BUZZ
A reforestation group (possibly the Civilian Conservation Corps) at the Central of Georgia depot, ca. 1933
O L D S AVA N N A H
Wonder in the Old Woodshop Hands-on history at the Savannah Children’s Museum By JESSICA LEIGH LEBOS
THE MOST EXCITING WAY to enter the sunken courtyard of the Savannah Children’s Museum is to take the giant purple slide — though most grown-ups just use the stairs. No matter your age (or preferred mode of transport), a sense of wonder awaits among the colorful outdoor installations and secret gardens on the west end of Tricentennial Park. Surrounded on all sides by ancient brick archways, it’s a setting that feels less like a museum and more like a favorite storybook, enriched by a gentle symphony of birds chirping, leaves rustling and kids giggling as they explore in the open air. It sounds a lot different than it would have 150 years ago, when
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this building had a roof and housed the woodshop for the Central of Georgia Railroad. Back then, a visitor might have heard the clanging of tools, the clatter of stacking lumber and probably — considering the hard, dangerous work housed within — a few choice words. “Anything made of wood was built here; desks, framing, you name it,” says Savannah native Becki Harkness, a Savannah College of Art and Design graduate in historic preservation who now serves as Historic Resource Specialist for the Coastal Heritage Society, the nonprofit organization that oversees the site. “The arches allowed for ventilation and light for the carpenters.” Built in 1836, the woodshop was originally part of a massive
Photography courtesy of THE GEORGIA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
