2024's Top 12 Picket posts: Fort Fisher earthworks, Meade's cool hat, replica gun at Walmart, USS Monitor mystery, Burning of Darien survivor -- and much more

Clockwise: Enfield rifles conserved in Georgia; Herb Peck collection auction, Adam Strain building in Darien, Ga., deadline at Andersonville prison, George Meade's slouch hat and Fort Fisher's new replica traverses

Posts about a rescued tabby warehouse that has an interesting Civil War connection, Fort Fisher's rebuilt earthworks and new visitor center, George Meade’s cool slouch hat and rusted Enfield rifles being kept in an aquarium tank were big reader draws in 2024.

The top 12 Civil War Picket posts – by Blogger page views – covered a wide array of topics (two pertain to North Carolina's Fort Fisher).

Chad Jefferds, assistant site manager at Fort Fisher State Historic Site, recently told the Picket: “The reconstructed earthworks are already a major hit, and we hope to be adding more interpretation to them in the coming months. Visitors have also been very pleased with the exhibits, along with the views from the second-floor windows and balcony. We have seen a dramatic increase in visitation – this November’s total was 56% higher than November of 2023.”

We’ve got a few items in the works (including an update on Enfield rifles under conservation and Georgia troop markers at Manassas) and we look forward to rolling them out in early 2025. Thanks so much for your continued interest. Please tell a friend or two about us. And Happy New Year!

Drum roll, please ....

12. PRECIOUS PORTRAITS AUCTIONED: The family of the late Herb Peck Jr. enlisted the help of law enforcement, other collectors and Military Images magazine in their hunt for 117 photographs taken during a 1978 burglary at their Nashville home. Forty-eight recovered images sold for $292,000 in a March sale. – Read more

11. CROSSING “DEADLINE” MEANT DEATH: The light railing at Andersonville in Georgia was made from posts 3 to 4 feet long and driven into the ground. Horizontal pieces of wood topped the design, which was roughly 18-19 feet inside the stockade wall. Confederate guards in sentry boxes kept a sharp eye for POWs who extended any part of their body past the deadline. – Read more

10. LITTLE ROUND TOP BACK IN BUSINESS: A two-year rehabilitation of the Gettysburg landmark tackled erosion, overwhelmed parking areas, poor accessibility and related safety hazards, and degraded vegetation. This January post ahead of the reopening summarized the major project. – Read more

9. HOW THEY CLEAN ENFIELDS KEPT IN WATER: A team with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources uses a garden hose, small pump, spray nozzle and a wet-dry vacuum to periodically clean and refill a 300-gallon aquarium tank that holds -- of all things -- 18 Pattern 1853 Enfield rifles. The artifacts are awaiting long-term conservation. – Read more

8. VANDALS TRASH KENNESAW MOUNTAIN: Vandals destroyed or damaged six signs, several sections of split-rail fencing and caused minor damage to Civil War earthworks at Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park in late January. As of this month, no arrests have been made. – Read more

7. Q&A WITH GETTYSBURG SUPERINTENDENT: The Picket asked Kristina Heister (right) about her priorities and initiatives, current and future projects and her ancestors. Many fought in the Civil War and two were at Gettysburg. – Read more

6. GEORGE MEADE’S COOL HEADGEAR: If I ever get around to writing “Cool Hats of the Civil War,” my top choice (spoiler alert!) will go to Union Maj. Gen. George Meade’s slouch hat, followed closely by those of Ambrose E. Burnside and J.E.B. Stuart. There are great images of him with that headgear: In front if his tent; seated among a throng of soldiers, or perched on a bench at the famous Grant "Council of War" at Massaponax Church in Virginia. – Read more

5. FORT FISHER, PART ONE: The staff at the Civil War site near Kure Beach, North Carolina, and contractors engaged in an extraordinary effort this year to recreate three traverses, bombproofs, a magazine and a sally port that were vital parts of the Confederate fort, which fell in furious hand-to-hand combat in January 1865.. – Read more

4. FORT FISHER, PART TWO: This piece previewed the earthworks project mentioned above and the building of a new visitor center, which is just north of the east-west line mounds of earth known as traverses that were part of the defenses. Much of the eastern part of the fort has been claimed by the Atlantic Ocean. – Read more

3. REPLICA GUN FOUND AT WALMART: A Civil War replica revolver (not the real thing, as some news reports claimed) was found in January by a Walmart employee in Gettysburg, Pa., while emptying an outside trash can. It was a real firearm, however. State troopers recently said they still don’t know who left it. – Read more

