HISTORIC š THUNDERBOLT, GEORGIA ›

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š Thunderbolt the River Resort › šYachting in Thunderbolt šStreetcars in Thunderbolt šThunderbolt Casino & Amusement Park šBannon Lodge šDoyle's Race Track šThe Great Savannah Races Savannah Yacht Club Clubhouse Sutlive, W. G. "Savannah Yacht Club." Outing, the Magazine of Amateur Sport and Pastime Vol. XXXIII No. 5 (February 1899), 459. Thunderbolt’s popularity as a river resort spanned the 19^th century and the early 20^th century. As early as 1850, the Mount Pleasant Retreat provided boats for tourists to go out on fishing parties. The Thunderbolt bluff had several hotels and guest cottages for Savannahians to stay in when they came out to enjoy the cool breezes and entertainment along the river. Famous visitors to Thunderbolt included General Grant in 1880 while he was on a visit to Savannah. By 1898, Thunderbolt boasted many of the area's most exciting attractions. In the northern section of town, Captain Threadcraft had built a horse race track and Tivoli Park was built next to the track with a bandstand, pavilion and restaurant. Music was one of the biggest draws to the small resort. The Casino, Tivoli Park, and Varn & Byrd Music Park all had pavilions and bandstands for outdoor. Savannah Yacht Club seen from the Wilmington River Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia š Yachting in Thunderbolt › Sailing has been part of Savannah’s culture since 1857. The “golden age” of yachting in Savannah, roughly 1897 through 1906, revolved around the Savannah Yacht Club located at Thunderbolt. The Savannah Yacht Club began in 1869 when it was organized as the Regatta Association of Chatham County. Josiah Tattnall, of Bonaventure plantation, served as the first Commodore of the association in 1870. In 1871, the name was changed to the Regatta Association of the State of Georgia, reflecting the greater membership and role of the association. Savannah Yacht Club seen from the southern end of Thunderbolt Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia On 7 Junes 1876 the Regatta Association of the State of Georgia was reorganized as the Savannah Yacht Club, which was incorporated on 17 July 1882. The club built a new clubhouse on the Wilmington River in the 1880s, north of Thunderbolt’s present business district. The new club was a complex of several frame buildings connected by paths and boardwalks over the marshes. The main clubhouse was two stories crowned by an open cupola. On the west façade, the entrance was flanked by two tower-like wings. Savannah Yacht Club Clubhouse Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia The east side of the building opened onto the river with a two-story covered pavilion. Pedrick’s Pavilion, as it was called, provided the club members with a place to dock their yachts and gain access to the river. In 1886, twenty-four yachts were registered at the club in Thunderbolt. The pavilion was connected to the boathouse by boardwalks. Benches along the bluff at the Savannah Yacht Club Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia By 1898, the club had added a bowling alley, and club facilities included billiards, shuffleboard, and an indoor marble swimming pool built at the expense of several thousand dollars. Several one story frame buildings were located northwest of the main clubhouse including stables, storage and a dwelling for the club’s superintendent. Bathing Pool and Superintendent's House, Savannah Yacht Club "Savannah Yacht Club." (Savannah: Braid & Hutton, 1905). Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia Keeper's Cottage, Savannah Yacht Club Sutlive, W. G. "Savannah Yacht Club." Outing, the Magazine of Amateur Sport and Pastime Vol. XXXIII No. 5 (February 1899), 460. The entrance of the Savannah Yacht Club was impressive, with a long landscaped walk that began at the property’s entrance marked by an elaborate iron gate. Visitors walked down the shell paved drive to the main clubhouse where they were greeted by a small fountain with a sculpture of a crane spouting water. Entrance Walk to the Savannah Yacht Club Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia Entrance Gate to the Savannah Yacht Club Sutlive, W. G. "Savannah Yacht Club." Outing, the Magazine of Amateur Sport and Pastime Vol. XXXIII No. 5 (February 1899), 458. Benches were placed along the bluff providing breathtaking views of the river to visitors. A separate pool or pond adjacent to the clubhouse was built between 1898 and 1916, and was separated from the river by an embankment. Fish were kept in the pool to be cooked fresh in the club restaurant. River Scene from the Savannah Yacht Club Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia River from the Savannah Yacht Club with Pool and Gazebo in Foreground Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia Pool and Clubhouse, Savannah Yacht Club Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia The Savannah Yacht Club included among its membership the elite yachting class of Georgia, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and New Jersey, in addition to the local members from Thunderbolt and nearby Savannah. Local members included many of the most prominent in Savannah at that time, such as George J. Baldwin, Julian Schley and John Screven, Jr. Notable visitors to the club included President McKinley, Secretary of War Russell A. Alger, Congressmen William Jennings Bryan and several Georgia Governors. In 1889, the club’s annual dues were $10.00, not exactly small change at the time. Annual regattas were held at the club, usually during the month of May. In 1893 the Ocean Queen beat the Eldiva in the Fourth of July Regatta. Motor boat races were also held along the river during the early 20^th century. Figure 22: Motor Boat Racing, Thunderbolt, 23 March 1935 Cordray-Foltz Collection VM 1360 PH, Box 26, Folder 22, Item 1 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia By 1915, the Yacht Club had become inactive. It wasn’t until 1936 that the club was reorganized, at which time it was relocated to its present home on Wilmington Island, southeast of Thunderbolt on the opposite side of the Wilmington River. In 1923, the club property was sold to the Alee Temple of the Shrine and was referred to for many years as the Shrine Club. In 1944, the Shrine Club sold the property to James N. Lilley for $35,000. Lilley, the owner and proprietor of the Plaza Restaurant on Broughton Street in downtown Savannah, developed the property as an entertainment center. His early plans, as recounted in the newspapers at the time, included a nightclub and a drive-in restaurant, a feature very popular at that time. By the time Lilley had bought the property, the lowland marshes between the river and the road and the large pool had been filled in. The unique frame clubhouse, with its cupola, was later lost to fire. š Streetcars in Thunderbolt › On 20 December 1866, the Georgia State Legislature passed an act granting a twenty-year charter to the Savannah, Skidaway and Seaboard Railroad Company, commonly referred to as SS & S, to build and operate a railroad running from the City of Savannah to outlying communities. Included in the plan were the Isle of Hope, Skidaway Island, Montgomery, White Bluff, Thunderbolt and Green Island. The company was organized with an initial capital stock of $100,000 with an option to increase stock to $200,000. By 1868, enough stock had been sold to fund the construction of the lines. Shortly after construction of the SS & S, the Savannah and Thunderbolt Railroad Company, otherwise known as the S & T, was incorporated in December of 1871. The S & T planned to leave Savannah from Abercorn Street and go to Thunderbolt, Beaulieau and Montgomery. Before construction of the S & T was completed, it united with the SS & S in February of 1874. "Map of Savannah Electric Company Lines" Railroad Vertical File Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia During the 1880s, Alexander M. Barbee was the conductor running the regular route from the City Exchange on Bay Street in downtown Savannah out to Thunderbolt. Barbee later became the conductor of the Isle of Hope line, where he eventually moved and started the world famous Barbee’s Terrapin Farm. The Coastline Railroad improved the streetcar lines in 1887, upgrading the lines going to Thunderbolt from horse to steam power. At this time the roundtrip fare from Savannah to Thunderbolt was twenty-five cents. Despite the fact that the town’s official name was Warsaw at this time, the trolley cars were all labeled with "Thunderbolt," indicating Thunderbolt’s enduring name and legend. In 1897, the Coastline Railroad also departed from East Broad Street to go out to Thunderbolt. Thunderbolt Streetcar in Front of Bannon Lodge on River Drive Georgia Historical Society Photograph Collection VM 1361 PH, Box 17, Folder 11, Item 3554 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia The Savannah Electric Company, which was incorporated on 27 December 1901, purchased the Savannah, Thunderbolt and Isle of Hope Railroad on 15 January 1902. At the same time, the company bought the City & Suburban Railway, the Savannah & Isle of Hope Railway and the Edison Electric Illuminating Company of Savannah. On 28 October 1921, the Savannah Electric Company merged with the source of their supply of power, the Savannah Power Company, under one company, the Savannah Electric & Power Company. Savannah Electric & Power maintained the streetcars to promote their interests in the outlying areas. Typical Savannah Streetcar Georgia Historical Society Photograph Collection VM 1361 PH, Box 29, Folder 1, Item 5953 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia As automobiles became more prevalent and popular in the United States and in the Savannah area, the use of streetcars greatly declined until the last streetcar run from Savannah to Thunderbolt