Things to do / Travel Guide
A large portion of Georgia and South Carolina was razed when General William Tecumseh Sherman came rolling through near the end of the Civil War, but many antebellum houses, forts, slave quarters, churches, and artifacts remain nevertheless. They tell the story of a land-based gentry, and the separate slave society comprised of African Americans. Both sets have left fascinating reminders of their legacies.
A feature of Georgia's and South Carolina's historical attractions are the antebellum - i.e., pre-Civil War period -,luxurious mansions on the peripheries of cities and in the countryside. Throughout the region, these mansions are top highlights.
Historical Attractions in Atlanta
The city of Atlanta was founded late by historical standards, by railroad men rather than by a landed aristocracy. The earliest European artifact ties into this railroad history: It's a zero milepost, i.e., the end of the line. You can find it near Underground Atlanta, and it bears the inscriptions "W & A RR 138" and "W & A RR OO."
There was actually landed gentry just outside Atlanta, in its antebellum years, at least. The Tullie Smith Farm was moved to its present location in the Atlanta History Center quite recently, but its original location was a bit farther out. This is a living museum, where you can see how life was in Georgia in the 1840s. It was no “Gone with the Wind,” as you'll plainly see. Life was simple, with few luxuries. On premises are an open-hearth kitchen, a barn, a blacksmith shop, a corncrib, a smokehouse, and more.
Just south of downtown is the Atlanta Cyclorama, the world's largest painting, measuring 358 feet long and 42 feet high. It was painted in 1886 and depicts the Battle of Atlanta in 1864. Clark Gable was added in after “Gone with the Wind” was produced, and he appears as a dying soldier. There's also lots of Civil War memorabilia housed inside this unusual exhibit.
Famous Atlanta Houses
There are a number of famous houses in Atlanta converted into museums. At these museums you can peruse bookshelves, writing desks, china cabinets, and more belonging to the house's famous former inhabitant.
Probably the most famous of these houses is on Auburn Avenue, in the Sweet Auburn District. The resident in this case is none other than Martin Luther King Jr. On the same street you can tour his home at 501 Auburn Avenue. He, as well as his father and grandfather, all preached at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. Tragically, Martin Luther King Jr.'s mother was tragically killed on the grounds in 1974. This hero's gravesite is also located on the street, nearby the church.
Two more houses of interest are:
- The Wren's Nest, which served as the home of Joel Chandler Harris for almost 30 years. Harris authored the Uncle Remus books recreated in Disney's “Songs of the South.”
- The Margaret Mitchell House and Museum is where Mitchell penned her immortal novel “Gone With the Wind.” It wasn't a museum back then.
Historic Attractions in Macon
Macon was spared by Sherman in the Civil War, so you can find antebellum districts close to the center of town. College Street and Georgia Avenue are good places to start.
Tribute is paid to Harriet Tubman, an escaped slave dubbed “the Black Moses” who helped hundreds of slaves escape to freedom in the north using the Underground Railroad, at the Tubman African American Museum.
Macon is also home to the Georgia Music Hall of Fame which pays tribute to the laundry list of famous Georgia musicians, from the early 20th century to the present: Ray Charles, R.E.M., Otis Redding, Johnny Mercer, B-52s, Lena Horne, Gladys Knight, the Allman Brothers, James Brown, and many others. Many of these lived in or were born in Macon. Their houses aren't “historic” yet.
Historical Attractions in Athens
The University of Georgia was the first state-chartered, public university in the country, it was founded in 1785 in Savannah and opened its doors to students in Athens in 1801. The North Campus is where most of the historical buildings are found, such as the Chapel, the President's Office, the debate society, and others.
The “Classic City” managed to escape General Sherman's wrath, and boasts 14 historic districts in a multitude of architectural styles - Federal, Victorian, and Georgian, mostly. Some of the more interesting historical sights in Athens include:
- The Taylor-Grady House was first built and owned by a General Taylor, a prosperous landowner. Grady, the second owner, was the managing editor of the Atlanta Constitution, the city's newspaper. This Greek Revival-style house has been renovated to appear as it would have at its time of prominence (the 1890s).
- The Church-Waddel-Brumby House, a Federal-style house owned by figures of those names, is currently a regional welcome center as well as a house museum.
- The Double-Barreled Cannon was only fired only once, and it was a resounding failure, killing a cow and knocking over a chimney. It sits in front of City Hall now and still points north, towards them Yankees.
- The Morton Theater, in downtown Athens, was at one time the only African American-owned vaudeville company in the U.S. The building was built in 1910, by one “Pink” Morton, a powerful African American businessman. Greats such as Cab Calloway, Bessie Smith, and Jimmy Lunceford performed at the theater.
Historical Attractions in Savannah
Savannah's historical attractions are some of its biggest draws, as the city dates back to the founding of the colony of Georgia in 1733 by James Oglethorpe. The historic district now preserves over 1,000 restored buildings.
- The Davenport House is an imposing brick Federal-style mansion dating back to 1820.
- Just half a year after James Oglethorpe arrived, a group of Sephardic Jews emigrated. Their descendants founded the oldest Reform congregation in the U.S.; the present building for Congregation Mickve Israel dates from 1878.
- Just a mile away is the First African Baptist Church, literally - this is the oldest African American church in North America (founded in 1777).
- Savannah is also home to the Bonaventure Cemetery, made famous in the book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.”
Historical Attractions in South Carolina
Charleston was often compared to New Orleans back in the day, and was the largest city (in North America) south of Philadelphia during the 1700s. Indeed, the city has been large and full of culture since its early days.
Church Street in Charleston is full of houses of worship (big surprise), and many of the churches around this area are the oldest of their kind in the U.S.
- St. Philips Episcopal Church dates back to 1680 and is the oldest church in the city.
- The Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church is the second-oldest of its kind (built in 1891).
- About a half mile away is Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim, the oldest continuously-used synagogue in the U.S. (founded in 1749).
Off of East Bay Street is the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, built in 1767. English troops occupied the building, an exchange and customs house, during the Revolutionary War, and threw many leading dissenters into the dungeon that originally had held pirates and outlaws. Children, especially, will get a kick out of the exhibits that are open daily in the dungeon.
Fort Sumter, featured in the Oscar-winning movie “Glory,” was the site of the first shots of the Civil War. There are daily trips to the pentagon-shaped island from the Charleston City Marina. During the course of the war it was completely reduced to rubble. However, it was rebuilt after the war and sporadically used until it became a monument. Check out the extra-thick brick walls, the on-display cannons, and other artifacts from back in the day. It's a ferry-ride out from Charleston; ferries depart several times a day. The fort is open from April 1 through Labor Day every day, and the rest of the year rather sporadically.
Drayton Hall, north of Charleston, was built in the 1730s-40s, and it's one of the best examples of Palladian architecture in North America. Today it's a museum, illustrating how life was in the antebellum period for both slaves and masters. It has withstood earthquakes, hurricanes, and two wars, so its extraordinary preservation is one reason to visit.
Historical Sites in Myrtle Beach, Hilton Head, Charleston, South Carolina, Atlanta, Savannah, Georgia
Historical-Sites
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