2. LINGERING MYSTERY OF USS MONITOR: I continue to marvel at the design and engineering skills of those who made the vessel that changed naval warfare in a single battle with the CSS Virginia in March 1862. My recent foray into learning a bit more about the vessel’s circular, ingenious turret – and its supporting braces -- put me back in touch with experts on Monitor about a distinctive maker’s mark found on a brace. Project director Will Hoffman says they still don't know who stamped an "ULSTER" mark on one brace.  – Read more

1. THEY SAVED A CIVIL WAR SURVIVOR: One of just a few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast, this weathered warehouse had survived a controversial fire during the Civil War, hurricanes, economic downturns, Father Time and decades of emptiness. Entrepreneurs Milan and Marion Savic, working with a team of specialists, completed the painstaking restoration of the Adam Strain Building in Darien and turned it into a brewery and event space. They are now working on a museum about the area's history and culture. – Read more

Honorable mentions: This researcher helped obtain Medals of Honor for two soldiers; Wisconsin twins are legendary in reproduction artillery; monument will honor Black hero Robert Smalls. 

A coastal Georgia warehouse survived the 1863 burning of Darien, a scene in the movie 'Glory.' The tabby building fell on hard times, but after a long restoration it's again a center of commerce -- as a brewery

In July 2023 (Picket photo) nearing completion (Marion Savic) and side view (Ethos Preservation)

This is a classic story of standing the test of time. The Adam Strain Building was at a crossroads at the time of a 2011 talk about historic structures along the Darien, Ga., waterfront.

One of just a few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast, the weathered warehouse had survived a controversial fire during the Civil War, hurricanes, economic downturns, Father Time and decades of emptiness. 

A Brunswick News article previewing the event had this prophetic line: “Today the building sits in its solemnity, waiting for an adventurous soul or business to once more give life to the building that would not die.”

Now, nearly five years after they invested a lot of money and heart into the project, entrepreneurs Milan and Marion Savic. working with a team of specialists, have completed the painstaking restoration of the Adam Strain Building and turned it into an aptly named business: Tabby House Brewing Company. The two-story building perched above a waterfront bluff has literally been saved from falling in on itself. And part of its charm is that the venue still shows its age in places, including curved walls.

The main floor of Tabby House Brewing (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The nanobrewery – through word of mouth and social media – had a soft opening November 15. Visitors have posted favorable comments on the beer, food and the building’s features and atmosphere.

A Darien-McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting is set for 11 a.m. Dec. 13.

Patrons can sample cocktails and a red ale, “The Altie,” an IPA, “The Double Darien,” and a stout, “The Celtic Cross,” inside the stylish interior or a rooftop patio that overlooks the Darien River. The food menu includes sandwiches, flatbreads and grazing boards. The brewery, working from two tanks, will eventually produce six beers in a rotation. Chef Jack Persinger is handling the brewing and food service.

“We’ve had a great reception,” wrote Marion Savic in an email to the Civil War Picket. ”It’s been a great journey. We have an excellent team, all experts in their respective fields. The building has been restored so people can see what it would have looked like back in the 1800s. We are thrilled with how it turned out and with the support we have received from the community.” (Photo of patio overlooking Darien River by Joe Kasper)

I have written about the daunting project since April 2020 and I paid a visit to the circa 1815 building to check the work on a sultry day in early July 2023.

The commerce building’s connection to the Federal burning of Darien in 1863 first drew me to its story. My current interest is a museum the Savics hope to open by February. They are currently devising exhibits for the second floor, which includes an event space.

“The museum will house a rotating display of our artifact finds and some things that have been given to us from locals,” Savic said. “We also have a few things that were found in the building. There are old newspapers from the Darien News and we’ll have a couple of those scanned and framed.”

Scenes of the Adam Strain interior and roof in 2020 (Courtesy Landmark Preservation)

The aim is to spotlight the Georgia town’s rich maritime history – from rice, cotton and lumber to fishing and shrimping, architecture and stories from local people.

Savic told the Picket last year they want to present it in an inclusive way. Some have suggested mention of Gullah-Geechee culture and history passed down by descendants of enslaved people who for years were the backbone of the Darien economy.

“It certainly would be asset to the Darien waterfront section to have a museum focused on the 19^th century maritime history of the town,” said Buddy Sullivan, a coastal Georgia historian and author. “Something like that has long been needed.”

The venue now is a financial and cultural anchor in the small downtown.

"Considered a public safety hazard at project outset, the resolve to stabilize the building and preserve as much historic material as possible was not an easy endeavor but rather one that took extra thought and creative solutions from experts and dedicated craftsmen," said Rebecca Fenwick of Ethos Preservation, one of several firms that worked with the Savics.

