Preservation posts: the online journal of the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, 2014 June

Preservation Posts - June 2014
In this issue:
- Message from the Director - Georgia Celebrates National Historic Preservation Month - Tax Incentives Spur Revitalization on Atlanta's Ponce Corridor - Ossabaw Island's Maritime Legacy - Recent News & Announcements - Upcoming Events - Available Grants
Message from the Director
By Dr. David Crass, Division Director & Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
Summer used to be a time when the business of the office slowed down a bit. With the General Assembly dismissed and many folks on vacation, it was an opportunity to catch our collective breath. No more, however! Here at HPD there are a number of projects reaching completion and just getting started. Our augmented reality pilot project at Magnolia Springs State Park has been completed, as has the installation of displays in the new history museum telling the story of the Confederate POW camp that once housed thousands of Union soldiers. Leigh Burns, Jennifer Dixon, and Stephanie Jordan of our office worked with the National Park Service, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, the City of Valdosta, the Valdosta Historic Preservation Commission, and Valdosta Main Street to present our second Section 106 training for Certified Local Governments. The training was a huge success, with 80-90 people staying all day for the presentations. State Archaeologist Dr. Bryan Tucker and his staff are partnering with the University of Georgia and The Ossabaw Island Foundation to conduct extensive excavations at 9CH155, a large, multi-component archaeological site on Ossabaw that is eroding into a local creek. You can read more about it here and here.
Charlie Miller is working with the Georgia Department of Agriculture to develop a dedicated website for our Centennial Farms program. And, with funding from a Georgia Natural Resources Foundation grant, HPD has contracted with a technology company to carry out a business process analysis of our tax and environmental review programs. This is the first step in a multi-phase project to automate our paper-intensive review processes, which are currently supported by 1990s-vintage dBase II software. Thanks for keeping up with HPD through Preservation Posts and, as always, if you have questions or suggestions, don't hesitate to call me!
Georgia Celebrates National Historic Preservation Month
By Leigh Burns, Outreach Program Manager & CLG Program Coordinator
This May, preservationists from across the nation celebrated National Historic Preservation Month, an initiative of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This year's theme was "New Age of Preservation: Embark, Inspire, Engage!" In Georgia, the month-long celebration opened with the Preservation Month proclamation signing on May 1st at the State Capitol. Governor Nathan Deal and DNR Commissioner Mark Williams joined HPD staff, Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation staff, and other local partners to kick off the festivities. Across the state, hundreds of dedicated preservationists continued to find interesting and fun ways to highlight their historic resources and their communities' ongoing efforts to preserve and protect. HPD joined the preservation celebration again this year by sponsoring several events throughout the month. For the sixth year in a row, HPD partnered with the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation to host a month-long preservation lecture series related to current historic preservation practices, scholarship, and emerging preservation topics. The lecture series began on May 1st with Joe Head, former Dean and Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services at Kennesaw State University, who presented a lecture entitled "The Great Locomotive Chase." Other lectures included: "The National Register of Historic Places and Atlanta" by HPD's National Register & Survey Program Manager Stephanie CherryFarmer, "From Historic to Sustainable" by Bourke Reeves of Southface, and "Moving the Lucas House" by Christopher Jones and Roger Smith, owners of the Randolph Lucas House. All of the Thursday lectures took place at the majestic Rhodes Hall, home of the Georgia Trust. Our ongoing partnership with the Georgia Trust staff makes these important events possible. More information about the lecture series is available here.
For the fifth consecutive year, HPD held an online photography contest to coincide with preservation month. This year's theme was "Historic Railroads of Georgia" and participants were challenged to submit photos of historic buildings or structures associated with the railroad industry in Georgia. The contest was held in partnership with RailGA.com, an encyclopedic online resource on the state's railroad history. The winning photograph was submitted by Mark Miller of Jasper. All of the entries can be viewed here.
Mark Miller's winning photo, taken of a bridge near Tate that features granite supports.
