Chatham County GaArchives History .....Chapter VII - History of Savannah 1913 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Joy Fisher http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00001.html#0000031 October 23, 2004, 7:33 pm p.59 CHAPTER VII ORIGINAL SAVANNAH DESCRIBED FEEDING AND HOUSING OF FIRST COLONISTS—FATHER OGLETHORPE— GORDON'S FIRST TOWN PLAT—PIONEER POINTS OF INTEREST—NAMES OP FIRST STREETS—THE TRUSTEES' GARDEN. Returning now to the colonists and their first efforts in making themselves secure and free to enjoy home-life in their new abiding-place, let us look upon them as they employ themselves daily under their respected leader. Pursuing the course he had from the very first mapped out, Oglethorpe treated his people more as members of his own family than as subordinates, advising and admonishing them as a father would advise and warn his children. He told them, among other things, "It is my hope that through your good example the settlement of Georgia may prove a blessing, and not a curse, to the native inhabitants." He set them to work felling trees, putting up a crane for hauling up the bluff the material brought in the Ann, unloading that vessel, and hewing the stuff to be used in stockading the town. The people not only assisted in the building of edifices to be used for public purposes, but they erected homes for themselves into which they moved, discarding the tents, as soon as the houses could be made habitable. Besides this they labored in the building of the fort which was to occupy a place at the extreme eastern end of the settlement, on the bluff. So busy were they from the first moment of their landing that Oglethorpe in his letter to the trustees, announcing their safe arrival, said: "I am so taken up in looking after a hundred necessary things, that I write now short, but shall give you a more particular account hereafter." FEEDING AND HOUSING OF FIRST COLONISTS Of course, the people had to be fed, and it is a pleasure to observe that, in addition to the help rendered by the good people of South Carolina in the way of contributing negro laborers and personally assisting Oglethorpe in every possible way, donations of food were liberally made by them, Mr. Whitaker and some friends alone, at one time, as we are told, adding to the store one hundred head of cattle, and the people of Edisto sixteen sheep. On the 12th of March, 1733, a little more than a month after landing, General Oglethorpe wrote to the trustees: '' Our people still live in tents, -------------- p. 60 there being only two clap-board houses built and three small houses framed. Our crane, our battery, cannon and magazine are finished. This is all that we have been able to do by reason of the smallness of our number, of which many have been sick and others unused to labor; though I thank God they are now pretty well, and we have not lost one since our arrival here." FATHER OGLETHORPE Showing that every precaution was used to avoid attacks by enemies from outside, an account of the visit of some South Carolina gentlemen, published in the Gazette of that province, March 22d, 1733, contained this statement: '' Some time before we came to the Landing the Sentinel challenged us, and understanding who we were, admitted us ashore," and, in praise of Oglethorpe, continued, "Mr. Oglethorpe is indefatigable, takes a great deal of Pains; his fare is but indifferent, having little else at present but salt Provisions. He is extremely well beloved by all his People; the general Title they give him is Father. If any of them is sick he immediately visits them and takes a great deal of care of them. If any difference arises, he is the Person that Decides it. Two happened while I was there, and in my presence; and all the Parties went away, to outward Appearance, satisfied and contented with his Determination. He keeps a strict Discipline; I neither saw one of his People drunk, nor heard one swear all the time I was there; he does not allow them rum, but in lieu gives them English beer. It is surprising to see how cheerfully the men go to work, considering they have not been bred to it; there are no idlers there; even the boys and girls do their Parts.” GORDON'S FIRST TOWN PLAN The first plan of the town of Savannah was made by Peter Gordon, of whom our knowledge is not very extensive. This plan was made a little more than a year after the landing of Oglethorpe's colonists, and bears this dedicatory inscription: "To the Honorable, the Trustees, for establishing the Colony of Georgia in America this View of the Town of Savannah is humbly dedicated by their Honours Obliged and most Obedient Servant, Peter Gordon." We have seen that the common council made "a deed dated the 7th of November, 1732, appointing Peter Gordon, William Waterland, and Thomas Christie, bailiffs of Savannah," and that at the same time Peter Gordon and six others were appointed '' conservators to keep the peace in the said town." For some reason not mentioned, action as to him was re-considered and George Symes named in his place. By the action alloting lands to the colonists, Peter Gordon drew as his share garden lot 10E and farm lot 7 in Frederick tything, Derby ward. Whether he was employed to make the plan there is no way for us to ascertain, as the minutes of both the trustees and the common council are silent on this point; but we do