"Historic buildings are community assets that contribute significantly to sense of place and serve as storytellers of the past. Without them, a place's history becomes less tangible and authenticity is lost. The Strain Building project embodies these values and, collectively, we all benefit," Fenwick wrote in an email.

Infamous burning of town earned scene in 'Glory'

The Strain has stood amid palm trees on a bluff of the small, interior port city above St. Simons Island for more than two centuries. Tabby ruins of other businesses lie just below the site and Darien’s famous shrimp fleet is just to the east.

Scene from "Glory" shows troops arriving in Darien in June 1863.

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells, lime and other materials and was popular in Georgia and Florida for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco was placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

The warehouse was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast during the Civil War. The downtown area was a much busier place than it is today, though the Strain and other projects signal a small, but growing resurgence.

In June 1863, Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery, (left) commanding the African-American 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners.

He had another reason for shelling, looting and burning Darien, leaving only a few buildings standing among the charred ruins. The destruction was depicted in the award-winning 1989 film "Glory."

Steven Smith, site manager for nearby Fort King George Historic Site in 2013 when the Picket first wrote about the town’s burning, said Montgomery “wanted to make a political statement. Here was a town built on the backs of slaves.”

After most townspeople had fled, Montgomery ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate. While Shaw didn’t mind the looting to help resupply his troops, he opposed setting the town to torch. He apparently relented under threat of court-martial.

The Strain survived the fire but much of its interior was destroyed. The episode caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North.

Bullet made for Enfield rifle was found along bluff

Civil War bullet found during archaeological dig (Courtesy Marion Savic)

Among the items found by an archaeological team in 2020 was a Civil War-era bullet -- likely an Enfield round. The team found it on the bluff, Savic told the Picket. The so-called Pritchett bullet was used in the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. The rifle was used by both sides during the conflict, and the Confederacy imported thousands from England.

It’s not known how the bullet came to be there, when it was deposited and to whom it belonged. The building did not come to be named for businessman Adam Strain – a Civil War veteran of the 5^th Georgia Cavalry -- until after the conflict.

Another find during the project were Savannah grey bricks behind the walls of a small building that adjoins the Strain. It had been used as a bank and law offices following the Civil War and now houses the business' kitchen, bathrooms and brewery.

The rear of the former bank building, which adjoins the Strain (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Savics turned to the Savannah-based Coastal Heritage Society to catalog the numerous artifacts found during the work. A 2021 report listed hundreds of items.

“Much of the research that was successfully carried out at the Strain Site was unantici­pated, to say the least,” said a report. “Evidence of prehistoric occupations, some dating 5000 years to the Late Archaic Period is found throughout the site.”

Over the years, the Strain was used for a variety of purposes, including a ship's chandlery, a pharmacy, and a mercantile (hardware) business, the last of which was as a clothing manufacturer or storage site, according to the report. At some point over the years, it was used to store antiques and house or produce shoes. 

Fenwick, with Ethos Preservation, said the restoration offers a visual representation to visitors of Darien's life in the 19th century.'

"Evidence of the building's craftsmanship, to include brick lintels embedded in the tabby above door and window openings and even the buttresses added to the west elevation to prevent earlier decay, are significant and worthy of celebration," she said. 

(Example of tabby in the building, Picket photo, and supports used to stabilize the west wall, courtesy Marion Savic)

Missy Brandt Wilson, who grew up in Darien and still owns a home there, has long supported the revitalization of the Strain building. She loves how an old pulley has been retained.

“I went into the building before restoration and now I can actually see how the warehouse worked on the Darien riverfront,” the Athens, Ga., resident said.

New life after sitting empty for about 55 years

The Strain Building survived the 1863 flames, was repaired after the Civil War and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II. It then sat empty for about 50 or so years, said Savic.

Downtown has grown since this view of the Strain (Courtesy of Kit Sutherland)

The structure, perhaps the oldest surviving in Darien, was beloved by its 2,000 residents, who worried for its future as its appearance worsened. The years rolled on. The building’s condition had become so precarious by 2008 that the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed it on its "Places in Peril" list.

It came within whiskers of being demolished before the Savics stepped in and bought the property in January 2020. Local residents were integral in the effort to save the Strain, and there was a Facebook page dedicated toward saving the landmark.

Two hundred-plus years had done its damage. A wall had a pronounced lean, the back wall facing the river was hanging by a prayer and other areas were in need of structural stability. The building was at risk of being toppled by strong winds.

