Apr 9, 2025 1:24 am
Savannah, Georgia. 27 May 1937
The day starts quite pleasantly, the mist off the Savannah river providing a cool shade from the sun, but within half an hour of you all rising, the sun has burned its way through the mist and is subjecting you to the twin horrors of heat and humidity. On her way to meet the others, Lillian stops off to buy some essentials, food, and a portable gas stove - perfect for a picnic in some out of the way spot where the three are unlikely to be bothered by any of the local Klan affiliates.
In the daytime, Savannah reveals its fading grandeur; antebellum buildings that haven't seen much upkeep, newer buildings near the hotels that haven't used the same quality of materials, and cobbles and weeds peeking through the asphalt of the city roads. As the three of you meet up at the library, the humid stink of the river finds you, and clings to you, a cloying taste in your mouths a reminder of what once provided the lifeblood of the city, now in its last days with no other signs of industry to replace the shipbuilding trade that once reigned here.
The library itself is quite large, and Dr Walker soon finds an eager research assistant in the form of a middle aged librarian who points him in the direction of local archives. The library itself is in the same building as the offices of the Savannah Morning News and Evening Press, one of the local newspapers. There's precious little, at least in recent years, about the Henslowe name - the only thing that Dr Weston can find concerning Douglas Henslowe is a record of his birth announced in the local press in the society section, back in 1882. He also finds that the Henslowe estate (at about 13 miles to the southeast of Savannah itself in a rural area) is at 23 Old Hope Road, and the current owner is listed as "Virginia Henslowe." It seems the estate was built in 1801 on land owned by the Henslowes, and was run as a plantation for many years, covering a large part of what's known as the Moss Island Peninsula - so called because with heavy rain, the peninsula often effectively becomes an island - but that most of the land has been sold off over the years, leaving only a small remnant left to the family. Dr Weston also finds a map of Savannah and Environs, and marks the location of the estate on it.
He also finds out that the other address - 513 West Henry Street - is, as he guessed, a sanitorium, the Joy Grove Sanitorium. Its head, Dr Lawrence Teake, is said to be retiring soon, and his protege, Dr Jonathan Keaton, is expected to replace him when he does.
The day starts quite pleasantly, the mist off the Savannah river providing a cool shade from the sun, but within half an hour of you all rising, the sun has burned its way through the mist and is subjecting you to the twin horrors of heat and humidity. On her way to meet the others, Lillian stops off to buy some essentials, food, and a portable gas stove - perfect for a picnic in some out of the way spot where the three are unlikely to be bothered by any of the local Klan affiliates.
In the daytime, Savannah reveals its fading grandeur; antebellum buildings that haven't seen much upkeep, newer buildings near the hotels that haven't used the same quality of materials, and cobbles and weeds peeking through the asphalt of the city roads. As the three of you meet up at the library, the humid stink of the river finds you, and clings to you, a cloying taste in your mouths a reminder of what once provided the lifeblood of the city, now in its last days with no other signs of industry to replace the shipbuilding trade that once reigned here.
The library itself is quite large, and Dr Walker soon finds an eager research assistant in the form of a middle aged librarian who points him in the direction of local archives. The library itself is in the same building as the offices of the Savannah Morning News and Evening Press, one of the local newspapers. There's precious little, at least in recent years, about the Henslowe name - the only thing that Dr Weston can find concerning Douglas Henslowe is a record of his birth announced in the local press in the society section, back in 1882. He also finds that the Henslowe estate (at about 13 miles to the southeast of Savannah itself in a rural area) is at 23 Old Hope Road, and the current owner is listed as "Virginia Henslowe." It seems the estate was built in 1801 on land owned by the Henslowes, and was run as a plantation for many years, covering a large part of what's known as the Moss Island Peninsula - so called because with heavy rain, the peninsula often effectively becomes an island - but that most of the land has been sold off over the years, leaving only a small remnant left to the family. Dr Weston also finds a map of Savannah and Environs, and marks the location of the estate on it.
He also finds out that the other address - 513 West Henry Street - is, as he guessed, a sanitorium, the Joy Grove Sanitorium. Its head, Dr Lawrence Teake, is said to be retiring soon, and his protege, Dr Jonathan Keaton, is expected to replace him when he does.
OOC:
Incidentally, Savannah's libraries were also segregated (the Carnegie Library in Savannah catered to the city's black residents), but rather than hammer home the point about the racism in the city at every opportunity, we can let some parts of the rather horrible history of the southern states alone; I think the segregated hotels are enough to make that point.
