In today's post, I would like to tell you about our adventures in America's most haunted city, Savannah. Why is it considered to be America's most haunted city? Well, first of all, who doesn't like a good ghost story? Being haunted certainly increases tourism and opportunities to make money! On a serious note, however, the city does have a history of bloody battles, diseases and mysterious accidents. These and the fact that the city was essentially built on human remains put together makes Savannah, Georgia, one of the most haunted cities in the United States. In my post, however, I will tell you about the not so scary things to do and see in this cozy little town.
We started our tour of the city by visiting a Prohibition Museum. We were lucky to get this opportunity as this museum has only been open for two weeks back then. Our city tour tickets included a visit to the museum so we decided to use this opportunity to learn more about the prohibition era. While I studied this period in high school, I did not remember much about the leading events and the consequences of the alcohol ban. Prohibition museum in Savannah offered an interesting perspective on the issue. It was interesting to see the propaganda posters promoting prohibition and abstinence from alcohol. For example, one of the posters depicted poor looking family on one side and a fat, rich businessman on the other. The headline read: "Who would you rather give your money to?". After seeing a couple of these posters, I myself started thinking about quitting drinking. Of course I am kidding, as nothing will stop me...
The museum continued with the passage of the prohibition amendment and the events that unfolded. Not surprisingly, the ban on alcohol led to a rise of mafia and such gangsters as Al Capone. These businessmen saw an opportunity where others saw breaking the law. It was interesting to see how people were finding loopholes to get around the ban. For example, certain entrepreneurs would sell tickets to see a "blind tiger". Once you buy this ticket, you are accompanied to a back room for viewing of said blind tiger. Oh, and while you enjoy the show, have a glass of champagne on the house! Technically, no sale of alcohol was involved, it was merely an accommodation that is included in the price of the ticket. Is it necessary to say that there was no blind tiger in the back room? At one point during your tour of the museum, you end up in front of a steel door with a little window for viewing. You press the buzzer, give the password to a security guy and the door opens. As you walk in, you end up in a speakeasy bar designed by the 20s standards. A nice hostess informed us that unfortunately the state of Georgia does not allow for sale of alcohol on Sundays, unless 51% of your revenue comes from food, and as such we were unable to grab a drink. We were disappointed as it would have been extremely cool to grab a drink in an atmosphere of the prohibition era! They even served "bathtub gin" (named so because people would make it in their bathtubs) in the glasses that were sculpted to look like little bathtubs.
We were very impressed by the museum as it combined interactive displays, props to take pictures with, as well as loads of interesting facts about the period. For example, Walgreens became huge during the prohibition era as they had the license to sell whiskey for medical purposes. The number of their stores rose dramatically during the prohibition era. Also, NASCAR was invented by bootleggers who would get together and race each other to see who's car is faster. These bootleggers then would use their cars to smuggle alcohol from one state to another. Excited about learning all these new facts, we left the museums and found ourselves in the city market. This area of the city is not big and is made up of different shops, restaurants and bars. We walked around the market square, stopping by an art gallery, grabbing some fresh praline cookies, and deciding where to go next.
Crazy thing about Savannah is that they have 24 squares in the city. While they are not all big, I think it is still a huge amount of squares considering the city is not that big. What I liked about these squares as all the ones that we have seen on the tour were different from each other. Some featured a statue, some a fountain, some offered benches to sit while others were just patches of grass with trees. Our tour guide told us a lot of cool facts about some of the statues and the buildings around the squares. For example, all statues are facing the enemies, that is why most of the statues in Savannah face North! It is actually quite fascinating how Savannah natives tell history. They still consider the time when Union troops stayed in Savannah an occupation. And they are still not happy about that!
Another interesting fact was told to us when we passed Telfair Hospital. It was funded by Mary Telfair and it was designed to provide medical care for only women. Men were allowed to stay in Telfair hospital as long as they left within three days. The reason for such sexism was the fact that Mary was once in love with this man... who broke her heart... by marrying her sister... and then all three of them lived together in the same house. I am not blaming her to be honest, what a soap opera! Interestingly enough, Savannah had its share of drama. Our tour guide told us a story of a family where two sons of a wealthy merchant would plan revolutionary deeds in the basement while their father was sleeping upstairs. These are just few examples of the dramatic events that were unfolding in Savannah.
One thing to notice about Savannah its distinct architecture style. Walking the streets of this city makes you think about the 19th century and what the life was like back then. You can picture wealthy women walking around the squares with their umbrellas, sitting on the benches and complaining about the heat. As many other cities in the South, Savannah has friendly people who are very big on hospitality. The tradition of hospitality must go a while back and is something that they still remember today. One fun fact about Southern hospitality. Back in the day, when there would be a party at someone's house, a hostess would place a pineapple on the window to indicate that there is a party going on and everyone is welcome to come. When it was time for guests to leave, the hostess would grab the pineapple and toss it on the ground. This gesture would indicate that the party is over and the guests should start packing up. It was a much simpler time... I sometimes wish I could place a pineapple at my parties! Overall, we enjoyed the charming views of Savannah. It is a city that offered an interesting perspective on life in the South, historic facts that we have not known before and a great way to spend a day!