In the 1920s, five years ago and a few weeks ago (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Atlanta-area couple turned to an array of contracted historic preservation experts to shore up the building and create something new, and also pursuing innovative tax credits. The work often had to break for permits, updated engineering plans and supplies. (The Savics have kept the leaning wall to emphasize its story and durability.)

Research and close attention to what the old building had to say has paid off. Fenwick said missing elements were discovered during construction, including a central warehouse style opening on the front façade. That was restored during the project.

The Strain Building has become a good example of how the historic tax incentives in Georgia make such projects possible, said Fenwick.

“A combined 45% back on rehabilitation expenses from state and federal credits plus a 8-year tax freeze alleviated some of the cost associated with a project that had a significant financial burden. Structural costs for stabilization alone were substantial. Labor of love is fitting.”

Upstairs area will feature event space and museum, note figures on back left wall (Courtesy Ethos Preservation)

The Savic family operates a nearby modern-day general store and restaurant in Darien, about 60 miles below Savannah. They also have operated businesses in Marietta, near Atlanta.

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in plans to boost the small downtown district.

Darien, hit hard by the economic slowdown about 15 years ago, wants to attract more retirees who live along coastal Georgia and motorists who get off Interstate 95 to take in history, the small shrimping fleet and the natural beauty of the area.

Ben Sutton, director of preservation for the Georgia Trust, told the Picket the Strain Building is significant due to its age, size and method of construction.

“The Savics have been strong supporters of the Georgia Trust, so we are even more excited that the project has been done by such good friends. It is a fantastic example of reimagining a use for a historic building -- and just goes to show that a building is rarely too far gone to be brought back into useful service,” he said.

After many years, she feels good about Strain's future

I spoke this week by phone with Joe Kasper, a home builder and carpenter who showed me around during my 2023 visit to Darien. He did wood work at the Strain for Savannah contractor Landmark Preservation, and found the restoration to be challenging and rewarding.

About 75 percent of the wood – mostly Southern yellow pine – is original. Two sets of stairs he built had to be customized because of the age of the building. “Because the building is not level, I made it work with the building.” He said that was among the most enjoyable of his tasks. (Photo courtesy Joe Kasper)

And there were other challenges. “All the walls are bowed out, out of plumb and they just changed from foot to foot,” he said.

The crews made the Strain stable by building an interior steel frame, reinforcing the walls and using rods and stars to strengthen the structure. Crews paid as much attention to detail as possibly, including taking apart the main floor and reassembling it for a modern finish.

They were able to retain much of the original tabby but some eroded areas were reworked with new oyster shell and material, Kasper said.

Fenwick said historic material was salvaged whenever possible, including framing, flooring, ceiling boards, tabby, trusses and other details such as a mural painted on plaster and a hoist system on the second floor.

"Additionally, in order for the building's structural system to be successful, additional tie rods were installed, in keeping with those visible on the exterior at the start of the project. This is a great example of the addition of new elements designed to be harmonious with the historic building."

The rear of the Strain in 2020 (Landmark Preservation and post-restoration (Ethos Preservation)

Tabby House Brewing features a ground-floor brick patio in the back and a patio deck upstairs. Both command a view of the Darien River, which connects the city to the Atlantic Ocean and the world.

Wilson, former chairman of the McIntosh County Historic Preservation Commission, told me several years ago she used to pray over the building before the Savics stepped in.

“I hope it’s the economic engine the vast economic reports have predicted if it was restored,” she said recently. “I can honestly say for the first time since I’ve been a child in Darien, I can drive by the building and not hold my breath waiting for something bad to happen. It’s lovely seeing the people who said there was no hope to see hope happen.”  

Tabby House Brewing Company is at 111 Broad St. in Darien. Click here for hours and more.

Numerous historic artifacts have been found during restoration of Georgia coastal building that survived burning in 1863, as shown in movie 'Glory'

Ceiling rafters and joists will be repaired, left exposed (Photos, Marion Savic)

You’ve got to be willing to play the long game – and the expenses that come with it – when trying to fix up a 200-year-old building that was close to collapsing in a cloud of dust.

Milan and Marion Savic and a team of preservation experts are in second and final phase of the extensive restoration of the Adam Strain building, a tabby structure that survived the controversial burning of Darien, Ga., during the Civil War.

The Strain, damaged in the fire, has stood on the bluffs of the small port city since circa 1813. The Savics hope new businesses – a brewery and event space -- will be open by mid-2023.

Crews stabilized the structure by shoring up the walls and installing tie rods and plates – all aimed at strengthening the picturesque landmark. They more recently have focused on steel support columns as they move toward shaping the interior space.

