Photo of the Day: Fountain, Forsyth Park, Savannah GA

The choice of this fountain in Forsyth Park in Savannah for my "Photo of the Day" was entirely arbitrary; I could have taken almost any other picture of this lovely, tree-lined antebellum park and the selection would probably have been as good. Indeed, my only regret was that I didn’t take even more pictures than I did in the five minutes or so I spent there on a tour of the city two weeks ago when I was on vacation.

The fountain was placed at the north end of the park in 1858, three years before the Civil War. Both long-time residents and tourists such as myself have, through the years, been grateful that somehow this Parisian-style urban landmark was spared the ravages of the conflict that tore so much of the rest of Georgia apart.

That is just as well; this part of the city had already, 80 years before the war, seen some of the bloodiest scenes of the American Revolution, as French soldiers dug trenches to help their Continental Army allies in the siege of Savannah in September and October 1779. American and French losses in the defeat amounted to 244 killed, 584 wounded, and 120 captured, while the British suffered 40 killed, 63 wounded, and 52 missing.

Since then, the city has seen not red blood, but once a year, on March 17, a far different color. In honor of St. Patrick's Day, the water in the fountain is dyed green. It must be quite a scene here during one of the biggest St. Patrick's Day celebrations in the U.S.

Years ago, a Savannah native autographed my copy of his first novel this way: "You've been bitten by Savannah. Are you in love?" With scenes like this in Forsyth Park, how could I not be?