George: Today visitors can learn about the glory days by taking a tour of the historic district. So tell me about the squares.
Female: The squares are the crown jewels of Savannah and we have the most preserved plan of any city in the United States. We still have 21 of the original 24 squares.
George: What is it about Savannah that you like most?
Female: I love the plan because it’s pedestrian friendly. Everyone lives around and works around the green space and we call these our outdoor living rooms.
George: This is parkland right in the middle of the city.
Female: You bet it is and it is supported by the city, by the park and tree department.
George: The wealth here came from rich soil and the cooperative climate allowing cultivation of cotton and rich. Plantations blossomed outside of Savannah just as they had in Charleston. Labor was required for work in the fields so Georgia, the free colony which had at first forbidden slavery now legalized it to harvest Savannah’s bountiful crops. Charleston grew outward from its lower tip called the Battery. Settlers built not only marvelous mansions to live in but also mighty churches for worship. St. Michael’s Episcopal Church is the oldest in town and one of the largest. President George Washington worshiped here on his visit to Charleston and the French Zyuganov Church is unique in America. To celebrate its many architectural styles, Charleston holds an annual candlelight tour of homes each autumn. Home owners take guests through their remarkable domiciles. We visited three houses, one as appealing as the next.
Female: The fall tour of homes is a six week period called the candlelight tour of homes, we have evening tours from 7 p.m. till 10 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and they are a tour of privately owned homes and gardens in our downtown historic districts. Charleston is very proud of our architecture, we’re very proud of our beautiful homes and our gardens and the history that is here in Charleston and homeowners are very generous to open these homes for one night only for guests to view and learn about and see the interior.
George: Given their strategic locations, major forts were built near Savannah and Charleston to protect the cities from invasion. Near Savannah Fort Pulaski sits on Coxbur Island in the Savannah River. It was named for polish count Casimir Pulaski, a hero in the US war for independence who died in the unsuccessful siege of Savannah in 1779. Construction started in 1829. Fort Pulaski was part of a coastal fortification system approved by president James Madison after the war of 1812. In 1861, when Georges succeeded from the US, the fort was taken over by the confederate states of America. Union forces recaptured it in 1862 after a lengthy bombardment. Not even the moat could help. If you visit today, watch out for the alligators.