Interior of annex building next to Strain

“We have found a great deal of historic artifacts while digging for the footers. Everything is at the archaeology lab at Coastal Georgia Historical Society on St. Simons Island,” Marion Savic wrote in a recent email. “They are processing and dating all the finds. We have found items from Native American periods, 18th century and 19th century.”

Among the items found by an archaeological team in 2020 was a Civil War-era bullet -- likely an Enfield round. The team found it on a bluff that overlooks water, Savic told the Picket. The so-called Pritchett bullet was used in the Pattern 1853 Enfield rifle. The rifle was used by both sides during the conflict, and the Confederacy imported thousands from England.

It’s too early to surmise how the bullet came to be there, when it was deposited and to whom it belonged. 

The Adam Strain was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast.

By summer 1863, coastal towns knew that where the Union army was going, emancipation of slaves was soon to follow. That fact permeated society in Darien. Most of the town’s 500 white souls had fled before June 11, frightened by the blockade and the deployment of African-American troops on nearby St. Simons Island.

On that day, Darien was largely vacant.

Civil War bullet found during 2020 archaeological dig (Marion Savic)

Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery, commanding the African-American 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners.

He apparently had another reason for shelling, looting and burning Darien, leaving only a few buildings standing among the charred ruins. The destruction was depicted in the award-winning 1989 film "Glory."

Steven Smith, site manager for nearby Fort King George Historic Site in 2013 when the Picket first wrote about the town’s burning, said Montgomery “wanted to make a political statement. Here was a town built on the backs of slaves.”

Montgomery ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate. While Shaw didn’t mind the looting to help resupply his troops, he opposed setting the town to torch. He apparently relented under threat of court-martial.

The Strain survived the fire but much of its interior was destroyed.

The Adam Strain building before stabilization work began in 2020

It was repaired and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II and then shuttered. 

The Picket first wrote in 2020 about the efforts to save the building after decades of deterioration. At one point before the Savics’ purchase, it appeared the beloved piece of history might be demolished. Made of oyster shell tabby and stucco, the structure, one of the oldest in Darien, is beloved by its 2,000 residents.

The Savics, who have experience in operating retail businesses in metro Atlanta, turned to an array of contracted historic preservation experts to bring back a building that was at risk of being toppled by strong winds. The work has often had to break for permits, updated engineering plans and supplies. A Facebook page keeps those interested up to date.

“Covid didn’t help with material prices and availability. It slowed it down more than we had anticipated. The building was also in worse shape that we all had thought, though that wasn’t a surprise,” says Marion Savic. “We expected the worst, so not a lot of surprises, but definitely some delays and unusual situations regarding the procurement of materials.”

Steel support pit showed evidence of fire (Marion Savic)

The Adam Strain is one of few tabby structures remaining on the Georgia coast.

Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells and was popular in the region for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco is placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

Contractors are installing a steel membrane of columns and beams to support the walls.

“There will be tabby loss when we begin to straighten and tighten up the steel membrane. The worst spot is on the back facing west facade. Landmark Preservation is our contractor and they are tabby experts, so all tabby will be reused if possible and they will make tabby to replace lost areas,” says Savic. “The entire building will be tabby, either original or rebuilt, covered with stucco as it is meant to be.”

The Adam Strain will house a brewery on the first floor and a history center/museum and event space on the second. A one-story adjoining building, which housed a bank and other businesses, will house a kitchen, brewing equipment, bathrooms, office and storage.

The museum will include artifacts and information from the archaeological dig. It  will convey the Strain’s and Darien’s history -- including shrimping, timber and the story of thousands of enslaved people who were the backbone of the economy in McIntosh and neighboring counties. (At left, these bottles were found beneath floorboards)

The Savics, from Marietta, Ga., want the Strain building to meet requirements for the National Register of Historic Places and they are pursuing economic incentives, including federal and state tax credits, available for such preservation. The property is a contributing resource to the West Darien National Register Historic District, which was listed in 2001.

According to Rebecca Fenwick with Ethos Preservation, which is working for the Savics on the project, property owners at the state level can receive a 25% historic tax credit and an eight-year year tax freeze. At the federal level, the property owners can receive a 20% historic tax credit.

“Tax credits can be taken against hard and soft costs, to include work on walls, windows, doors, floors, etc. Soft costs that are eligible include architect's fees, engineer's fees, contractor labor, etc.,” says Fenwick. “Of course, there are some strings attached, as all work proposed must be reviewed and meet the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation.”