HPD staff also attended and supported numerous local preservation events, such as the dedication of the Historic Porterdale Gymnasium in Porterdale. The special dedication ceremony took place on Thursday, May 8th and included presentations by Mayor Arline Chapman, Bob Thomson, and other local dignitaries. Porterdale, a historic mill community in Newton County and a Certified Local Government, boasts a growing local historic preservation planning program. The city has instituted several preservation initiatives, including ongoing pursuing historic tax rehabilitation credit projects and National Register of Historic Places listings. Much of this preservation planning success has been led in partnership with the Northeast Georgia Regional Commission and the work of their talented planning staff led by Burke Walker. Additional information about Porterdale is available here .
We would love to hear about how your community celebrated National Historic Preservation Month. Please send your stories and photos to Charlie Miller at charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us. To see how other communities across the country celebrated Preservation Month, visit the National Trust's website.
Thank you to all of our sponsors, partners, and participants for making this another successful National Historic Preservation Month in Georgia!
Tax Incentives Spur Revitalization on Atlanta's Ponce Corridor
By Rachel Klaas, Tax Incentives & Rehabilitation Guidance Program Manager
The Ponce City Market in Atlanta has been a hot topic for several years now, even receiving recognition on a national scale. This major development, however, is having an equal impact on its surrounding neighborhood as it is on the building itself. The rehab is spurring revitalization on the Ponce corridor, including the rehabilitations of additional historic buildings as well as new construction projects. Two nearby buildings constructed a year before the Sears Roebuck & Co. building are part of this neighborhood revitalization. The Briarcliff Hotel rehabilitation has already been completed and the Clermont Hotel has just begun its rehabilitation.
The Briarcliff was built in 1924-1925 and was designed by architect G. Lloyd Preacher, who also designed Atlanta's city hall. Originally the building housed 200 luxury apartments, but for financial reasons waivered between apartments and a hotel through the 1960s when it was sold and became the Briarcliff Hotel. Today the building houses senior residents.
The rehab project for the Briarcliff Hotel began in 2012 and included the removal of many non-historic features and finishes such as windows and infill of the front entrance. The non-historic features were replaced by replications of the originals documented in historic photos. The project received over $3 million in federal and state tax credits.
The Clermont Hotel sits just down the street from the Briarcliff Hotel and the Ponce City Market. This well-known Atlanta landmark was built in 1924 as Bonaventure Arms and, like the Briarcliff Hotel, it also started as apartments. The building officially became the Clermont in 1939 after the Briarcliff Investment Company converted the building into a hotel. The majority of the building has been vacant since the hotel was closed in 2009.
The rehab of the Clermont Hotel began last year. Current plans will reopen the building as a hotel. The rehabilitation will include extensive exterior and interior cleaning, repair, and refurbishment, including the restoration of the iconic sign. Guest rooms will be reconfigured and updated with new bathrooms and air-conditioning. The new hotel will house two restaurants as well as a rooftop bar and terrace. The project is scheduled to be completed before the end of this year.
Of course it is impossible to discuss the Clermont Hotel without mentioning the infamous Clermont Lounge. Originally the building housed a restaurant in this basement level. The space became a nightclub in the mid-1940s and underwent several changes until it became the Clermont Lounge in 1965. The Lounge will remain open through the rehab project and will continue to operate under the new hotel.
Ossabaw Island's Maritime Legacy
By Christopher P. McCabe, Deputy State Archaeologist Underwater
Nearly every time I approach Georgia's Ossabaw Island by boat my thoughts inevitably turn to some bygone era of indigenous maritime history. Navigating the local waters there always seems to trigger some story from the past, no matter if it's an abstract vision of an 18th century Nobel Jones scoutboat patrolling the "Inlets of the near adjoining sea... off Wassaw and Ussuybaw lest any [Spanish] surprise should happen," or a colonial lumber schooner negotiating the treacherous inlet of St. Catherine's Sound, or Confederate raiders capturing the blockading gunboat USS Water Witch off Raccoon Key.(1) The feelings often intensify upon arrival at north-side Torrey Landing or the south-end boat dock at Newell Creek since
countless other island mysteries await exploration. As scientists, students, and interested residents descend upon the island this summer for research, archaeological survey, and other activities relating to this year's University of Georgia Archaeological Field School, it seems appropriate to highlight a few of the many maritime tales the island holds (Figure 1).(2)
As a coastal barrier island, Ossabaw's most obvious yet hastily overlooked historical connections, both literal and exploratory, are the extensive variety of vessels and crews that plied its nearby waterways over the years. Ossabaw's impressive history, and those of many other Georgia islands, would decidedly lack substance without an ever evolving stream of diverse watercraft and the knowledgeable people who built, maintained, and operated them. Native American dugout canoes, merchant sloops, coastal steamers, military gunboats, skiffs, bateaux, flats, trawlers, yachts, and even modern recreational and work boats have all played significant but underappreciated roles. And while there are sizable (but narrowing) gaps in both the documented maritime history of Ossabaw Island and its associated archaeological record, there is a solid foundation from which to form a more substantial profile.
