Fort Gordon’s Oktoberfest – Georgia

“Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

Benjamin Franklin

Another day, another adventure. We went to Fort Gordon, Georgia today for the annual Oktoberfest was happening and we really wanted to get some tasty German food and listen to authentic German music. This is the place for that. We ordered our food from a vendor and they made a very good schnitzel which Joe loves and I love their brats. The Oktoberfest originally began on October 12, 1810 when Crown Prince Ludwig who later became King Ludwig I, married Princess Therese von Sachsen-Hildburghausen and was celebrated in Bavaria. The celebrations continue today to celebrate good times and good friends and family.

This is a great place for a family to come as they have rides for the kids, activities, food, entertainment, and shopping. You do not have to be military to come to this event and it really is a lot of fun. They have a huge yard sale on the same day where people can bring their prized possessions to sell on Barton’s Field. There are some amazing finds if you look close. It is set up right next to the Oktoberfest so it is easy to shop and then go and sit and enjoy the activities of the day.

They set up a huge white tent set up on Barton Field as the beer tent and the entertainment area. We were there early so there wasn’t much happening yet. Last year, we came on the first night where they have a Beer Tapping Ceremony that is a lot of fun to see. Before the keg got tapped, they said a prayer and gave thanks to the German military in attendance. It is quite the ceremony to see as they roll in a small keg on a fancy cart, directly from Germany and they tap it with a small hammer to start the keg. It gives a bit of authenticity to the actual Oktoberfest from Munich, Germany. After it is tapped, they share the beer with those who are there and would like a glass. When everyone had a beer in hand everyone sings the German song that is shared worldwide in Oktoberfest's - “Ein Prosit.” The translation of the song is, “A toast” A toast, a toast, to cheer and good times. A toast, a toast, to cheer and good times. One! Two! Three! Drink up! The song was composed by Bernhard Dittrich. The song became a staple at Oktoberfest and was modernized by Gerhard Jussenhoven and Kurt Elliot in 1957. Joe enjoyed the German beer.

There is entertainment all day long with many great bands to hear. Some are local bands that play things other than German music. The military band plays and they are always excellent to hear. There is so much talent there. There is always a German band that plays and they German Club members all dress in their German outfits and dance. It is a pleasure to watch them preform.

There was a bounce house, small kid rides, pony rides, and an arts and craft tent for the kids to show their artistic talents. They also made a maze out of hay bales and a bowling game between hay bales. It brought back many memories of when our children were small. They loved coming to these events on post. We so enjoyed watching the young families chase their kids around and squeal with delight as they rode the rides. We so enjoy being around military folk.

We had a nice day and it was a nice event. If you are looking for something to do, it is an enjoyable time for all. Prost!

Abbeville, South Carolina

“In Abbeville, SC it is illegal to spit in the town square.”

a friend

Abbeville is only 62 miles from Augusta and is a nice country drive through numerous small towns.  Abbeville was settled by French Huguenot settlers in 1764 and named it after a town by the same name in France. The village of Abbeville was donated by Revolutionary War General Andrew Pickens and had a freshwater spring. The population is roughly about 5,500 and has a very unique history of being the birthplace and end of the Confederacy. On November 22, 1860, a meeting was held at “Secession Hill” where the idea of secession from the Union was launched and a month later South Carolina was the first state to secede. On May 2, 1865, Confederate President Jefferson Davis stopped here and in the parlor of the Burt Stark Mansion officially acknowledged the ending of the Confederate government.

The town square is lovely with historic building lining the road around the square. Many of the building have dates on them and are in great shape. You get the feeling you have gone back in time. The sad part of this town is we were here about a year ago and many more stores were still open downtown. Now many have closed and it made us sad and we pray the town will come back to life as it has in the past. We still found it and interesting town and enjoyed seeing the sites.

In the town square is a Confederate memorial. There is also a Humane Society Alliance Fountain that was installed in 1912 and is made of Bronze and surrounding it is Maine granite. The two levels were for watering the horses in the upper fountain and the lower one was for dogs and cats. This is original and has been in the same place since it was put in the town square.

There was also a large bell that was installed in Court House Square and I’m not sure of the story but I do know they were having a ceremony when we were there honoring Confederate soldiers from Abbeville that had died in the Civil War. They read the names and after each one – rang the bell. Then a prayer was said. What a nice memorial for those men.

