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GEORGIA...
FROM A STUNNING COAST WHERE NATURE RUNS WILD,
ACROSS FIELDS OF COTTON,
TO SNOW-DUSTED PEAKS
AT THE END OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S LONGEST HIKING TRAILS.
THIS IS A STATE LOVED BY PRESIDENTS, WRITERS,
AND A CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER WHO SOUGHT TO HEAL THE NATION
WITH A TRANSCENDENT DREAM.
AERIAL GEORGIA EXPLORES THE RICH HISTORY OF THIS SOUTHERN STATE,
FROM MYSTERIOUS TRACES OF ITS ANCIENT PEOPLE,
TO PAINFUL MEMORIES OF AMERICA'S WAR-TORN PAST.
IT WAS HERE THAT A VISIONARY AD MAN
REVOLUTIONIZED TELEVISION NEWS,
AND A TERRORIST TRIED TO DESTROY THE OLYMPIC DREAMS OF THOUSANDS.
WHERE A SMALL PIONEER TOWN
WAS HOME TO AMERICA'S FIRST GOLD RUSH.
AND A CITY ONCE LEVELED BY WAR
ROSE AGAIN TO GLIMMER FROM THE ASHES.
THIS IS GEORGIA, THE EMPIRE STATE OF THE SOUTH.
IN THE NORTHWEST CORNER OF GEORGIA,
ON THE BANKS OF THE ETOWAH RIVER,
STAND THE RELICS OF A LOST WORLD.
THESE EARTHEN MONUMENTS WERE BUILT BY AN ANCIENT SOCIETY
KNOWN TO ARCHAEOLOGISTS AS THE MISSISSIPPIAN MOUND BUILDERS.
THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR STRUCTURES MAY BE GONE,
BUT THE OUTLINES OF THEIR ONCE SOPHISTICATED CULTURE REMAIN.
FROM THIS SIX-STORY-TALL MOUND,
IT'S BELIEVED THAT THE CITY'S CHIEF PRIEST
MAY HAVE PRESIDED OVER CEREMONIES
ON A BUSTLING PLAZA DOWN BELOW.
SMALLER MOUNDS MAY HAVE BEEN USED AS BURIAL SITES
OR TO SUPPORT THE HOMES OF OTHER PROMINENT CITIZENS.
MANY DETAILS ABOUT THESE NATIVE AMERICANS AND THEIR CULTURE
REMAIN A MYSTERY.
MOUND BUILDERS WERE THE ANCESTORS
OF THE CREEK AND CHEROKEE,
WHO DOMINATED GEORGIA IN THE CENTURIES THAT FOLLOWED.
BUT THE U.S. GOVERNMENT EVENTUALLY PRESSED THESE TRIBES
TO MOVE TO OKLAHOMA--
AND IN 1838, FORCIBLY RELOCATED THOSE THAT REMAINED.
AN ESTIMATED 4,000 NATIVE AMERICANS DIED ON THE JOURNEY,
WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE TRAIL OF TEARS.
NEARBY, THE CHATTAHOOCHEE NATIONAL FOREST
COVERS ALMOST 750,000 ACRES OF RUGGED LANDSCAPE,
INCLUDING SPRINGER MOUNTAIN.
IT'S THE SOUTHERN ENDPOINT OF THE APPALACHIAN TRAIL,
WHICH STARTS 2,000 MILES NORTH IN THE STATE OF MAINE.
ONE HISTORIAN DISMISSED THIS REGION
AS "NOTHING BUT A DESERT WITH TREES."
BUT RATTLESNAKES, COPPERHEADS, AND BLACK BEARS ALL LIVE HERE.
NORTH GEORGIA IS ALSO HOME TO HIDDEN TREASURE.
LEGEND HAS IT THAT IN 1828,
A DEER HUNTER HERE TRIPPED OVER A SHINY ROCK
THAT TURNED OUT TO BE NEARLY PURE GOLD.
A YEAR LATER, A NEWSPAPER REPORTED
THAT GOLD WAS DISCOVERED IN HABERSHAM COUNTY
AND PRACTICALLY OVERNIGHT, GIDDY PROSPECTORS BY THE THOUSANDS
POURED INTO THE REGION LOOKING TO STRIKE IT RICH.
