Wormsloe Foundation Publications – serie

Cumberland Island is a national treasure. The largest of the Sea Islands along the Georgia coast, it is a history-filled place of astounding natural beauty. With a thoroughness unmatched by any previous account, Cumberland Island: A History chronicles five centuries of change to the landscape and its people from the days of the first Native Americans through the late-twentieth-century struggles between developers and conservationists.Author Mary Bullard, widely regarded as the person most knowledgeable about Cumberland Island, is a descendant of the Carnegie family, Cumberland's last owners before it was acquired by the federal government in 1972 and designated a National Seashore. Bullard's discussion of the Carnegie era on Cumberland is notable for its intimate glimpse into how the family's feelings toward the island bore upon Cumberland's destiny.Bullard draws on more than twenty years of research and travels about the island to describe how water, wind, and the cycles of nature continue to shape it and also how humans have imprinted themselves on the face of Cumberland across time—from the Timuca, Guale, and Mocamo Indians to the subsequent appearances of Spanish, French, African, British, and American inhabitants. The result is an engaging narrative in which discussions about tidal marshes, sea turtles, and wild horses are mixed with accounts of how the island functioned as a center for indigo, rice, cotton, fishing, and timber. Even frequent visitors and former residents will learn something new from Bullard's account of Cumberland Island.

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.

This collection of essays grew out of a symposium commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of Georgia.The contributors are authorities in their respective fields and their efforts represent not only the fruits of long careers but also the observations and insights of some of the most promising young scholars. Forty Years of Diversity sheds new light on the social, political, religious, and ethnic diversity of colonial Georgia.

From the foremost authority on the famed Georgia barrier island, here is the first in-depth look at Jekyll Island’s early history. Much of what defines our view of the place dates from the Jekyll Island Club era. Founded in 1886, the Club was the private resort of America’s moneyed elite, including the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and Pulitzers. In her new book that ranges from pre-Columbian times through the Civil War and its aftermath, June Hall McCash shows how the environment, human conflict, and a desire for refuge shaped the island long before the Club’s founding.Jekyll’s earliest identifiable inhabitants were the Timucua, a flourishing group of Native Americans who became extinct within two hundred years after their first contact with Europeans. Caught up in the New World contests among France, Spain, and England, the island eventually became part of a thriving English colony. In subsequent stories of Jekyll and its residents, the drama of our nation plays out in microcosm. The American Revolution, the War of 1812, the slavery era, and the Civil War brought change to the island, as did hurricanes and cotton farming. Personality conflicts and unsanctioned love affairs also had an impact, and McCash’s narrative is filled with the names of Jekyll’s powerful and often colorful families, including Horton, Martin, Leake, and du Bignon.Bringing insight and detail to a largely untold chapter of Jekyll’s past, June Hall McCash breathes life into a small part of Georgia that looms large in the state’s history.

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 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.

A Curious Garden of Herbs is a richly illustrated collection of herbal fact and lore that illuminates the "why" rather than the "how" of the historical kitchen garden. Rather than offering a how-to of gardening methods, Kay K. Moss and Suzanne S. Simmons trace herbs and their uses back to earlier times and places. A Curious Garden of Herbs is peppered with reflections and observations from manuscripts and published herbals that detail the historical uses and fascinating stories surrounding plants of documented interest in the early American South and mid-Atlantic.Practicality and necessity were the guiding theses for gardening in eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century rural and frontier settlements in the Southeast. There were plants for food, for seasoning, for medicine, for dye, for insect repellency, and for scent. While many of these plants were also decorative, utility dominated the rationale of backcountry gardeners. Unlike the experimental and exotic collections of Thomas Jefferson and other wealthy gentleman botanists, the gardens detailed in these pages are generally of the "middling sort"—of townspeople and farmers, of "housewives," merchants, and artisans. A Curious Garden of Herbs brings these everyday herbs to life with sixty historical illustrations. In addition to including the well-known varieties such as parsley, lavender, cucumber, and asparagus, this wonderfully illustrated catalog of more than a hundred plants also reveals new ways to enjoy violet, rose, and nasturtium. Moss and Simmons also encourage readers to invite lesser-known plants, such as wild purslane, mullein, and wood sorrel into their gardens and conversations.

The Journal of Peter Gordon, 1732–1735, provides a rare first-hand account of one of the original Georgia colonists. In his journal, Gordon, who served as chief bailiff of Savannah, Georgia, documents the challenges faced by the original settlers, criticism of the Trustees’ policies for the colony, and interactions with indigenous peoples. His journal provides unique insight into the establishment of one of America’s oldest colonies.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.

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.

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.