Take for example, the colonial sailing brig Elisabeth. Built on Ossabaw Island by Georgia merchants Basil Cowper, Edward Telfair, island owner John Morel, and Antiguan partner John Wand, and "ready to launch" in April 1770 (Figure 2).(3) Vessels like this not only aptly illustrate a vital transportation technology of the day (mid-sized wooden merchant sail craft), but also a burgeoning hierarchy of coastal economy and culture. While indigo, rice, and later Sea Island cotton were prime island commodities, timber production and shipbuilding also played increasingly important roles. Commissioned by prominent members of the local colonial gentry, the Elisabeth was constructed of native island live oak by experienced shipwrights and enslaved African American laborers skilled in the traditions of nautical carpentry and metalwork. The precise location where these builders first laid down the 84' keel for Elizabeth is currently unknown; however the most probable location is near the original North End plantation site. A location where a loyalist raiding party is thought to have later burned another vessel under construction in October 1782 during the American Revolution.(4)
Figure 2: Advertisement for the Ossabaw Island-built ship Elizabeth in The Georgia Gazette, April 18, 1770.
The Revolutionary War had a profound effect on coastal Georgia. In the early stages, the presence of British warships around Savannah severely restricted local agricultural commerce, timber harvest, and maritime trade. In 1777, the Continental Congress underwrote the construction of four armed galleys (small maneuverable shallow-draft vessels propelled by both oar and sail) named Bullock, Congress, Lee, and Washington for observation and protection on the coast.(5) The gunboats sometimes worked in tandem with one another and at other times were stationed separately along the coast from Sapelo Island to Savannah - often adjacent to Ossabaw near the north end of the island and at the colonial port of Sunbury, roughly eight miles to the southwest. They were not designed to engage large warships, and their maneuverability allowed for a quick retreat to safety if necessary. Ossabaw's owner John Morel and his family supported the American cause for independence, consequently the island became a safe haven for regional patriots opposing British oppression.(6) Local tradition suggests that other smaller vessels may have been constructed on the Morel plantations in support of the patriot cause due to the surplus of quality timber resources and politically friendly environment. After Sunbury fell to the British in 1779, American sailors fearing pursuit from the Royal Navy fled to Ossabaw and deliberately beached the galleys Washington and Bulloch on the south shore to avoid capture.(7) No traces of the vessel's charred remains or spiked guns have yet been found.
Shipwrecks deliberate or otherwise are no stranger to Ossabaw; there are many in the historical and archaeological records. Case in point, the brig Reward, which was bound from Jamaica to Portsmouth, NH with a cargo of molasses and rum and driven ashore on Ossabaw during a major hurricane in September 1804 with at least four hands lost.(8) Or the 325 ton Russian bark Vesta which sailed from Barcelona, Spain for Tybee Island and wrecked on Ossabaw in the winter of 1860. During the Civil War, the 53' prize sloop Buffalo was also swept into the Ossabaw breakers in a storm. Built by John Lasserre at Cabbage Bluff, Glynn County, Georgia, in 1863, the single-masted rebel sloop fell to an expedition from USS Braziliera in February 1864 with 72 bales of cotton and over $1,200 in notes and specie onboard. Subsequently adjudicated and taken to Port Royal, South Carolina, with prisoners and crew, U.S. Navy officials ordered Buffalo south to Florida to assist with raising the steamer St. Mary's from the St. John's River near Jacksonville. Enroute, Buffalo encountered a steadily increasing northeast wind that turned into a fierce gale which split sails, severed rigging, and forced the vessel onto Ossabaw's lee shore. Fortunately, the sailors were able to find safety on land, fashion a makeshift tent from the tattered sails, and the following day salvage items of value from the broken sloop. Efforts to signal a nearby blockading navy vessel proved successful and the stranded survivors were rescued by the crew of USS Water Witch, leaving the remains of Buffalo to break up and settle into the shifting sands of Ossabaw. Occasionally remnants of the hull become partially exposed due to seasonal storm events, at which time documentation and analyses have occurred.