IT WAS THE NATION'S FIRST MAJOR GOLD RUSH.
BY 1861, ENOUGH GOLD WAS DISCOVERED HERE
FOR THE LOCAL FEDERAL MINT TO PRODUCE
ONE AND A HALF MILLION GOLD COINS.
MUCH OF THE MINED GOLD WAS TRANSPORTED
ON THE NEWLY COMPLETED UNICOI TURNPIKE,
A TOLL ROAD WHICH STRETCHED FROM THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS
THROUGH THIS SWATH OF NORTHEAST GEORGIA.
ALONG THIS ROUTE WAS A GOLD RUSH TOWN
NAMED DAHLONEGA, FROM THE CHEROKEE WORD FOR YELLOW MONEY.
THE CITY PROSPERED UNTIL 1849,
WHEN NEWS OF CALIFORNIA'S GOLD RUSH
LURED THE MINERS WEST.
TODAY, DAHLONEGA IS HOME
TO NORTH GEORGIA COLLEGE AND STATE UNIVERSITY,
BUT THE TOWN DOESN'T SHY AWAY FROM ITS GOLDEN PAST.
EVERY OCTOBER, VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD COME HERE
TO CELEBRATE GOLD RUSH DAY, IN A TOWN CENTER THAT LOOKS LIKE
IT'S RIGHT OUT OF THE 19th CENTURY.
BUT WHEN IT COMES TO GEORGIA'S NATURAL RESOURCES,
NONE HAS SHAPED HER HISTORY AND ECONOMY LIKE THESE CROPS--
WHAT THE LOCALS CALL WHITE GOLD: COTTON.
COTTONSEED WAS FIRST PLANTED HERE IN 1785,
THOUGH IT TOOK GROWERS NEARLY 10 YEARS TO MAKE A PROFIT.
BY THE MID 19th CENTURY,
MOST OF GEORGIA'S BOUNTY WAS BEING SHIPPED 1,000 MILES AWAY
TO FEED THE NORTH'S PROSPEROUS TEXTILE MILLS,
WHILE THE SOUTH'S ECONOMY LAGGED FAR BEHIND.
DETERMINED TO RIGHT THE IMBALANCE,
A CIVIC LEADER PUT FORWARD AN INNOVATIVE PLAN--
TO BUILD AN INDUSTRIAL CANAL ALONGSIDE THE SAVANNAH RIVER
IN AUGUSTA.
IN 1845, THE FIRST SHOVELS BEGAN DIGGING OUT
AUGUSTA'S RED, RICH CLAY.
AND A FEW YEARS LATER, WATER WAS COURSING THROUGH THIS CANAL--
WATER THAT SOON POWERED NEW TEXTILE FACTORIES.
TODAY, THIS APPROXIMATELY 11-MILE-LONG WATERWAY
PRODUCES HYDROELECTRIC POWER.
THE CANAL AND MILLS ARE THE FIRST NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA
IN GEORGIA DESIGNATED BY THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS.
BY THE LATE 19th CENTURY, THANKS TO ITS MILLS,
AUGUSTA WAS BOOMING.
AND IN 1897, BRICKS WERE LAID TO BUILD THIS CATHOLIC CHURCH.
THREE YEARS LATER, THIS IMPRESSIVE STRUCTURE
WAS COMPLETE AND READY FOR WORSHIP.
BUT WITH MORE AND MORE AUGUSTANS MOVING TO THE SUBURBS
IN THE 20th CENTURY, THIS GIANT CHURCH
COULDN'T SUSTAIN ITSELF AND CLOSED ITS DOORS IN 1971.
THE BUILDING ENDURED 16 YEARS OF VANDALISM AND NEGLECT
BEFORE BEING RENOVATED AND RE-OPENED IN 1987
AS THE SACRED HEART CULTURAL CENTER.
TODAY, IT'S A VENUE FOR WEDDINGS, WINE FESTIVALS,
AND CONCERTS.
