Savannah & Montgomery

We reluctantly left Charleston where we had enjoyed our stay at the historic Mills House (now a holiday inn). It was built in 1853 and it has been beautifully restored. Below a view of one of the courtyards - a wonderful place to have lunch or a drink.

From Charleston we headed toward Montgomery, Alabama to spend the night on our way to Natchez and Vicksburg. First, however, we made a brief stop in Savannah, Georgia. We did not have time to look at many of the famous houses in the town, but at least we drove through the historic part of the city and visited the Mercer-Williams house. The house covers a city block and is opposite a small park which features a statue of Casimir Pulaski - a polish nobleman who sought to better his fortunes in the American Colony and ended his life a hero of the American Revolution.

The Mercer-Williams house was built by an ancestor of the lyricist Johnny Mercer and restored by Jim Williams. It is known for being the setting of the "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" book and then movie, which actually was partly filmed in the house. Mr. Williams was acquitted.

Since members of the Williams family still live in the house only a part of it can be visited and photography is not permitted.

Here a picture of the entrance hall and the den.

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After the brief interlude in Savannah it was on to Montgomery, site of major developments in the African-American struggle for equal rights. We found the time for a brief drive through town (one more White House of the Confederacy - it seems that Jefferson Davis in the few years the CSA existed slept in most towns at least for a little period!)

Our main interest, however, was the Southern Poverty Law Center and Civil Rights Memorial.

The memorial itself (see below) was designed by Maya Lin who also designed the Vietnam Veterans memorial in Washington, DC. The picture does not do it justice, but it is the best I can do, we could not take a picture since the letters on the wall were being repainted: "until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream". For better pictures, go to Maya Lin's webpage. It is a bit difficult to find the pictures, but they are very good.

Civil Rights Memorial

In front is a tilted table which is washed by water that bubbles up from the center. The aurround consists of a listing of people murdered during the struggle for civil rights beginning with 1954 - Emmet Till and ending with 1968 - Martin Luther King.  

Above the "Wall of Tolerance" in the museum. It scrolls the names of visitors who pledge to fight against intolerance. Very moving. Below the mural showing scenes of the struggle for civil rights, not only in the US, but around the world.

We left Montgomery, driving west toward Natchez. Our route led us through Selma, Alabama and the famous (or infamous) Edmund Pettus bridge:

On March 6, 1965, State troopers and local police viciously clubbed 600 peaceful marchers who were trying to march to Montgomery. Although the first march was unsuccessful, the images of the brutality with which Blacks were treated in Alabama went around the world and significantly increased the number of people of all colors who came to Alabama to join the marchers. On March 25, 25,000 people successfully marched to the State Capitol in Montgomery. The march on "Bloody Sunday" is considered one of the instrumental events that led to the enactment of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which finally enabled Blacks to register to vote in the South.

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