Wormsloe Foundation Publications - Böcker

"What Nature Suffers to Groe" explores the mutually transforming relationship between environment and human culture on the Georgia coastal plain between 1680 and 1920. Each of the successive communities on the coast—the philanthropic and imperialistic experiment of the Georgia Trustees, the plantation culture of rice and sea island cotton planters and their slaves, and the postbellum society of wage-earning freedmen, lumbermen, vacationing industrialists, truck farmers, river engineers, and New South promoters—developed unique relationships with the environment, which in turn created unique landscapes.The core landscape of this long history was the plantation landscape, which persisted long after its economic foundation had begun to erode. The heart of this study examines the connection between power relations and different perceptions and uses of the environment by masters and slaves on lowcountry plantations—and how these differing habits of land use created different but interlocking landscapes.Nature also has agency in this story; some landscapes worked and some did not. Mart A. Stewart argues that the creation of both individual and collective livelihoods was the consequence not only of economic and social interactions but also of changing environmental ones, and that even the best adaptations required constant negotiation between culture and nature. In response to a question of perennial interest to historians of the South, Stewart also argues that a "sense of place" grew out of these negotiations and that, at least on the coastal plain, the "South" as a place changed in meaning several times.

This flowing, instantly engaging narrative tells the story of Savannah from the hopeful arrival of its first permanent English settlers in 1733 to the uncertainties faced by its Civil War survivors in 1865. Alongside the many women and men of European, African, and Native American heritage who helped shaped Savannah's first century and a half, Walter J. Fraser Jr. also shows how war, disease, market forces, fire, and other circumstances left their marks on the city and its people.Among other major developments in Savannah's history, Fraser recalls the hardships of its first residents; the depredations of the Revolutionary War; the relocation of Georgia's capital away from the city; the growth of commerce through railroads and steamships; the establishment of public institutions such as the Female Asylum for orphaned and abandoned girls and the Poor House and Hospital; and the emergence of public education, a professional police force, and other elements of an urban infrastructure.More than any previous history of the city, Savannah in the Old South points out how whites and blacks, bondpeople and free men and women often interacted in ways that smoothed away the rough edges of racism. From Savannah's physical layout to its cosmopolitan culture, from its social services network to its racially diverse poor neighborhoods, the city offered opportunities for daily contact between blacks and whites that did not exist in the surrounding rural areas.By the eve of the Civil War, Savannah had become Georgia's major commercial and cultural center and the region's sixth largest city. The story of its remarkable growth is told here with an eye for telling facts and human drama.

This abundantly illustrated volume arises out of the painstaking work of the Georgia Quilt Project, the most authoritative survey of quilts and quiltmakers ever undertaken in the state. Georgia Quilts showcases the diversity of quilting materials, methods, and patterns used in the state from the nineteenth century to the present and reveals how quilts serve as conduits of history and culture. From plain bed coverings of fabric scraps to exquisitely wrought pieces made for the "best bed," each of the 120 examples featured in the book tells its own story of abundance or want, peace or war, tradition or novelty.Instead of the usual chronological approach taken by many quilt histories, Georgia Quilts looks at a number of themes through which the common story of the state, its people, and its quilting legacy can be told. Chapters follow various threads of the craft, including Civil War-era quilts, the cotton economy, quilting groups, feed sack quilts, everyday and fine-craft quilts, and special-occasion quilts, including those made as gifts to honor athletes at the 1996 Olympic games. The volume's contributors have a deep knowledge of, and strong personal ties to, quilt history and quiltmaking in Georgia.The Georgia Quilt Project, beginning in 1990, has documented more than 9,000 quilts. Volunteers conducted dozens of Quilt History Days around the state, interviewing quilt owners and examining and photographing their quilts. The 120 quilts included in this book have been chosen from the thousands seen by the Project. Some are notable for their beauty, rarity, or workmanship; others are simple, functional objects that have been cherished for their ties to family history. All have their own stories to tell about family, community, and the desire to leave something tangible behind.