BUT AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, MAY BE BEST KNOWN
FOR THE AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB.
EVERY APRIL, THE WORLD'S BEST GOLFERS
DESCEND ON THIS FORMER PLANTATION
TO COMPETE IN THE MASTERS TOURNAMENT.
AN AERIAL VIEW OF THE CLUB PROVIDES A WINDOW
INTO A PRISTINE WORLD FEW PEOPLE EVER SEE IN PERSON.
TICKETS TO THE EVENT ARE AMONG THE TOUGHEST TO OBTAIN
OF ANY SPORTING EVENT IN THE COUNTRY.
THEY HAVEN'T BEEN AVAILABLE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC SINCE 1972.
GOLF DIGEST RATES AUGUSTA AS THE BEST COURSE IN AMERICA.
ITS EXCLUSIVE MEMBERSHIP ROSTER INCLUDES
BILLIONAIRES BILL GATES AND WARREN BUFFETT,
AMONG OTHER PROMINENT NAMES.
NOTABLY ABSENT FROM THAT LIST IS A SINGLE FEMALE MEMBER.
WOMEN CAN PLAY HERE AS GUESTS AND WORK AS CADDIES,
BUT THE OLD BOYS' CLUB STANDS FIERCELY RESISTANT
TO CHANGING ITS WAYS.
ABOUT 90 MILES SOUTHEAST LIES A CITY WITH A COLORFUL PAST,
MILLEDGEVILLE.
THE TOWN WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1804 AS THE STATE CAPITAL,
ON LAND ACQUIRED FROM CREEK INDIANS.
DURING ITS FIRST DECADE, THIS SCRAGGLY FRONTIER TOWN
WAS KNOWN FOR ITS SEEDY INNS, BORDELLOS, AND GAMBLING.
BUT SLOWLY, THINGS BEGAN TO CHANGE.
ONE OF THE CAPITAL'S MOST IMPORTANT NEW BUILDINGS
WAS THE GOVERNOR'S MANSION.
BUILT IN THE GREEK REVIVAL STYLE,
THE MANSION WAS RESTORED IN 2001
AND IS NOW A NATIONAL HISTORIC LANDMARK AND A MUSEUM.
MILLEDGEVILLE WAS ALSO HOME TO ONE OF GEORGIA'S
MOST CELEBRATED AUTHORS: FLANNERY O'CONNOR.
THE BUDDING AUTHOR HAD MOVED TO THE NORTHEAST AFTER COLLEGE,
BUT A LUPUS DIAGNOSIS IN 1950 BROUGHT HER BACK TO THIS PLACE--
A 544-ACRE FAMILY FARM CALLED ANDALUSIA.
IT WAS HERE, CARED FOR BY HER MOTHER,
THAT SHE COMPLETED HER MOST FAMOUS NOVELS AND SHORT STORIES,
SUCH AS A GOOD MAN IS HARD TO FIND,
THAT EXPLORE THE THEME OF A DECAYING SOUTH.
O'CONNOR SPENT HER FINAL DAYS DOING WHAT SHE LOVED,
RAISING PEACOCKS AND DRAWING INSPIRATION FROM THE LANDSCAPE
SURROUNDING ANDALUSIA.
SHE DIED OF LUPUS IN 1964 AT THE AGE OF JUST 39.
A FEW MILES AWAY STANDS THE OLD STATE CAPITOL BUILDING.
WITH ITS POINTED ARCHED WINDOWS AND ROOFTOP BATTLEMENTS,
IT'S THE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE OLDEST PUBLIC BUILDINGS
IN AMERICA BUILT IN THE GOTHIC REVIVAL STYLE.
BUT IT'S WHAT HAPPENED INSIDE THAT FOREVER CHANGED
THE COURSE OF HISTORY.
IT WAS HERE IN JANUARY 1861 THAT GEORGIA LAWMAKERS
VOTED 160 TO 130 IN FAVOR OF SECESSION
FROM THE UNITED STATES.
THIS 30-VOTE MAJORITY WOULD PLUNGE THE STATE
INTO FOUR YEARS OF WAR AND DEVASTATE MANY OF ITS CITIES.
RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STATE
SITS THE CITY OF MACON,
NICKNAMED "THE HEART OF GEORGIA."
FROM THE AIR ITS QUAINT NEIGHBORHOODS
OFFER A STUNNING GLIMPSE OF THE OLD SOUTH.
THERE ARE DOZENS OF HOMES HERE THAT LOOK JUST AS THEY DID
IN THE LATE 19th CENTURY.
MANY OF THEM WERE BUILT ON THE SPOILS OF KING COTTON.
BUT MACON'S CROWN JEWEL IS THE MANSION ON GEORGIA AVENUE
KNOWN AS HAY HOUSE.
THE FOUR-STORY HOME WITH A CUPOLA ABOVE
WAS BUILT BETWEEN 1855 AND 1859
BY RAILROAD MAGNATE WILLIAM BUTLER JOHNSON.
HE AND HIS BRIDE HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH ITALIAN ARCHITECTURE
DURING THEIR HONEYMOON IN EUROPE
AND DECIDED TO BRING THE ELEGANCE OF THE OLD WORLD
BACK TO GEORGIA.
NOT ONLY WAS THE 24-ROOM, 16,000-SQUARE-FOOT RESIDENCE
MAGNIFICENT TO BEHOLD,
IT WAS ALSO ONE OF THE MOST INNOVATIVE HOMES OF ITS DAY,
COMPLETE WITH HOT AND COLD RUNNING WATER
AND CENTRAL HEATING.
NO WONDER HAY HOUSE EARNED THE NICKNAME,
THE PALACE OF THE SOUTH.
WITHIN JUST TWO YEARS OF THE COMPLETION OF HAY HOUSE,
THE GLORY DAYS OF THE OLD SOUTH
WERE SUBSUMED BY CANNON FIRE, BLOODSHED, AND FEAR.
IN NORTHEAST GEORGIA, THE LITTLE TOWN OF WASHINGTON IS BEST KNOWN
FOR AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY--
THE CASE OF THE LOST CONFEDERATE GOLD.
RIGHT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR ENDED, FEDERAL TROOPS SEIZED
WHAT WAS LEFT OF THE CONFEDERATE TREASURY.
BUT RIGHT OUTSIDE OF WASHINGTON,
RENEGADES STOLE THE FORTUNE BACK.
THE STASH, NOW ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH A MILLION DOLLARS,
HAS NEVER BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR.
MANY ARE CONVINCED IT WAS HIDDEN NEARBY.
IN THE DISTANCE, A GIANT DOME PUSHES UP FROM THE EARTH.
THIS IS STONE MOUNTAIN--
AN 800-FOOT-TALL SOLID GRANITE MONOLITH.
IT WAS BORN OVER 300 MILLION YEARS AGO,
AT THE TIME THAT THE APPALACHIAN MOUNTAINS WERE FORMED.
YOU'D HAVE TO WALK FIVE MILES JUST TO CIRCLE ITS BASE.
A VISITOR CENTER AND TV/RADIO TRANSMITTER
NOW SIT ATOP STONE MOUNTAIN.
BUT THERE WAS A TIME WHEN IT WAS A MEETING PLACE
FOR THE KU KLUX ***--
ITS PEAK CROWNED WITH A BURNING CROSS.
TODAY, STONE MOUNTAIN BEARS OTHER MEMORIES.
IN 1916, THE UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE CONFEDERACY
GOT PERMISSION TO OVERSEE THE CARVING
OF A CIVIL WAR MONUMENT HERE.
THE FINISHED WORK COVERS THREE ACRES OF ROCK FACE
AND TOOK 57 YEARS TO COMPLETE.
IT DEPICTS THREE CONFEDERATE HEROES--
PRESIDENT JEFFERSON DAVIS, GENERAL ROBERT E. LEE,
AND GENERAL THOMAS "STONEWALL" JACKSON.
BY THE 1960s, STONE MOUNTAIN HAD BECOME
SO EMBLEMATIC OF HATRED AND RACISM,
IT EVEN GOT A MENTION
IN MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.'S FAMOUS "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH,
WHEN HE SAID, "LET FREEDOM RING FROM STONE MOUNTAIN IN GEORGIA."