We walked down to see Trinity Episcopal Church on Church Street and had hoped to go inside to see the beautiful stained glass windows we had heard about and the organ. It was locked up so we couldn’t. This is a beautiful church but in need of repair. It is being renovated thankfully as it is a gem of a church. It was designed by George Walker, an architect and was started in 1859 and completed on November 4, 1860. He designed it in a French Gothic style and stuccoed the bricks to protect them since the locally made bricks were very porous. When doing this it cast a pink hue from the clay. The steeple measures 120 feet. It is beautiful and stands out in this quaint town.

The Livery Stable on Washington Street is a beauty also. Today it was closed but we have come on a Saturday when they have a Farmers Market inside and when it is very busy. This replaced the old wooden Livery Stable from the 19^th century that was burned in a fire. This is where you would go to rent a horse while in town. The original one was built in 1840 and burned down in 1872. The new one was built in the 1870’s and was used to sell livestock.

The Abbeville County Courthouse was completed in 1908 and is a two story brick building that was built in the Beaux-Arts classical style. It is a lovely building with City Hall attached as well as the historic Abbeville Opera House built at the same time. Check out my blog on the Opera House which is an amazing theater that has kept all its charm even through renovations.

The Belmont Inn, right across from the Abbeville Opera House was opened in 1903 and was then known as the Eureka Hotel. It was built in a Spanish style. This was used by all the acting troops who came to the Abbeville Opera House to perform. This is a lovely building and has a restaurant inside.

The Burt Stark Mansion is a beautiful mansion that was built in the 1830’s in the Greek Revival style and is an important part of history. Please check out my blog on this mansion as well. This is a large mansion with pretty grounds to see right off of Main Street.

Abbeville is a very historic town and well worth a visit. I believe it will be renewed again with many new stores so hold on. This town is worth it. We will be going back to see a play, stay at the Belmont Inn, go the inside of the Episcopal church, and to see this town come back to life. Till next time.

The Abbeville Opera House – The Official State Theater of South Carolina

“Theater is a business. It is also an art. These stand not in opposition to each other, but hand in hand; the only reason for one is the existence of the other.:”

Michael Genevie – Executive Director of Abbeville Opera House

If you want to take a step back in history, all you have to do is open the doors to the Abbeville Opera House in Abbeville, South Carolina. When we walked into this theater, it was dimly lit but you could see how magnificent and grand this theater is. It is not a large theater but is designed with such style by William Augustus Edwards of the Edwards and Wilson architectural firm. This theater was opened in 1904 but dedicated in 1908. The large 7,500 square foot stage loomed in front of us. You are feel free to walk around and I walked on the stage to take pictures of the seats and balcony. The hours of operation at Monday through Friday from 10 to 2.

On either side of the balcony, there are four 20^th century boxes with 6 chairs in each. Each one is decorated with pictures, plants, and antique organs. There are 218 seats that have been meticulously redone and there is a balcony with 92 seats.

During the 20^th century there were many travel shows that went from New York to Richmond, and onto Atlanta. After their circuit, there whole troop would come to Abbeville on their way back to New York to spend the night. That is when they decided to build this theater so that they could be part of the circuit and have great shows. They built it and it worked. This was during the heyday of Vaudeville, Minstrel, and Burlesque Shows.

The Abbeville Opera House once known as “The Grand Old Theater” opened for its first show on October 10, 1908. From 1908 to 1913, this theater had 260 live performances. They had some very big name performers such as Fanny Brice, Jimmy Durante, and the Ziegfeld Follies that had preformed here as well as some not so well known talented performers. They still get stars to come and preform such as Harry Anderson, from the show Night Court, did a show here not long before he died. 

From 1914 to 1930, they used the Opera House to show over 3,250 motion pictures. It did remain a movie theater till the late 1950’s but they were loosing money and forced to close. In the 1950’s supporters of the Opera House under the direction of George W. Settles wanted to preserve live theater in upstate South Carolina. They reopened again in 1968 and it was fully restored with still the turn of the century character but with air conditioning and new seats that rocked.

This is the only remaining “hemp house” theater in South Carolina. They still use the same old rope pulled rigging system that was used in 1908.

The Opera House has a winter season and a summer season that is preformed by a professional touring theater company led by Michael Genevie who went on to become the Executive Director.

They have some great signs in the back of the theater that made us giggle. I believe Michael Genevie has a great sense of humor. You will have to read more about him and this historic building at: www.theabbevilleoperahouse.com. 

This is an amazing building and is really something to see. Please go see it if you are in Abbeville and check out their schedule for upcoming shows. They have some great ones listed. Joe and I plan to come back and see a show soon in this fabulous theater.