During the fall of 1968 and the summer of 1969, William Kelso conducted archaeological excavations at the site of eighteenth-century ruins at Wormslow, near Savannah, Georgia. Historical records indicated that the ruins were the remains of Fort Wimberly, most likely constructed by Noble Jones, an original settler of Georgia. Records further suggested that Fort Wimberly had been constructed on the site of Jones's earlier fortification, a timber guardhouse known as Jones's Fort, built in 1739 and 1740.The existence of these two structures, built at different times on the same location, made possible an archaeological study of two periods of Georgia coastal fortifications. The earlier was built as a major link in General James Oglethorpe's chain of defenses against the Spanish threat from Florida in the 1740s and the later presumably was built to repel the French. The project also presented another important opportunity—the chance to define what effect the semitropical, hostile border environment of colonial Georgia had on the plantation development scheme of at least one English settler.Mr. Kelso's report of his excavations begins with a documentary history of Wormslow, followed by a presentation of the archaeological evidence that correlates it with the historical documents. Ultimately he reconstructs the site based on the historical and archaeological evidence, an architectural study of the ruins, and information about early Georgia architecture in general and other eighteenth-century buildings in particular. The report concludes with a detailed study of the artifacts with illustrations, descriptions, and identifications of the important pieces.

At once sobering and thrilling, this illustrated history recounts how, for the past three hundred years, hurricanes have altered lives and landscapes along the Georgia-South Carolina seaboard. A prime target for the fierce storms that develop in the Atlantic, the region is especially vulnerable because of its shallow, gradually sloping sea floor and low-lying coastline.With an eye on both natural and built environments, Fraser's narrative ranges from the first documented storm in 1686 to recent times in describing how the lowcountry has endured some of the severest effects of wind and water. This chronology of the most notable lowcountry storms is also a useful primer on the basics of hurricane dynamics.Fraser tells how the 800-ton Rising Sun foundered in open water near Charles Town during the hurricane of 1700. About one hundred persons were aboard. All perished. Drawing on eyewitness accounts, he describes the storm surge of an 1804 hurricane that submerged most of Tybee Island and swept over the fort on nearby Cockspur Island, drowning soldiers and civilians. Readers may have their own memories of Hurricanes Andrew, Opal, and Hugo. Although hurricanes frequently lead to significant loss of life, Fraser recounts numerous gripping instances of survival and rescue at sea and ashore.The author smoothly weaves the lowcountry's long social, political, and economic history with firsthand reports and data accumulated by the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Generously illustrated with contemporary and historical photographs, this is a readable and informative resource on one of nature's most awesome forces.

Published in 1964, this biography of Joseph Vallence Bevan tells the story of Georgia’s first official historian. Born in Ireland, Bevan moved with his family to Georgia at a young age. He attended the University of Georgia and the College of South Carolina before continuing his education in England. There he met William Godwin, an influential political philosopher, journalist, and novelist, who wrote Letter of Advice To a Young American: On the Course of Studies It Might Be Most Advantageous for Him To Pursue for Bevan.Back in the U.S., Bevan edited the Augusta Chronicle & Georgia Gazette, studied law, served on the Georgia legislature, and became coeditor and owner of the Savannah Georgian. In 1824, by recommendation of Governor George M. Troup, the legislature appointed Bevan as the first official historian of Georgia. His main duties were to arrange the state archives, publish selections from the archives, and to write a history of the state. Bevan was unable to complete a history of Georgia before his death in 1830 at the young age of thirty-two. However, he paved the road for future historians making important acquisitions of transcripts from Great Britain which describe the colonial history of Georgia.

During the fall of 1968 and the summer of 1969, William Kelso conducted archaeological excavations at the site of eighteenth-century ruins at Wormslow, near Savannah, Georgia. Historical records indicated that the ruins were the remains of Fort Wimberly, most likely constructed by Noble Jones, an original settler of Georgia. Records further suggested that Fort Wimberly had been constructed on the site of Jones's earlier fortification, a timber guardhouse known as Jones's Fort, built in 1739 and 1740.The existence of these two structures, built at different times on the same location, made possible an archaeological study of two periods of Georgia coastal fortifications. The earlier was built as a major link in General James Oglethorpe's chain of defenses against the Spanish threat from Florida in the 1740s and the later presumably was built to repel the French. The project also presented another important opportunity—the chance to define what effect the semitropical, hostile border environment of colonial Georgia had on the plantation development scheme of at least one English settler.Mr. Kelso's report of his excavations begins with a documentary history of Wormslow, followed by a presentation of the archaeological evidence that correlates it with the historical documents. Ultimately he reconstructs the site based on the historical and archaeological evidence, an architectural study of the ruins, and information about early Georgia architecture in general and other eighteenth-century buildings in particular. The report concludes with a detailed study of the artifacts with illustrations, descriptions, and identifications of the important pieces.

