Savannah, GA - Port City

Hey, did you know that Savannah was the 4th largest port in North America? Savannah? Absolutely. Right behind New York-New Jersey, Long Beach and Seattle-Tacoma. And, two of those are double ports. Savannah? We certainly didn’t know this but, isn’t that the goal of travel - to learn about other areas? We were surprised until we stood on the boardwalk lining the Savannah River and watched the shipping for an hour. We saw 5 huge container ships both sailing in and sailing out. Hmmm - do container ships sail? Savannah sees 10 ships like these every day. It is a busy port. We heard on the news that one of the biggest container ships in the world landed. We didn’t see that one but we did see these.

Oh, oh, looks like we might have a problem here.

Whew, it cleared - but, then, we knew it would. But it was fun watching it glide by.

Turn the other way, towards the city itself, and you can see many more than 10 tour buses. Second industry? Tourism and we’re right in the thick of it. Tour buses, trolley cars, tourists, carrying the same maps that we are, all milling around the restaurants, shops, old home to tour and did I mention the shops? Yes, it is still Spring Break but I heard a few Swedish, a few German and a few French voices among the crowds, too. All of us with out jaws dropped as the hulking container ships sailed by.

Savannah has discovered its riverside, just as have a multitude of cities throughout the US. Riversides used to be lined with old warehouses, bars for sailors, small inns and taverns, much of it gone to seed. Rats, decaying buildings, trash, unsavory characters - none of these remotely attractive. Then back in the 70’s and 80’s cities discovered their rivers and decided that they could be an asset to their community. They added boardwalks, restaurants, gardens, statuary, coffee shops, walking bridges, sitting benches, art shops, in Des Moines, they added a small skating rink for winter and the rivers not only became an amenity for the citizens of the city but also a draw for tourists. Today there were thousands mingling along the boardwalk along the Savannah riverfront - including us.

Here is a statue of the famous ‘Waving Girl’.

Actually it was a woman named Florence Martus (1868 - 1943) who lived on an island near Savannah where her brother was a lighthouse keeper. She waved a handkerchief by day and a lantern by night to every ship that passed by, whether leaving of entering the port. Rain or shine, day or night, scorching heat or unseasonably cold - she was there. She never missed a ship from 1887 - 1931 when she moved into town. In fact, the sailors on these ships used to look for her waving and saluted as they passed. Ship captains tooted 3 times as they sailed by her home. Sailors told the story of the Waving Girl throughout the world to other sailors who also looked for her as they entered the harbor for the first time. One sailor even said that he had seen a picture of her in a shop window in Germany.

The story is that she fell in love with and became engaged to a sailor who promised to marry her upon his return. She promised that she would greet every ship that passed by with a wave hoping it would be his ship returning. And, she did. She’d get up in the middle of the night to wave her lantern for an incoming ship. Some said she had a 7th sense about ships on the river, maybe her dog awakened her. Whatever, she never missed a ship. One night while she was waving her lantern, she noticed a fire out on the river on a barge that kept the river channel open. She and her brother made several trips back and forth saving the 30 men trapped on the barge. Another time they rescued several men from a sinking boat. A quiet woman who made a difference in many lives.

But the waterfront is only one of the fine walking areas in Savannah. Savannah is perched on quite a tall bluff and we had to walk up to get to the main section of the city. The cobblestones and the walkway up are all original. Actually, they began as ballast in ships that came into the harbor to get loaded up. They were empty so they had lots of stones, from all over the world as ballast. They unloaded the stones which were then put into the streets.

In fact, the signs all say to ‘HISTORIC STEPS - USE AT OWN RISK.’

Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah, designed the city with squares and parks that he laid out with fine old homes clustered around them. We found Oglethope’s bench - where he pitched his tent the first time he set foot in Savannah.

We continued our walk around town with a book that describes what we could see as we strolled. Here’s the Pirate’s House - actually just a seaman’s tavern back in the mid-1700’s. However, Robert Lewis Stevenson’s book Treasure Island was alleged to have been inspired by this tavern and Captain Flint, the pirate from the book, was supposed to have died here - and still haunts the place on moonless nights.

Here is the house where Juliette Gordon Low was born in 1860. She was the founder of the Girl Scouts and the place was surrounded by little girls in uniform.

I took a picture of the ‘most photographed’ fountain in town - I don’t want to be left out.

However, I liked this bird who was in the bushes near the fountain. I think he doesn’t like to have his photo taken.

Then there is the Confederate Monument in Forsyth Park. Made in Canada, it was shipped to Savannah by ship, circling around the Northern states so it would never touch ‘Yankee’ soil. The figure on top is facing North - where the enemy is.

But, of course, there are always what the locals call ‘The Bathroom Tile’ buildings. Seems that these buildings were designed amidst great controversy. ‘Looks like bathroom tiles’ was the thought in the 1980’s and they certainly don’t look add to the historical ambiance of downtown Savannah. Yet, somehow, they got through the planning and building stage and are here for all to ‘admire.’

Marvelous walk around the historical part of Savannah and we enjoyed it.