Yamacraw Bluff

Yamacraw Bluff is a bluff situated on the bank of the Savannah River. The bluff is most notable for being the spot upon which General James Edward Oglethorpe landed to settle the colony of Georgia. The bluff was originally inhabited by the Yamacraw Indians. A stone marker and statue now adorn the bluff in honor of its historic value.

History

Yamacraw Bluff was first inhabited by a group of Creek Indians which named themselves after the bluff around 1730. Chief Tomochichi was the founder of said tribe. In 1733 General James Oglethorpe and 114 colonists landed on the bluff. The General went on to found Savannah with the help of the chief and a local translator, Mary Musgrove. The Indians eventually left the bluff to merge with a larger inland tribe, only occupying the bluff for under two decades.

Monuments and markers

In 1906 a bench was erected in memorial of General Oglethorpe's landing in the New World. The benched stands in the spot were Oglethorpe pitched his tent on his first night after landing on the bluff.

In anticipation of the bicentennial celebration a stone marker was laid on Bay Street. The marker, made in 1933, reads:

"This is Yamacraw Bluff where the Colony of Georgia was founded, February 12, 1733, by General James Edward Oglethorpe. Voted by the Georgia Daughters of the American Revolution - the Most Historic Spot in Georgia."

A memorial to Tomochichi also adorns the cityscape of Savannah today. Though originally Tomochichi's grave mound, there now lays a large granite stone in Wright Square. The original mound also carried a monument. It was described as a "pyramid of stone" by Oglethorpe. The mound and the original monument were torn down to make room for another monument, dedicated to William Gordon. The inscription on the stone states:

"In memory of Tom-o-chi-chi. The mico of the Yamacraws, The Companion of Oglethorpe, and the Friend and Ally of the Colony of Georgia."