find the entry in the latter, under date, April 6, 1734: "Ordered that sixteen guineas be paid to Mr. Peter Gordon as a consideration for his Draught of Savannah." On May 10, 1735, he appeared before the common council and -------------- p. 62 “delivered in a Memorial to the Trustees with several Letters and Papers from several of the Inhabitants of Savannah.'' And that is about the substance of all the information we have of the man. The plan gives us this information: At that time stairs had been built leading from the margin of the river up to the top of the bluff, and slightly to the east of the place where General Oglethorpe pitched his tent which is shown under the four pine trees near the edge of the bluff. PIONEER POINTS OF INTEREST If this plan is accurate, then the stone seat lately erected by the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America to mark the place where Oglethorpe's tent was placed is much too far westward of the true spot. In truth it is located too far from Bull street and too near to Whitaker street. The crane and bell were placed just midway between those two streets. The tabernacle and courthouse were at the corner of Bull street and Bay street lane; the public hall was in the center of the lot facing Bryan street, from Bull to Whitaker, and occupied that lot entirely through to St. Julian street; south of that hall, on the north side of St. Julian and precisely opposite was the house for strangers, while the public oven was built at the southeast corner of Whitaker and Congress streets. The draw well was in the center of Bull street just where Congress street lane intersects Bull, and the lot for the church just where Christ church stands, bounded by Bull, Congress, Drayton and St. Julian streets. Facing Johnson square on Bull street, and extending north and south from Bryan to St. Julian, stood the public stores, but occupying only about one-fifth of the lot which runs back to Drayton. The fort was built on the northeast corner of South Broad and Drayton streets, and the parsonage was directly opposite the church, on the southeast corner of Drayton and St. Julian. On a line with the eastern side of Drayton street, extending from Bay southward to Bryan street, the palisades were located. At the foot of Drayton, on Bay street north, were placed the guardhouse and battery of cannon. By this plan it seems that in the course of a little over one year the number of houses erected for the people exclusive of public buildings, was about eighty. NAMES OF FIRST STREETS It is a fact not to be accounted for that Mr. Gordon did not, in what he called his "view" of the town, give the names of the streets. The names of those public-spirited South Carolinians, Joseph Bryan, Mr St. Julian, Mr. Whitaker and Mrs. Ann Drayton, who so materially assisted the first settlers, were given to the streets which still bear their names, and one street was named for the Earl of Abercorn, who was a generous benefactor of the colony. Barnard street was named for Sir John Barnard who contributed liberally to the fund of the trustees. Jefferson street was then the western limit of Savannah, but apparently had no name given to it, but when the city grew beyond its west side, the city council by ordinance of January 12, 1791, declared that the street -------------- p. 63 parallel to Montgomery (named in the same instrument) which street "is the one between the old limits and the present addition on the west common, shall be called Jefferson street." Within the limits shown on Peter Gordon's "view" were included what were probably at the time of their laying out called King, Prince, and Duke streets. Those names remained unchanged until the year 1803, when, by ordinance of February 21st, they were changed in the following words: "Whereas, the names or titles of King, Prince, and Duke are unknown to the constitution of Georgia, or the United States, and the permitting or suffering several streets in the city to be still called by those obnoxious names reflects highly on the police (sic) thereof: "No. 517. (1.) The streets now called King street, Prince street, and Duke street, shall be, hereafter, called and known by the names following: That is to say, the street now called King street shall be called President street; the street called Prince street shall be called State street, and the street called Duke street shall be called Congress street." THE TRUSTEES' GARDEN Mr. Peter Gordon did not indicate the locality of the trustees' garden which was at that time perhaps just beginning to show the results of the care bestowed upon it from its first planting in the preceding year. It is hardly necessary to say much about this matter, considering the fact that it was not kept up many years, but, as it was deemed of great importance when laid out, and as it formed an important adjunct to the town as long as it was cultivated, the description of it by Secretary Moore, in his Voyage to Georgia in 1735 has been given in full in Chapter III. Additional Comments: From: A HISTORY OF SAVANNAH AND SOUTH GEORGIA BY WILLIAM HARDEN VOLUME I ILLUSTRATED THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY CHICAGO AND NEW YORK 1913 File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/chatham/history/other/gms397chapterv.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/gafiles/ File size: 10.9 Kb