LESS THAN 20 MILES AWAY STANDS THE CITY THAT WOULD FEEL
THE CIVIL WAR'S FIERY WRATH LIKE NO OTHER--ATLANTA.
IT WAS FOUNDED IN 1837 AND NAMED FOR THE RAILROAD
ON WHICH THE CITY WAS BUILT--
ATLANTICA-PACIFICA, SHORTENED TO ATLANTA.
AND IN 1868, IT BECAME THE STATE CAPITAL.
THE DESIGN OF THE GEORGIA STATE HOUSE
FOLLOWED THE SAME NEOCLASSICAL STYLE
USED FOR THE U.S. CAPITOL BUILDING IN WASHINGTON,
BUT IT MAINTAINED SOME DISTINCTLY LOCAL TOUCHES--
INSIDE, 1 1/2 ACRES OF GEORGIA MARBLE
LINE ITS FLOORS AND HALLWAYS.
AMAZINGLY, THE BUILDING'S DOME WAS ORIGINALLY ADORNED
WITH 43 OUNCES OF REAL 23-KARAT GEORGIA GOLD,
MINED NOT FAR AWAY IN LUMPKIN COUNTY.
ON TOP OF THE DOME IS A 15-FOOT TALL,
2,000-POUND STATUE KNOWN AS MISS FREEDOM.
JUST A STONE'S THROW AWAY, CENTENNIAL OLYMPIC PARK
WAS CREATED TO BE A TOWN SQUARE FOR THE 1996 SUMMER OLYMPICS,
BUT IT'S BEST REMEMBERED AS THE SCENE
OF A DOMESTIC TERRORIST ATTACK.
ONE THE NIGHT OF JULY 27, 1996,
THE LARGEST PIPE BOMB IN U.S. HISTORY
WAS DETONATED IN THE MIDST OF A CONCERT,
KILLING ONE PERSON AND INJURING 111 OTHERS.
CONFESSED BOMBER ERIC RUDOLPH HAD HOPED
TO FORCE THE CANCELLATION OF THE GAMES,
BUT ATLANTA WOULD NOT BE BULLIED, AND THE GAMES WENT ON.
IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE GLEAMING METROPOLIS
STANDING HERE TODAY WAS ONCE A WASTELAND.
IN 1864,
AFTER A WEEKS-LONG ARTILLERY BOMBARDMENT OF THE CITY,
GENERAL WILLIAM TECUMSEH SHERMAN
ORDERED ALL CIVILIANS TO EVACUATE.
HIS TROOPS SET FIRE TO THE CITY.
AND EVERYTHING, EXCEPT FOR CHURCHES AND HOSPITALS,
BURNED TO THE GROUND.
FROM THE ASHES, ATLANTA SLOWLY BUT SURELY REBUILT.
HERE, IN THE 1920s, LIVED A STRUGGLING YOUNG WRITER
INSPIRED BY THE EPIC TALES OF HER STATE'S WAR-TORN PAST.
IT WAS INSIDE APARTMENT NUMBER ONE OF THIS BUILDING
THAT MARGARET MITCHELL PENNED
MOST OF THE WILDLY POPULAR NOVEL GONE WITH THE WIND.
IN HER LATER YEARS, MITCHELL FREQUENTLY REMARKED
ABOUT HOW MUCH SHE HATED LIVING HERE.
LITTLE COULD SHE HAVE IMAGINED,
THE APARTMENT SHE REFERRED TO AS "THE DUMP"
WOULD ONE DAY SERVE AS THE MARGARET MITCHELL MUSEUM.
BUT WHILE MITCHELL'S OWN ACCOMMODATIONS WERE HUMBLE,
THOSE OF HER CHARACTERS WERE NOT.
ACCORDING TO GEORGIA LORE,
THIS PLANTATION HOUSE IN NEARBY JONESBORO
WAS MARGARET MITCHELL'S INSPIRATION
FOR TARA, THE ICONIC SETTING OF GONE WITH THE WIND.