“The incentives acknowledge that historic rehabilitation projects often cost more than other projects and that historic buildings help tell our collective story and improve the quality of life of Georgians. Projects are made possible by these incentives that might not otherwise have the necessary funding to proceed,” Fenwick says. 

“I think the most interesting finds have been the discovery of additional masonry openings (windows and doors), with the removal of interior wall cladding," she says.

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in any plans to boost the small downtown district, which has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years.

A new boutique hotel on the river is scheduled to open this fall and there is new housing in the area. Savic’s husband, son and daughter-in-law opened The Canopy Restaurant in the historic Emanuel Brown house in Darien. Marion Savic also cites plans for downtown streetscaping and plans for repaired and expanded docks.

“Everyone is very excited for the completion of the project, and we hope that things will keep moving along,” she says.

Residents of this coastal Georgia town helped save a tabby building that survived the 1863 burning of Darien, a scene in the movie 'Glory'

The Adam Strain building presides over tabby ruins (Landmark Preservation)

Missy Brandt Wilson grew up surrounded by history and Spanish moss in Darien, a coastal Georgia town that once rivaled Savannah for port activity. She was particularly fascinated by the Adam Strain building, a picturesque two-story structure that overlooked rows of tabby ruins and the waterfront.

Over time, the condition of the shuttered circa 1813-1815 commercial building declined.

“I would put my hands on the building and pray on it, and say, ‘Please hold on until someone can save you,’” said Wilson.

View of waterfront (Landmark Preservation)

That the Darien landmark was still standing on the bluff during Wilson’s teen years was something of a miracle. It had survived two fires – most famously during the Civil War when Federal troops torched Darien in June 1863 – and several hurricanes.

Darien’s destruction by black troops, under orders from a virulently anti-slavery white officer, caused a howl of protest across the South and even in newspapers in the North. Those favoring emancipation were split on whether the act was barbarity or a necessary message. (The burning of Darien was made famous in the 1989 film “Glory.”)

The Strain building was repaired after the war and saw a rebirth for several decades before it was used for storage following World War II. Made of oyster shell tabby and stucco, the oldest structure in Darien was beloved by its 2,000 residents, who worried for its future as its appearance worsened.

The years rolled on. The building’s condition had become so precarious by 2008 that the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation placed it on its "Places in Peril" list.

Now, after several campaigns to save the Strain -- including a time where it looked like the building would be demolished -- Wilson’s and others’ prayers have been answered: A Marietta, Ga., couple has purchased the building and an annex and plan to restore them.

Milan and Marion Savic have taken on a big project. They must first stabilize the crumbling building before restoration begins. Their hope is to eventually lease the building for retail space and open a museum in the one-story adjoining annex.

“We want to bring it back to something beautiful,” Marion Savic recently told the Picket. “We are not tearing something down to bring something else in.”

Extensive framing inside the Strain (Landmark Preservation)

Residents and officials hope the Savics’ investment will have a significant economic impact. Darien, hit hard by the economic slowdown a decade ago, wants to attract more retirees who live along coastal Georgia and motorists who get off Interstate 95 to take in history, the small shrimping fleet and the natural beauty of the area.

The preservation of the Strain building, which sits on the southeast corner of Broad and Screven streets, is just one piece – albeit a significant one – in any plans to boost the small downtown district, which has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years.

The Savics are committed to doing their part, and observers credit preservation-minded residents and social media for their role in helping to save the building from demolition.

Among those the Savics have hired for the project is preservation planning consultant Rebecca Fenwick of Ethos Preservation in Savannah. Like others, she touts the building’s tabby construction, distinctive roof line, large buttresses, corner quoins, metal shutters and stepped gable parapet.

“It stands very proud overlooking the river,” Fenwick says. “Here is a building still standing. Your heart cries out, it has been vacant so long.”

Tabby building sat above busy waterfront

As legendary coastal Georgia historian and author Buddy Sullivan points out, the Adam Strain Building did not attain its name until after the Civil War. The builder’s name is not known with certainty.

Supports were added after fires, hurricanes (Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation)

But the construction techniques may well have been inspired by planter and slave owner Thomas Spalding, who used tabby on nearby Sapelo Island. Tabby is a type of cement made from crushed oyster shells and was popular in the region for several centuries leading up to the Civil War. Stucco is placed on the exterior to protect it from water damage.

Very few tabby structures remain along the coast.

Sullivan says the town’s heyday in the first half of the 19^th century was due to the Altamaha River, which delivered agriculture goods, including cotton, from the state’s interior. Rice and other crops were grown in McIntosh County and surrounding counties.

The Strain building was used to store cotton prior to shipment in 1861 and 1862 before the Union naval blockade clamped down on Georgia’s coast.

