surrender by local Confederates in 1862.
Fort Pulaski We then visited the African-American / Gullah canning community of Pin Point, majestic Wormsloe plantation and library, and finished the day with a hearty oyster roast.
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