3/2/2019

Weekly Update 3/3/2019

This week was kinda dull. I went to the City Hall archives to work on the deed ledger, but didn’t get too far. My allergies were very bad (pollen, or the dust from the old books???) Not only was I miserable because I was sneezing and blowing my nose, but I felt guilty about touching the shared keyboard with all the germs I must have had on my hands. I bought some Purell to take with me next time, hoping that will make it safer for the others who also use that laptop. I also went to TLC book club. The book this month was In Pursuit of Memory by Joseph Jebelli. I didn’t read the book; I skimmed it. And I’ve forgotten most of what it was about. Hmmm….

Activity picked up exponentially on the weekend, and I was really busy.

For starters, I met Kay Saturday morning for a tour of the Andrew Low House, The Green-Meldrim House, and St John’s church. This was part of the Savannah Antiques & Architecture Weekend. There were costumed interpreters at the historic homes. It was fun to meet Andrew Low, John Norris the architect, Sarah Low (Andrew’s first wife), and Juliet Gordon Low. And then at the Green Meldrim house, we met Charles Green, Sophie Meldrim Shonnard, General W T Sherman, and Julian Green (author). It was great fun. Kay and I also had a nice lunch together at Clary’s.

Juliet Gordon Low

Kay, Charles Green and me

That evening, I was invited to celebrate Kay’s birthday (she’s just a KID!) with her family at Tequilla Town restaurant. 

Cailtlyn (Anthony's girlfriend), Anthony, Kay, me and Adam

Sunday, I drove to Darien for a GHS marker unveiling at Butler Plantation. I wasn’t sure how exactly to find this place (and Mapquest was not a lot of help), but I found it just as the ceremony began. There were already two markers there for the Butler family, the owners of the plantation, but this new one was to commemorate the enslaved people who lived and worked at the rice plantation. 

The marker reads:

Enslaved People of Butler Island

Hundreds of enslaved Africans produced millions of pounds of rice at Butler Island Plantation during the 19th century. Working under extreme conditions in a difficult environment, the slaves dug canals and irrigation ditches, built tide gates, and cultivated and harvested rice. In March of 1859, 436 men, women, and children were sent to Savannah to be sold in order to pay off debts incurred by plantation owner Pierce M. Butler. This was the largest sale of human beings in U.S. history, known as the “Weeping Time.” After the Civil War, some of the formerly enslaved workers returned to Butler Island as freedmen and resumed rice production—working for wages and, in some cases, purchasing nearby land. Many of their descendants remain in the area to this day.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society, The Vanderkloot Fund, and the Lower Altamaha Historical Society.

Houston House at Butler Plantation

the Marker unveiling

That was followed by a Mardi Gras dinner at neighbors Dave and John’s condo. They are wonderful neighbors and often host great parties for holiday celebrations. We had jambalaya, cornbread, king’s cake and lots of nice drinks. Everyone wore beads, and the mood was festive and fun.

John and Dave