Maritime archaeologists are also searching for two other mid-19th century vessels lost in the waters off Ossabaw Island. Long before there were interstate highways and island bridges, packet steamboats with names like Magnolia, Orient, Asher Ayres, and Clarion were hauling freight, mail, and passengers throughout coastal and inland Georgia from Augusta and Savannah to Macon, Brunswick, St. Mary's, and beyond, supplementing rail lines and supporting otherwise inaccessible areas like barrier islands. During the Civil War, officials on both sides conscripted many of these vessels for military use; one in particular was the side-wheel steamboat Enoch Dean. Built outside of New York City at Keyport, New Jersey, in 1852, Union Army administrators repurposed the 194ton steamer as a military transport for service in the coastal Carolinas and Georgia. In 1865, immediately after major hostilities ceased, it was attached to the Quartermaster Department under Major General Rufus Saxton, Assistant Commissioner of the Freedman's Bureau. Saxton's duties included operations related to General William T. Sherman's Special Field Order No. 15, whereby confiscated lands in coastal areas were redistributed to emancipated African slaves. According to an April 1865 edition of the Savannah Daily Herald, the Enoch Dean was bound from Savannah to "islands lying south of Savannah, Georgia... with freedmen, their families and their effects; also a large amount of seeds and farming utensils for their use."(9) During the transit, the steamer apparently caught a snag and sank near Ossabaw Island and St. Catherines Sound. The newspaper noted that all onboard survived, but little else is known about their ultimate fate or that of the vessel. HPD is currently conducting a series of underwater archaeological remote-sensing surveys sponsored by the Georgia Natural Resources Foundation in an effort to answer some of these haunting historical questions.
A second vessel linked to Ossabaw Island and Freedman issues was the steamboat General Shepley, which made regular runs transporting cotton and other materials between Augusta and Doctortown after the Civil War. Designed for shallow draft river commerce, vessel and crew found themselves tasked with collecting a shipment of cotton and mules from Ossabaw in January 1867. Published accounts at the time reveal that they had also delivered a squad of soldiers ordered to remove a defiant group of former slaves who insisted they were entitled to shares of planation lands under Special Order 15.(10) Roused by outspoken activist and former fugitive slave Aaron Bradley, and believing that the Shepley was going to transport them permanently off the island to Cuba or other Caribbean destinations, the group allegedly slipped on board the moored vessel under cover of night and set it afire. According to the Shepley's captain, the crew raised the alarm just before midnight, but "the flames soon spread rapidly and fiercely, and notwithstanding every possible effort to extinguish them, the devouring element soon wrapped the whole boat in a mass of living fire, and in less than twenty minutes she was burned to the water's edge and became a total loss."(11) Late last
year, archaeologists conducted a series of underwater surveys and dive operations with members of the Institute of Maritime History onboard the Research Vessel Roper searching for the General Shepley's lower hull and machinery (Figure 3). Plans are underway to continue the effort later this fall.
