Savannah Day Two

Our first stop this morning (minus the pit stop to Walmart where I thankfully found a tee-shirt because  I didn't bring any short sleeve shirts.) was to Fort Pulaski.  It is located on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island.

Fort Pulaski: Construction began in 1829 and it cost $1 million to build. There were 25 million bricks used and it took 18 years of hard labor to complete as the slaves only worked during the winter.  The only time the fort was used during battle was during the Civil War.  The Union army used rifled cannon (from ships of the coast of Tybee Island) and the Confederate garrison inside Fort Pulaski surrendered. The siege was a landmark experiment in the history of military science and invention. 

This portion shows how the foundation was constructed.  It is comprised of upside down arches. This technology has allowed their to be ZERO cracks in the building due to the foundation moving.

A picture of a cannon from the second level of the fort.  The original plan had the fort being three stories. 

Inside Fort Pulaski

When the battle was being fought, the corner section where the brick is brighter was actually blown completely out and you could see into the Fort. The wholes around this area are where cannons hit the brick.  There is actually a cannon ball still stuck that you can see up close.

Our next adventure was to the University of Georgia Marine Center and Aquarium.  It was a very small place, but they had a great walking trail.  Below are some pictures that I took because I'm a big fan of the Spanish Moss.

These are pictures that I took from the boardwalk.  As soon as we sat down we became a feeding ground for mosquitoes.  Back in the "woods," there weren't really any bugs. Weird.  There is also a 300 year old tree on the trail that was really cool to see. It was HUGE!

After the nature center, we went to Bonaventure Cemetery.  The cemetery has received its name because it is located on land that used to be part of Bonaventure Plantation in the 1700s.  It is a 150 year old cemetery and some of Savannah's most famous and wealthy are buried here. It is known for its ornate monuments and was made popular due to the filming of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.