In an article he wrote last year for McIntosh Life, a special section of the Darien News, Sullivan described a conjectural drawing of how the waterfront likely looked by the mid-1830s, a few years after Scottish Highlanders settled there.

Warehouse ruins near the Strain (Wikipedia: Jud McCranie)

“The two-story building later known as the Strain Building is shown in the sketch as an upper bluff structure. The waterfront is depicted as being alive with activity: schooners loading baled cotton, Oconee boxes unloading cotton, traffic in dray wagons, coaches and horses along the shore, and cotton factors inspecting the latest deliveries from upriver.”

Fire raged through town during Civil War raid

By then, Savannah was well into it ascendance of being Georgia’s principal port, as more goods were being sent there by railroad. Darien’s economic fortunes suffered a small downturn in the decades before the Civil War.

Then war came, and the Federal blockade of Southern ports put a squeeze on the South.

By summer 1863, coastal towns knew that where the Union army was going, emancipation of slaves was soon to follow. That fact permeated society in Darien. Most of the town’s 500 white souls had fled before June 11, frightened by the blockade and the deployment of African-American troops on nearby St. Simons Island.

On that day, Darien was largely vacant.

Darien held little strategic value to the Union, but Col. James Montgomery, commanding the 2nd South Carolina Volunteers, supposedly believed it was a safe haven for blockade runners.

Col. James Montgomery

Montgomery apparently had another reason for shelling, looting and burning Darien, leaving only a few buildings standing among the charred ruins.

Steven Smith, site manager for Fort King George Historic Site in 2013 when the Picket wrote about the town’s burning, said Montgomery “wanted to make a political statement. Here was a town built on the backs of slaves.”

Montgomery ordered Col. Robert Gould Shaw and the famed 54^th  Massachusetts Infantry to participate. While Shaw didn’t mind the looting to help resupply his troops, he opposed setting the town to torch. He apparently relented under threat of court-martial.

The 2nd South Carolina Volunteers was largely comprised of freed slaves, while the 54^th Massachusetts had many freedmen and business professionals.

The 54^th Massachusetts was in the area to recruit freed slaves, destroy Southern crops and take out Confederate assault works.

Scene from "Glory" shows Federal troops arriving

Sullivan says while the Strain building’s interior was lost to fire set by Union troops, the exterior walls held up. Most of the town was destroyed, including virtually all the waterfront.

Darien was slow to rebound from the war, and the timber industry for decades largely replaced the rice-based economy.

It found new use as grocery, hardware store

Around 1870, Adam Strain, a Civil War veteran of the 5^th Georgia Cavalry, purchased and restored the building.

Sullivan wrote in McIntosh Life: “Strain utilized his building in a variety of ways from the 1870s through the 1890s. He specialized in groceries, dry goods and hardware, as well as operating a prosperous ship chandlery to furnish the numerous sailing vessels frequenting the ports at Darien and Doboy Island to load cargoes of raw timber and processed lumber.

An 1885 insurance map indicated the building was a general store with sleeping rooms upstairs.

Strain’s two sons, William H. Strain and Robert A. Strain, assumed ownership of the business after their father’s death in 1897, renaming it Adam Strain’s Sons.”

1890 Sanborn insurance map shows Strain
building at SE corner of Screven and Broad

The Strains put a new wood framing inside the building. It currently supports the existing second floor and is independent of the tabby. “It was an upgrade of the building at the time,” said Fenwick, the preservation consultant.

Wilson likens it to a building within a building.

At some point over the years, it was used to store antiques and house or produce shoes. “There were hundreds of children’s boots and shoes all over the place,” Savic said. She estimates the building has not been used for about 50 years and what remains inside dates since the Civil War.

The annex served as a bank from 1913 and 1961 and until recently was the site of law offices.

As for the larger building, it was sold from the family estate after the Strain brothers died in the 1920s and was used primarily as a commercial warehouse and other uses described above.

By then, Darien’s timber fortunes had almost ceased to exist and the town turned to fishing and other small industries.

'The building means so much'

Over the years, town residents and those who moved away lobbied for the boarded-up Strain Building to find new use and jump-start more activity downtown.

“The building means so much to so many people,” says Mandy Harrison, executive director of the Darien-McIntosh County Chamber of Commerce. “People get their prom and wedding photos taken there.”

Strain interior (Landmark Preservation)

The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation continued to advocate that it be kept and restored. “Raising public awareness of the development threat to the building holds promise to galvanize local and state-wide commitment to broker a reasonable resolution for this iconic structure.”

