Many of the original colonizers who stepped ashore at Savannah in 1733 succumbed to disease (probably because of bad water) and others fled to better established colonies. The only ones of the original party who remained 20 years after the colony was first settled were Noble Jones and his son. We visited his Plantation on the Isle of Hope (now a part of the City of Savannah). This breathtaking tree-lined avenue, over a mile long, leads to the ruins of the original home.
Noble (who in spite of his name was a carpenter by trade) became Ogelthorpe's right-hand man. He was in charge of Georgia's coastal defense, became a surveyor, and acted in other roles when needed.
His 11th generation descendants still reside on the land, but the part where the original house was is now a State Historical Park. There is a good interpretive center and museum with artifacts from the site.
The Noble house faced the river and had gun turrets on the periphery to guard against possible Spanish invaders.
The material used to build the house was tabby, the same material that was used on many of the still-existing homes in Savannah. It is a mixture of lime, oyster shells, sand and water. This method of building was brought here by slaves. It was commonly used in parts of Africa. ______________ I really liked that none of the historical sites we visited in Savannah attempted to cover up or ignore any of the City's and State's history. And that they attempted to honor all of the cultures that contributed. ______________ There are miles of nature trails on this State Historical Site as well as the excellent interpretive center museum and the ruins. It was cool and refreshing in the shade and near the water and a nice change to be out in the country after a couple of days touring in the City.
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