William Stephens was Secretary of the Province of Georgia from 1737 to 1750 and was President from 1741 for ten years. He was sent to America by the Trustees of Georgia, who resided in London, to keep them informed on conditions in the colony. Besides writing numerous letters to the Trustees, Stephens kept a journal which he sent to them periodically. The journal down to 1741 was printed by the Trustees. Here in this volume (and the volume for 1743–1745) the continuation of the journal is published for the first time.Through his journal Stephens undertook to inform the Trustees of everything which happened in Georgia, from the most trivial to the most important. This close-up view of Georgia, the details of the everyday life of the people, and the record of significant development in the colony all make his journal a valuable document in American colonial history.

William Stephens was Secretary of the Province of Georgia from 1737 to 1750 and was President from 1741 for ten years. He was sent to America by the Trustees of Georgia, who resided in London, to keep them informed on conditions in the colony. Besides writing numerous letters to the Trustees, Stephens kept a journal which he sent to them periodically. The journal down to 1741 was printed by the Trustees. Here in this volume (and the volume for 1741–1743) the continuation of the journal is published for the first time.Through his journal Stephens undertook to inform the Trustees of everything which happened in Georgia, from the most trivial to the most important. This close-up view of Georgia, the details of the everyday life of the people, and the record of significant development in the colony all make his journal a valuable document in American colonial history.

William Stephens was Secretary of the Province of Georgia from 1737 to 1750 and was President from 1741 for ten years. He was sent to America by the Trustees of Georgia, who resided in London, to keep them informed on conditions in the colony. Besides writing numerous letters to the Trustees, Stephens kept a journal which he sent to them periodically. The journal down to 1741 was printed by the Trustees. Here in this volume (and the volume for 1741–1743) the continuation of the journal is published for the first time.Through his journal Stephens undertook to inform the Trustees of everything which happened in Georgia, from the most trivial to the most important. This close-up view of Georgia, the details of the everyday life of the people, and the record of significant development in the colony all make his journal a valuable document in American colonial history.