A 2009 report by a planning group said Darien considered the Strain "an important historic resource and is urgently working to ensure its preservation." The price tag for buying, stabilizing and restoring the building was estimated at $2 million. Nothing came of it at that time.

Meanwhile, the Savics -- who maintain two businesses in Marietta -- were longtime visitors to St. Simons and would occasionally stop by Darien. They fell in love with its homes and history. They made several offers to the property owner but could not agree to terms.

Last summer, the then-city manager said a local resident had filed a safety complaint; an inspection by a hired structural engineer found the building to have extensive wear and damage and to be uninhabitable, the Darien News reported. The engineer suggested it be demolished.

The situation came to a head in July 2019 after the city issued a demolition permit and orange barrels were put in front of the building. The demolition request was made on behalf of the Strain owner, the newspaper reported.

“I was pretty sure the wrecking ball was coming in 24 hours,” said Wilson, once chairman of the  McIntosh County Historic Preservation Commission. She now lives in Athens, Ga.

Downtown has grown since this view of the Strain (Courtesy of Kit Sutherland)

At some the point, the order was postponed. It was clear no one wanted to see a huge part of the town’s history gone. (The Picket reached out to the current city manager but received no reply.)

The Savics eventually reached a deal with the owner. They will spend several times that in stabilizing, repairing and transforming the building into an attractive beacon.

“A good wind storm could probably knock it down,” Savic told the Darien News in early February.

What couple has planned for the Strain

As of mid-April, the Savics were waiting for final engineering plans for the project. It’s possible stabilization work can begin by May 1 and continue for three to six months.

While interior structural elements are there, contractors will stabilize walls, rebuild some tabby areas and then place new stucco on the exterior.

“Everything that is usable will be taken out and stored during the restoration process. Everything that is usable will be put back in,” said Savic.

The building was full of boxes, shoes and more (Landmark Preservation)

The couple wants the Strain building to meet requirements for the National Register of Historic Places and they will pursue economic incentives, including federal and state tax credits, available for such preservation.

Given the current look of the building interior, the Savics are planning for the Strain to have a post-Civil War feel.

They expect the Strain will have retail space, “some sort of businesses where people can gather, community space. Part of it might be an event space.”

Town's story is bigger than the Civil War

The Savics are thinking of using the annex for a maritime museum, emphasizing Darien’s timber, cotton and rice past, and perhaps its small shrimping industry. Among a handful of museums in the area is one dedicated to the burning of the town during the Civil War, but it is not fully staffed.

1921 photo includes Strain building at far left (Courtesy of Kit Sutherland)

Kit Stebbins Sutherland, a retired historic preservation planning consultant living in Atlanta, grew up in Darien and owns a house lot near the Strain building.

She believes the story of Darien should go beyond its early days and the Civil War. She is particularly interested in the second heyday of the town after the end of slavery.

The main commercial activity used to be in an west-east direction, following the Altamaha River and other tributaries to the Atlantic Ocean. Construction of Interstate 95 to the west forever changed Darien, Sutherland argues.

Blessing of fleet in 1973, Strain building in back (Courtesy of Kit Sutherland)

Traffic was diverted to U.S. 17 (which runs north-south) in the early 1970s and much of the eastern side of town was demolished to handle the U.S. 17 widening, Sutherland told the Picket.

The other down side, she says, is that Darien was basically bypassed when that section of I-95 opened.

Sutherland wants the area – which touts its affordability relative to other coastal communities -- to have better schools and economic opportunities and a more proactive and progressive approach to preservation and growth.

She laments the loss of what the downtown used to look like -- its benches, awnings and trees. “It is a very pedestrian unfriendly streetscape.”

A belief that project will provide big boost

To be sure, there is growth occurring in Darien. Near the Strain are fish and Mexican restaurants, a produce market, wine shop and other retail.

High-end condos going up along the waterfront have a colonial Spanish look. While increased investment in Darien was welcome, the look is not pleasing to everyone; critics believe the style detracts from a classic Darien waterfront aesthetic.

The approval of the design brought “out the inner preservationists,” Wilson said.

Stabilization is expected to start soon (Landmark Preservation)

The Savics, meanwhile, are in it for the long haul. They have a home on nearby Union Island and eventually will live in the area for much of the year.

Harrison, with the chamber of commerce, says Darien is on the way up.

“This is a place where you can come slow down. We have a lot of ecotourism and historical tourism,” she says. “Everybody who comes here falls in love. You get out of the rat race and into calmness.”

(July 11 update: Stabilization has yet to begin. A permit has been acquired but power lines need to be relocated and steel fabrication for the work completed.)