Burt-Stark Mansion, Abbeville, South Carolina

“Watch an old building with care: guard it as best you may, and at any cost, from any influence of dilapidation.”

John Ruskin

We headed to Abbeville, South Carolina, a 65 miles drive from Augusta on back roads on a dreary day. We wanted to check out the mansion we had seen many times before in Abbeville but never had a chance to see. When you are at the town square in Abbeville, you can look down Main Street and see this beautiful building. We drove to the parking area and went up on the porch. The front door was locked and it was just after one. We thought it opened then but it was locked up. I called the number on their web page, and a lady answered. I asked if they were open and said we were sitting on the front porch on the rockers. She came a little too fast as we were loving sitting on the porch looking at the view. She let us in even though they were not to open till 1:30. She was a good tour guide and we learned a lot about this property and its history in our hour tour.

This mansion was built in the 1830’s by David Lesley after he had made a trip up north and fell in love with this style home. He sent one of his slaves named Cubic to see the home and come back with plans. Cubic was educated and a master carpenter and did go and come back even though he could have been free in the north. He brought back the plans and helped Leslie design and build this home as a free man. They built this white Greek Revival two story home just as he wanted it. David Lesley was a local attorney, judge, and planter in Abbeville and owned this home till he died in 1855.

Thomas A. Hoyt bought the house and lived in it till 1859. He worked as a Presbyterian pastor in Abbeville till he was called to preach in Louisville, Kentucky. Andrew Simonds, a Charleston banker who married his cousin – a great-niece of John C. Calhoun, then bought the property from Hoyt who and sold it to Armistead Burt in 1862.

Armistead Burt was a member of the US House of Representatives and it was during his time there, Jefferson Davis’ wife, Varina contacted him for a safe place to come after leaving Richmond, Virginia. Burt said for her to come and stay but she stated to him that if the Union Soldiers know where I’d been staying they may come and burn down your home. Burt smartly replied to her that it would be for no greater cause. She did come down and stay for a few days in April of 1865 before heading further south.

Her husband, Jefferson Davis, the first and only President of the Confederate States came to Burt’s home on May 2, 1865 along with the Secretary of War, John C. Breckenridge, and several military officers including Braxton Bragg and Basil W. Duke. They gathered for the last Council of the War meeting and Davis tried to convince his men to keep on fighting but they said it was time to stop. This ended the existence of the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis went upstairs to sleep for a few hours before heading to Washington, Georgia where the papers were signed and finalized. Davis was later captured on May 10, 1865. It was very surreal being in and seeing the actual room and where the Jefferson Davis had been and this historic meeting took place.

Armistead Burt kept this home till he went bankrupt in 1868 and that is when the house was bought by James R. Norwood who lived in it till he died in 1875. His widow and daughter then inherited this fine home. In 1900, James Samuel Stark bought this property for $5,000 and restored it adding a modern kitchen to the back of the home. When he died the home went to his daughter, Mary Stark Davis. Mary lived in this home for years and when she passed in 1987 at 103 years old, she gave the home to the Historic Preservation Commission to take control of the property. In her room we were shown some of her clothes from all the different time periods. She had beautiful gowns and shoes for the petite woman she was.

There were two master bedrooms in this house, one for the winter and one for the summer. The winter room had three interior walls and only a couple windows. The summer room had a lot of windows and a door to the outside. The bed that was in the summer room was interesting in that the headboard of the bed could be removed in the summer to allow breezes to flow over them and in the winter it could block the breezes if they slept there. There were steps to get up on the bed and in one of them, it opened and was a toilet. The rooms were all spacious with tall ceilings and beautiful furnishing.

The views from upstairs were lovely looking into downtown Abbeville. Our tour guide told us to look down two red lights and to know that Jefferson Davis and his entourage of about 1000 men, came in from that direction when he arrived on May 2^nd. He had dropped off the Confederate Gold to the Livery Stable on Washington Street before heading to the mansion.

We were told this property had many other buildings but now all that remains are an outside kitchen and servant quarters that was separate from the main house. This small house was in the exact style as the one we had seen on our Redcliffe Plantation tour. They cooked over a huge fire place all year and in the summer months it must have been brutal with the heat as well as freezing in the winter as you could see the ground through the cracks in the floor.

This was another beautiful property and we enjoyed the tour. This is well worth the $10 tour price and seeing a mansion that was a big part of our history. To find out more about this historic jewel check them out: www.burt-stark.com.