This small sample of 18th and 19th century maritime stories is merely the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Archaeological records indicate the presence of many other shoreline and underwater sites around Ossabaw Island from Hell Gate to the tip of South End Point, and which represent Native American periods, European colonialism, the early republic and antebellum eras, and 20th century communities. Historical and archival records indicate that there are numerous other sites awaiting rediscovery and archaeological investigation as well. Research and field study of these rare undeveloped archaeological footprints are continuing, and with state, federal, and local protections in place they will certainly shed new light on Georgia's cultural heritage. It is a collaborative effort which could not be possible without the assistance of numerous people and organizations. Our thanks go to Ms. Eleanor "Sandy" Torrey West, Paul Pressley and the Ossabaw Island Foundation, Dan Elliott at the LAMAR Institute, Brendan Burke at the Lighthouse Archaeological Maritime Program (LAMP), the Institute for Maritime History (IMH), Dr. Victor Thompson and UGA's Department of Anthropology, the Georgia Southern University Applied Coastal Research Laboratory (ACRL), Julie Morgan and Judy Wood (ret.) from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Savannah District, and the local coastal community at large for all their support of these important efforts. It is our hope that the stories of Ossabaw Island continue to be imagined, studied, and shared for many years to come.
Recent News & Announcements
Leigh Burns receives 2014 Atlanta Urban Design Commission Award of Excellence
On Tuesday May 20, 2014, Leigh Burns, HPD's Outreach Program Manager and CLG Program Coordinator, was awarded an individual Atlanta Urban Design Commission Award of Excellence for her work supporting preservation efforts within the City of Atlanta. Leigh has assisted and supported numerous historic preservation organizations and causes in the City of Atlanta including the Historic Oakland Foundation, B*ATL, Docomomo US/Georgia, Atlanta Preservation Center, the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Reynoldstown Civic Improvement Association.
Through the Awards of Excellence competition, the Atlanta Urban Design Commission honors those individuals, projects, programs, and organizations that have significantly contributed toward the enhancement of the City of Atlanta's built environment, the preservation of our physical heritage, and the sympathetic balance between the old and the new.
Leigh's work here in Atlanta, as well as throughout Georgia, constantly balances the old and the new, while encouraging the ongoing preservation of our physical heritage. Her continuing support of projects like the Atlanta Beltline and Docomomo US/Georgia Chapter International Tour Day show her dedication to her native city and state. Please join us in congratulating Leigh on this most recent recognition.
Shirley Hills Historic District Amendment Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (press release - June 16)
Uncovering Ossabaw Island: Hands-On Archaeology Day Trip is June 21 (press release - June 6)
Northwoods Historic District Listed in the National Register of Historic Places (press release - June 6)
Upcoming Events
July 16-20 - National Alliance of Preservation Commissions Forum 2014 Philadelphia, PA A national conference focused around the needs and issues of preservation commissions and commission staff. It is an interactive conference that blends traditional educational sessions, discussion panels, mobile workshops and tours, providing participants with essential training and networking opportunities. Forum is held every other year in interesting destination cities and brings local commission members from across the country together with representatives from local, state and national organizations, governments and federal agencies. It is supported by the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Preservation Action and the National Park Service. Details
August 21, 2014 - Summer Historic Preservation Commission Training, Georgia Downtown Conference - DeKalb History Center, Decatur HPD will again sponsor a one-day Historic Preservation Commission Training as part of the Georgia Downtown Conference in Decatur, Georgia. For information about the Georgia Downtown Conference please visit the Georgia Downtown Association website. Registration will open by June 20th.
September 26-28, 2014 - 9th biennial "Preserving the Historic Road" conference Savannah "Preserving the Historic Road" is the leading conference dedicated to the identification, preservation, and management of historic roads. This year's conference is co-sponsored by HPD and numerous other Georgia organizations. Details
November 11-14, 2014 - Past Forward: 2014 National Preservation Conference Savannah The National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual conference will be held in Georgia for the first time in many years. Full details are available here.
Available Grants
SFY 2015 Georgia Heritage Grant Program After a hiatus of several years, limited funding for preservation projects through the Georgia Heritage Grant Program is available for the SFY2015 cycle. This grant program is 60/40 reimbursable. Applications are now available on the HPD website. The application postmark deadline date is July 11, 2014. Eligible applicants include local governments and non-profit secular organizations for historic properties listed in or eligible for listing in the Georgia Register of Historic Places. Eligible activities include predevelopment projects such as preservation plans, feasibility studies or historic structure reports and development projects for actual "bricks and mortar" rehabilitation." Applications are available on our website. For further information, please contact Carole Moore at 404-651-5566 or carole.moore@dnr.state.ga.us .