THIS GREEK REVIVAL STYLE PLANTATION HOUSE
WAS BUILT IN 1839, AND TRUE TO ITS NAME,
LIES AMIDST A GROVE OF STATELY OLD OAKS.
ONE CAN'T HELP BUT IMAGINE SCARLETT O'HARA
TWIRLING ABOUT THE PORCH, SIPPING LEMONADE.
ATLANTA'S HISTORY, THOUGH, HAS BEEN ANYTHING BUT STORYBOOK.
A CENTURY AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,
THE CITY FELL AGAIN ON HARD TIMES.
IN THE 1980s, IT WAS THIS COMPANY'S HEADQUARTERS
THAT CAME TO ATLANTA'S RESCUE.
ORIGINALLY INTENDED TO BE AN ENTERTAINMENT COMPLEX,
THIS 100,000-SQUARE-FOOT BUILDING WAS BOUGHT IN 1985
BY A SUCCESSFUL GEORGIA AD MAN: TED TURNER.
HE USED IT TO HOUSE
THE WORLD'S FIRST 24-HOUR NEWS CHANNEL, CNN.
BY LOCATING HIS COMPANY'S HEADQUARTERS DOWNTOWN,
TURNER HELPED REVITALIZE THE CITY.
JUST A MILE FROM THE HEART OF DOWNTOWN ATLANTA LIES A PLACE
THAT WAS ONCE A WORLD AWAY--
THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF SWEET AUBURN.
IT WAS HERE ON JANUARY 15, 1929,
IN THE UPSTAIRS ROOM OF THIS YELLOW HOUSE,
WHERE ONE OF ATLANTA'S MOST DISTINGUISHED SONS,
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR., WAS BORN.
HIS FATHER, MARTIN LUTHER KING, SR.,
WAS AN EARLY LEADER IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
AND PASTOR OF NEARBY EBENEZER BAPTIST CHURCH.
IT WAS HERE WHERE MARTIN, JR. WAS BOTH BAPTIZED AND ORDAINED.
AND IT WAS THE SITE OF HIS FUNERAL IN 1968.
BUT IT'S THE KING CENTER JUST NEXT DOOR
THAT SERVES AS HIS MEMORIAL.
IN THE MIDST OF WHAT'S CALLED FREEDOM PLAZA,
SURROUNDED BY A 5-TIER REFLECTING POOL,
LIES THE BODY OF MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
HIS MARBLE CRYPT BEARS THE WORDS, "FREE AT LAST,
FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, I'M FREE AT LAST."
TWO MILES FROM DOWNTOWN,
ON A HILL FROM WHICH GENERAL SHERMAN MONITORED
THE SIEGE OF ATLANTA, IS THE CARTER CENTER.
FOUNDED BY PRESIDENT JIMMY CARTER
AND HIS WIFE ROSALYNN IN 1982,
THE CENTER'S MISSION IS TO ADVANCE HUMAN RIGHTS
AND END HUMAN SUFFERING AROUND THE WORLD.
FOUR OF THE FIVE INTERCONNECTED PAVILIONS
HOUSE STAFF OFFICES AND MEETING SPACES.
THE FIFTH IS HOME
TO THE JIMMY CARTER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY.
150 MILES OUTSIDE OF ATLANTA LIES A WILDER GEORGIA.
MAGNOLIA SPRINGS STATE PARK
IS BEST KNOWN FOR ITS COOL SPRINGS,
WHICH PRODUCE CLOSE TO 9 MILLION GALLONS OF WATER A DAY,
AND FOR ITS PRISTINE 28-ACRE LAKE.
IT MAY LOOK LIKE ANY OTHER UNSPOILED STRETCH
OF GEORGIA WILDERNESS,
BUT DURING THE CIVIL WAR,
IT WAS THE SETTING OF CAMP LAWTON,
A CONFEDERATE STOCKADE
THAT IMPRISONED ABOUT 10,000 UNION SOLDIERS,
500 OF WHOM DIED IN THE CAMP.
THOUGH NATURE HAS LARGELY ERASED THE PARK'S WARTIME PAST,
IN THE SUMMER OF 2010, A TEAM OF ARCHAEOLOGY STUDENTS
DUG UP ABOUT 200 CIVIL WAR ARTIFACTS FROM HERE.
