I forgot to get a picture of the B&B we stayed at but here is a link. Mark planned months in advance for us to spend the night, the night of anniversary, where we spent the night ten years before. It's a little inn in Americus, Georgia (pretty much nothing big is there). We went there on our way to our honeymoon destination, Kissimmee, Florida.
On the way there this time, we decided to take our time and stop at one of Georgia's "natural" wonders...Providence Canyon. I use the term natural loosely. It was actually created in the 1800s due to poor farming practices. The farmers who settled there did not provide proper water run off and the loose soil created this...
It actually created a total of 16 of them. One hundred and fifty foot canyons smack dab in the middle of nowhere (trust me...it was very hard trying to find lunch before we got there...and we ate at a very nice cafe in a gas station...okay it wasn't nice but the food was good).
It's nickname is "The Little Big Canyon." And kind of shows what can happen in a "short" span of time.
At the canyon...
If you go, where comfortable hiking shoes and an hour and a half hike will bring you to the bottom of the canyons to explore the plant and wildlife that lives there. We didn't bring those things and since I was seven months pregnant voted to stay at the top and look out thankyouverymuch.
After our stay at the inn (which was quite uncomfortable, but the food was delicious. I'm more of a keep it cold and I'll sleep but the owners felt 75 was cool enough for their guests...so with the ceiling fan still on high, I tossed and turned all night long), we headed out about 20 minutes to Andersonville Prison. If you are up and up on your Civil War (or War of Northern Aggression) knowledge, you'll know that this is the place where a Civil War prison was located. It held over 40,000 Union soldiers and was built to hold far less. They just kept bringing them in . The conditions were horrible and many died because of lack of food, water, and ideal living conditions. It's a sad part of our nation's history but one that needs to be remembered.
An example of the structures the prisoners created to live in and the fence that surrounded them. Our great B&B hosts talked about how the fence wasn't even completed when prisoners started pouring in. The Confederates had built three walls but were still working on the fourth. The Union soldiers, because of the familiarity of brother against brother, and because of etiquette back then, didn't try and escape. They stayed where they were put. Although escape might have been easier when boys and old men were guarding you (remember the able bodied men and boys were fighting in the war).
Also on the site, besides a cemetery, where veterans and the Union soldiers are buried (it really puts into perspective the number of men who died during their imprisonment...grave after grave and so many marked "Unknown Soldier."), is a POW Museum.
The sacrifices and struggles these POWs and their families went through was displayed very well. We could have easily spent all morning there and still not read and seen everything. It was not enjoyable but it definitely was enlightening, somber, and reflective, as we realized the hardships and the situations the POWs experienced from the Civil War all the way through the current wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
This is the monument erected to honor all prisoners of war. It was quiet, peaceful, and sad all at once.
South Georgia is the place to be if you want to experience some interesting and unique history. I grabbed up tons of brochures to help plan a family trip!
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