Tourism Product Development Grant The Georgia Main Street Program's TPD program is designed to financially support sustainable tourism development activities at the local level that maintain and/or create jobs, attract tourists (visitors from outside of the community), or enhance the tourist's experience. TPD support will go to projects that are near completion in planning and/or execution. TPD funds are not meant to jump-start a project, but rather complete a project. This round of funding is for TPD projects that have been under development for a substantial period of time and that if not but for the funds provided by Georgia Department of Economic Development that are herein applied for, the project would not be completed. The application is available here (PDF). The deadline is July 31st.
2014 Historic Landscape and Garden Grant Program The Garden Club of Georgia is now accepting applications for its 2014 Historic Landscape and Garden Grant Program, which provides funds for the preservation and restoration of Georgia's historic gardens and landscapes. Non-profit organizations, local government, and local garden clubs are eligible to apply for the 50/50 matching grant in amounts up to $3,000. Grants only will be awarded to projects that are historically documented, and projects must be completed within one year. Guidelines and the one-page application may be found at the Garden Club of Georgia's website here.
The deadline for submission is August 1, 2014. If you have questions about your application, please contact Committee Chair Joy Vannerson - 770-540-2764 or joyvannerson@gmail.com - or Carole Moore, HPD's Tax Incentives & Grants Coordinator - 404-651-5566 or carole.moore@dnr.state.ga.us.
Notes for "Ossabaw Island's Maritime Legacy" 1. Charles C. Jones, The Dead Towns of Georgia, Reprint of the 1878 Edition (Savannah, GA: The Oglethorpe Press, Inc., 1997), 252. 2. Ossabaw Island Heritage Preserve: www.ossabawisland.org/fCMSBackend/imgRoot/pdf/Ossabaw_Map_Redraw_New_2010.pdf. 3. Paul M. Pressley, On the Rim of the Caribbean: Colonial Georgia and the British Atlantic World (Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 2013), 163. The Georgia Gazette, April 18, 1770 (Savannah, GA). 4. Daniel T. Elliott, Archaeological Investigations at Tabbies 1 and 2, North End Plantation, Ossabaw Island, Georgia (Savannah, GA: The LAMAR Institute, 2007): 39. 5. Virginia Steel Wood, The Georgia Navy's Dramatic Victory of April 19, 1778. Savannah: The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 90, No. 2, pp. 165-195), 169. 6. Burnette Vanstory, Georgia's Land of the Golden Isles. Second Reprint of 1956 Edition (Athens: The University of Georgia Press, 1981), 16. 7. Daniel T. Elliott, Archaeological Investigations at Tabbies 1 and 2, North End Plantation, Ossabaw Island, Georgia (Savannah, GA: The LAMAR Institute, 2007): 56. 8. Gordon P. Watts, Archival Research and Remote Sensing Survey Submarine Cable Corridor, Ossabaw Sound Chatham County, Georgia (Washington, NC: Tidewater Atlantic Research, Inc., 2001), 149. Shipping and Commercial List: Caedonian Mercury, November 8, 1804 (Edinburgh: National Library of Scotland Online). 9. Russell Duncan, Freedom's Shore: Tunis Campbell and the Georgia Freedmen (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1986), 22. Savannah Daily Herald, April 23, 1865 (Savannah, GA). 10. Georgia Weekly Telegraph, Feb 2, 1867 (Macon, GA). 11. Ibid.
Please send your comments or suggestions to charlie.miller@dnr.state.ga.us.
Not a member? Subscribe now! Our mailing address is: Georgia Historic Preservation Division Department of Natural Resources 254 Washington Street, SW, Ground Level Atlanta, GA 30334 Add us to your address book Copyright (C) 2014 Georgia Historic Preservation Division All rights reserved. Title image: Shirley Hills Historic District (Boundary Increase and Additional Documentation), Macon, listed in the National Register on May 28. Details