This week in Savannah history: September 30-October 6

Written by Gracie Williams

October 4, 1925: Savannah River Bridge Opens

October 4, 1925, a new bridge opened at Port Wentworth, allowing a new connection between Savannah and South Carolina over the Savannah River. A list of public acts and resolutions of Congress in “United States Statutes at Large: 1923-1925,” states that on January 31, 1925, “An act granting the consent of Congress to S. M. McAdams of Iva, Anderson Country, South Carolina, to construct a bridge across the Savannah River.”

Although there was U.S. Highway 17, also known as Coastal Highway, the Savannah River Bridge served as the first bridge crossing from Savannah into South Carolina. It was the only major way into South Carolina for 29 years, until the opening of the Eugene Talmadge Bridge in 1954, which was much larger in scale.

October 5, 1739: Tomochichi Dies

October 5, 1739, Yamachraw Indian Chief Tomochichi died from an unknown illness. Tomochichi spent his early life with the Creek Indians but later split to form his own tribe, the Yamacraws. His new tribe consisted of Creek and Yamasee Indians, who joined him because of their mutual disagreement over the future relations with the English and Spanish. From there, his tribe settled on the banks of the Savannah River.

In February of 1733, James Oglethorpe and colonists arrived by ship on the banks of the Yamacraw bluff in Savannah. Oglethorpe quickly realized he needed to negotiate with the Yamacraw tribe to ensure the success of his colony. According to the Georgia Encyclopedia, “Tomochichi had had previous contact with English colonists, making him unafraid yet cautious.” But after Tomochichi and Oglethorpe met, they established a mutually beneficial partnership. The Yamacraw tribe helped lay out roads, specifically the original road from Savannah to Darien, and some of the colonists helped create an Indian school at Irene.

When Tomochichi died in his village, Oglethorpe gave him an English military funeral because of the chief’s critical role in establishing the Georgia colony. He was buried in Percival Square, which today is known as Wright Square. A marker, placed by the Georgia Historical Society remains in the square, detailing the legacy of the Yamacraw Indian Chief Tomochichi.