took place on 21 August 1946. The history of the streetcars in Thunderbolt is intricately linked to that of Thunderbolt’s resort activities. The Casino at Thunderbolt and many of the outdoor amusements were developed to increase patronage on the streetcar lines. The streetcars were used the most on the weekends when Savannahians would venture out to Thunderbolt, Isle of Hope and Montgomery to go picnicking, boating, fishing, swimming, or to the Casino for music, dancing, and games. The streetcars also helped the development of suburban areas around Savannah, making previously remote areas more accessible. Locals in Thunderbolt could easily go into Savannah to shop and carry their packages and groceries home on the trolley. Southern Façade of the Casino at Thunderbolt Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia š Thunderbolt Casino & Amusement Park › The Casino at Thunderbolt was built in 1895 by the Savannah Electric Company to increase patronage on their streetcar lines to Thunderbolt. The tracks ran right up to the Casino, a large three-story frame building with expansive porches supported by white wood columns on all sides. Streetcar Tracks and Thunderbolt Casino Savannah Electric and Power Albums Collection VM 1381, Album 4. Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia The porches and balconies provided shade in the summer and views in all directions, of the river, marshes and amusement park. There were two large pavilions on the north and south ends of the Casino. Broad staircases led to the main entrance, facing the bluff. Northern Façade of the Casino at Thunderbolt Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia Western Façade of the Casino at Thunderbolt Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia A pamphlet advertising the Casino could not have made it sound more enticing: To him who is on pleasure bent, the Casino and Park at Thunderbolt offer everything to be wished for. The Casino building is large, well constructed and convenient, with spacious airy piazzas, a roomy and well ventilated auditorium, lighted by electricity, and cooled by electric fans, with a fine dancing floor, handsome stage and furnishings and the best orchestra in the county. Here is presented in the amusement season, vaudeville, comedy, minstrels, and comic opera. Dancing and moving pictures are furnished free for the pleasure of those who visit the resort. The Casino was one of the first establishments in the Savannah area to show movies. Ernest F. Schmitt, a long-time employee of the Savannah Electric Company, ran the projector. The above description emphasizes that the Casino was built not only to increase business on the streetcar lines but to promote the popularity of electricity, with movies, lights, and fans all running on electricity. The grounds around the Casino were as exciting as the actual Casino facility. Built on parts of the Confederate battery, the site boasted two bandstands for concerts and dancing. One bandstand extended over the bluff onto a pier jutting over the Wilmington River. The second bandstand was a circular gazebo in the center of a large round duck pond west of the Casino. As at the Savannah Yacht Club, wood and cast iron benches lined the bluff overlooking the river. Thunderbolt Casino & Duck Pond Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia Duck Pond, Thunderbolt Casino Georgia Historical Society Photograph Collection VM 1361 PH, Box 17, Folder 11, Item 3557 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia The Casino grounds included an amusement park which further promoted the interests of the electric company with electrical rides and games including a merry-go-ride and miniature roller coaster. Additional entertainments included a thirty-acre zoo and a beer garden. In one post card image of the Casino, tightrope walkers are performing on a rope set up over the duck pond at almost twice the height of the Casino. Tightrope Performers at Thunderbolt Casino Georgia Historical Society Postcard Collection VM 1361 PC, Box 8 Georgia Historical Society, Savannah, Georgia Once again the electric company’s advertising pamphlet describes the resort and wonders that were once at Thunderbolt: The grounds are large, beautifully laid out and well kept. On Sunday afternoons and evenings there are concerts by orchestra or band. The shady piazzas of the Casino are always well crowded on Sunday afternoons with people who go out to enjoy the cooling breezes and charming scenery, and the view of the river, with numerous craft of all kinds passing up and down, is a very pretty sight. The complete and extensive amusement park of the Electric Park Amusement Co. is provided with everything usually found at a first-class resort, the list including: a Tobagan [sic] Slide, Mystic Maze, Carousal, Circle Swing, Miniature Railway, Shooting Gallery, Box Ball Alley, Etc… The Casino enjoyed immense popularity during the late 19^th century and early 20^th century.