THE SITE, UNDISTURBED SINCE THE CAMP'S ABANDONMENT IN 1864,
IS EXPECTED TO YIELD UNPRECEDENTED INFORMATION
ABOUT THE LIVES OF PRISONERS AND GUARDS AT THE CAMP.
THE VESTIGES OF AN EVEN LARGER CONFEDERATE PRISON
LIE ABOUT 130 MILES SOUTH OF ATLANTA--
THE NOTORIOUS CAMP SUMTER, BETTER KNOWN AS ANDERSONVILLE.
THIS CLEARING WAS ONCE HOME TO A 26 1/2-ACRE STOCKADE.
SOME 45,000 PRISONERS ENTERED ITS GATES
OVER ITS 14-MONTH EXISTENCE.
MANY NEVER MADE IT OUT.
OVERCROWDING, DISEASE, AND STARVATION
MADE FOR A GRIM EXISTENCE HERE.
SAID ONE UNION SOLDIER, "AS WE ENTERED THE PLACE,
A SPECTACLE MET OUR EYES
THAT ALMOST FROZE OUR BLOOD WITH HORROR--
STALWART MEN, NOW NOTHING BUT MERE WALKING SKELETONS,
COVERED WITH FILTH AND VERMIN."
NO WONDER MANY OF THE PRISONERS BELIEVED THEY HAD DIED
AND GONE TO HELL.
15-FOOT WALLS LIKE THESE
ONCE SURROUNDED THE ENTIRE STOCKADE.
MAKESHIFT TENTS AND HUTS WERE ALL THAT STOOD
BETWEEN THE PRISONERS AND THE ELEMENTS.
GUARDS WERE PERCHED IN TOWERS ALONG THE FENCE LINE.
ANYONE GETTING WITHIN THREE FEET OF THE WALL WAS SHOT DEAD.
ALL TOLD, 13,000 SOULS PERISHED IN THE HELLHOLE
THAT WAS ANDERSONVILLE.
THEIR NAKED BODIES WERE CARTED OFF IN WAGONS,
BURIED SHOULDER TO SHOULDER IN THREE-FOOT-DEEP TRENCHES.
SO CRUEL AND INHUMANE WAS THE TREATMENT AT ANDERSONVILLE
THAT AFTER THE WAR, THE PRISON COMMANDANT
WAS CONVICTED OF WAR CRIMES AND HANGED.
AFTER THE CAMP CLOSED,
CLARA BARTON LED A DETACHMENT HERE
TO IDENTIFY AND MARK THE GRAVES OF THE UNION DEAD.
ON AUGUST 17, 1865, SHE RAISED THE STARS AND STRIPES
OVER THE CEMETERY FOR THE FIRST TIME.
SINCE THE CIVIL WAR,
6,000 MORE VETERANS HAVE BEEN BURIED HERE,
INCLUDING ACTIVE DUTY SERVICEMEN KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ.
THERE'S A SLICE OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST
TUCKED INTO SOUTHWEST GEORGIA.
IT'S CALLED PROVIDENCE CANYON.
SEEING THIS NATURAL WONDER FROM THE AIR
OFFERS A CHANCE TO GLIMPSE 16 DISTINCT GORGES,
SOME PLUNGING TO DEPTHS OF MORE THAN 100 FEET.
GEORGIANS CALL THIS PLACE "LITTLE GRAND CANYON,"
BUT THESE MASSIVE GULLIES
AREN'T THE WORK OF MOTHER NATURE ALONE.
THE PRIMARY SCULPTOR IS RAINWATER RUNOFF
FROM POOR FARMING PRACTICES IN THE 1800s.
BUT WHAT BEAUTY THAT EROSION HAS REVEALED.
WITHIN PROVIDENCE CANYON, SEVERAL MILLION YEARS
OF GEORGIA'S GEOLOGICAL RECORD STAND EXPOSED--
THE SANDS OF TIME, IN 43 DISTINCT COLORS.
