Hidden History of Savannah

by Brenna Michaels, T.C. Michaels

Join authors Brenna and T.C. Michaels as they explore Savannah's long, wide and very often hidden history.
Savannah has repeatedly stood on the edge of ruin, brought to its knees by bloody battles, mysterious pestilence, fire, unforgiving weather and the drums of war. Men and women whose names echo in history once walked its streets. Countless other faces are seemingly forgotten, names that history held in looser grip - like Mary Musgrove, the colonial translator and entrepreneur, or Dr. Samuel Nunes, shipwrecked by chance on Savannah's coastal shores just in time to curb a deadly epidemic and save Savannah's first settlers. And then there's John Geary, the larger-than-life Union general who beat Sherman's march south to the sea.

Genres: History

128 pages, Paperback

Published February 4, 2019

Reviews

[Barry · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars (= good)

I picked this up in a little shop in Savannah during our road trip which also included Charleston and Asheville. It’s a helpful and informative history of this very distinctive southern city with plenty of quirky and interesting local stories. I get the impression that long-time Savannah residents already know most of this stuff, but much of it was new to me.

[William Crump · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book was a gift from my wife, who found it while she passed the time at a Savannah bookstore while I was lecturing at the local medical school. From two folks who might be married to each other but apparently are not Savannah natives, their true respect for Savannah lore oozes from the pages. Perusing it in 2019 was probably the spark that got me writing the Savannah stories (and starting the Facebook page of the same name) that had been rattling around in my head for almost 20 years. As I wrote the books of the "Healing Savannah" trilogy, I returned to it more than once to get their spin on the often-told tales of my hometown before I settled in at my keyboard. It was so useful that I took it with me into the Marshall House during my last visit and inadvertently left it on a table in the lobby while I ventured upstairs to commune with the spirits of the Union soldiers who died there after septic amputations, embodied in my "Savannah's Hoodoo Doctor." I was relieved that when I returned it was being carefully husbanded by a couple who seemed genuinely disappointed that I expected it back. It is divided by era, and has some probably apocryphal stories, but we all enjoy those the most.

[Jess Monnier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent little introduction to Savannah

[Julia Sweeney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and interesting read - had valuable tidbits of information and covered lots of topics. Enjoyed learning more about the history of our new hometown.

[Janice Wilson Stridick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this aloud as we drove from New Jersey to Savannah, in preparation for a wonderful week of exploring the city's historic treasures. The insider info and stories were mostly fun and helpful in charting our course, although the writing veered over the double yellow line a bit too often for my sensibility . . .