The eighteen volumes of Detailed Reports on the Salzburger Emigrants Who Settled in America (reproduced in sixteen discrete books) contain the diaries and letters of Lutheran pastors who ministered to the Salzburgers, German-speaking Protestant refugees, in Georgia. Samuel Urlsperger collected and edited these writings into the Urlsperger Reports printed at Orphanage Press, Halle, Germany, from 1735 to 1760. The original German publication, Ausführliche Nachricht von den saltzburgischen Emigranten, is available through the Internet Archive, but this English-language translation has not been available online until now.In the mid-eighteenth century, Samuel Urlsperger of the Lutheran Ministry in Augsburg edited the German edition of the Detailed Reports after having distributed the many reports to the faithful in Germany. He made major deletions for both diplomatic and economic reasons and suppressed proper names. His son, Johann August Urlsperger, succeeded him. He took even greater liberties with the text, deleting large sections and rearranging others. The English version, translated and edited by George Fenwick Jones, a German scholar, restores the deleted sections and the proper names and provides the original sequencing of the material.The Detailed Reports offer insight into daily life in colonial Georgia and provide precious details and vignettes on subjects that receive less attention in other sources, notably African Americans, women, silk production, and the cost of goods in a frontier colony. The Reports are an underutilized resource for the study of this period and an unparalleled source for the evolution of a rural community during the early years of the colony. The Georgia Open History Library has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this collection, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The eighteen volumes of Detailed Reports on the Salzburger Emigrants Who Settled in America (reproduced in sixteen discrete books) contain the diaries and letters of Lutheran pastors who ministered to the Salzburgers, German-speaking Protestant refugees, in Georgia. Samuel Urlsperger collected and edited these writings into the Urlsperger Reports printed at Orphanage Press, Halle, Germany, from 1735 to 1760. The original German publication, Ausführliche Nachricht von den saltzburgischen Emigranten, is available through the Internet Archive, but this English-language translation has not been available online until now.In the mid-eighteenth century, Samuel Urlsperger of the Lutheran Ministry in Augsburg edited the German edition of the Detailed Reports after having distributed the many reports to the faithful in Germany. He made major deletions for both diplomatic and economic reasons and suppressed proper names. His son, Johann August Urlsperger, succeeded him. He took even greater liberties with the text, deleting large sections and rearranging others. The English version, translated and edited by George Fenwick Jones, a German scholar, restores the deleted sections and the proper names and provides the original sequencing of the material.The Detailed Reports offer insight into daily life in colonial Georgia and provide precious details and vignettes on subjects that receive less attention in other sources, notably African Americans, women, silk production, and the cost of goods in a frontier colony. The Reports are an underutilized resource for the study of this period and an unparalleled source for the evolution of a rural community during the early years of the colony. The Georgia Open History Library has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this collection, do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Thomas D. Wilson’s Charleston and Savannah is the first comprehensive history of Charleston and Savannah in a single volume that weaves together the influences and parallels of their intrinsic stories. As two of the earliest English-speaking cities founded in America, Charleston and Savannah are among the nation’s top historic sites. Their historic characters, which attract millions of visitors each year, are each a rich blend of cultural, environmental, and socioeconomic elements. Yet even with this popularity, both cities now face a challenge in preserving their authentic historic character, natural beauty, and environmental quality. Wilson charts the ebb and flow of the progress and development of the cities using various through lines running within each chapter, constructing an overall character assessment of each.Wilson charts the economic rise of these port cities, beginning with their British foundations and transatlantic trade in the colonies through to their twentieth-century economic declines and resurgences. He examines the cultural and economic aspects of their Lowcountry landscapes and their evolution as progress and industrialization made their mark. Employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in his comparisons of the two cities, he considers their histories, natural landscapes, weather patterns, economies, demographics, culture, architecture, city planning, and infrastructure. While each has its own civic and cultural strengths and weaknesses, both are positioned as historically significant southern cities, even as they assess aspects of their problematic pasts.

Learning from Savannah bridges the mostly separate worlds of the history of Savannah’s famed urban plan and the history of the city’s architecture. The authors analyze the history of the urban plan, how it functions, and how it has shaped the city’s buildings in distinctive ways. Distilling over two decades of original research on the history of Savannah’s built environment, as well as the daily experience of it, Gobel and Williams uncover the complex and illusive qualities that have enthralled visitors since the nineteenth century and architects and planners since the mid-twentieth. The book includes many previously unpublished historic maps and images, as well as numerous original analytical diagrams that interpret the city in fresh ways.

Learning from Savannah bridges the mostly separate worlds of the history of Savannah’s famed urban plan and the history of the city’s architecture. The authors analyze the history of the urban plan, how it functions, and how it has shaped the city’s buildings in distinctive ways. Distilling over two decades of original research on the history of Savannah’s built environment, as well as the daily experience of it, Gobel and Williams uncover the complex and illusive qualities that have enthralled visitors since the nineteenth century and architects and planners since the mid-twentieth. The book includes many previously unpublished historic maps and images, as well as numerous original analytical diagrams that interpret the city in fresh ways.

Flora’s Interpreters explores how everyday Americans in the nineteenth century interacted with common plants and recorded these relationships in diaries, books, and material artifacts. Through extensive archival research, Merrill uncovers genres not typically considered by scholars of environmental literature and history, including botany textbooks, herbaria, and flower language dictionaries. These genres shared a commitment to place-based knowledge, encouraging readers to discover, identify, and preserve the plants around them. Popular botany books also celebrated the diversity and abundance of American flora in detailed illustrations and lavish bindings. Beyond their printed contents are the inscriptions, marginalia, sketches, and pressed specimens that provide fascinating evidence of individual botanical encounters. A dialogic structure of genre surveys followed by “From the Archives” chapters highlight the interplay of general and particular that characterizes popular botany.Combining approaches from environmental humanities, plant studies, material culture analysis, and history of the book, Merrill offers a unique perspective on sources relevant to nineteenth-century American environmentalism. Distinctive for its combination of visual, textual, and material analyses, Flora’s Interpreters is beautifully illustrated with images from primary sources and will appeal to anyone interested in the significance of plants for early American conservation, citizen science, and creative expression.