35 MILES NORTH LIES FORT BENNING,
HOME OF THE U.S. ARMY INFANTRY SCHOOL,
NAMED FOR CONFEDERATE BRIGADIER GENERAL HENRY BENNING,
A NATIVE OF THE AREA.
IT WAS BUILT DURING WORLD WAR I, WITH THE EXPRESS PURPOSE
OF PRODUCING THE WORLD'S FINEST COMBAT INFANTRYMEN.
FORT BENNING HAS TURNED OUT SUCH DISTINGUISHED MILITARY LEADERS
AS OMAR BRADLEY, DWIGHT EISENHOWER,
GEORGE PATTON, AND COLIN POWELL.
THE 287-SQUARE-MILE BASE ALSO OPERATES
AN AIRBORNE SCHOOL FOR PARATROOPERS,
A RANGER SCHOOL FOR ELITE SKILLS AND TACTICS,
AND A PROGRAM THAT TEACHES SOLDIERS
HOW TO OPERATE M-2 BRADLEY FIGHTING VEHICLES IN COMBAT.
ABOUT 35 MILES NORTH, OUTSIDE THE TOWN OF WARM SPRINGS,
IS A MUCH MORE PEACEFUL PLACE--
FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT'S LITTLE WHITE HOUSE.
STRICKEN WITH POLIO, FDR FIRST CAME HERE IN 1924
AFTER HEARING ABOUT THE SPRINGS' RESTORATIVE POWERS.
HE DIDN'T FIND A CURE, BUT HE DID FALL IN LOVE WITH THE TOWN
AND PURCHASED 1,200 ACRES HERE IN 1926,
WHERE HE BUILT A POLIO TREATMENT CENTER.
THIS SIX-ROOM STRUCTURE WAS BUILT IN 1932,
A YEAR BEFORE ROOSEVELT WAS ELECTED PRESIDENT.
IT OFTEN SERVED AS A PRESIDENTIAL RETREAT.
ON APRIL 12, 1945, ROOSEVELT WAS INSIDE SITTING FOR A PORTRAIT
WHEN HE SUDDENLY GRABBED HIS HEAD,
COMPLAINING OF A SHARP PAIN.
A FEW MINUTES LATER, AMERICA'S LONGEST-SERVING PRESIDENT
WOULD BE DEAD OF A MASSIVE CEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE.
ROOSEVELT'S LEGACY LIVES ON
IN A NATIONAL PARK THAT BEARS HIS NAME.
AFTER BATHING IN THE WARM SPRINGS NEARBY,
HE USED TO COME TO THIS PARK FOR PICNICS.
WITH 9,000 ACRES OF PROTECTED WILDERNESS,
THE F.D. ROOSEVELT STATE PARK
IS THE LARGEST STATE PARK IN GEORGIA.
TO THE SOUTH, IN SUMMERVILLE,
IS A VERY DIFFERENT KIND OF PARK.
THIS IS PARADISE GARDENS, THE LEGACY OF BAPTIST MINISTER
AND SELF-TAUGHT ARTIST HOWARD FINSTER.
IN 1961, FINSTER CLAIMED TO HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD
COMMANDING HIM TO CREATE SACRED ART,
AND THE REVEREND OBEYED.
HE USED FOUND MATERIALS LIKE BOTTLE CAPS,
RUSTY BICYCLE PARTS, AND OLD JEWELRY
TO CONSTRUCT THOUSANDS OF UNUSUAL WORKS OF ART.
MANY CONSIDER THIS HANDCRAFTED, 5-STORY BUILDING
TO BE HIS MASTERPIECE.
BUILT AROUND A PRE-EXISTING CHURCH,
IT'S KNOWN AS THE WORLD'S FOLK ART CHAPEL.
PARADISE GARDENS MAY LOOK FAMILIAR
TO FANS OF THE BAND R.E.M.
IT WAS FEATURED IN THE VIDEO FOR THEIR SONG RADIO FREE EUROPE,
AND FINSTER THEN WENT ON TO PAINT THEIR NEXT ALBUM COVER.
R.E.M. WAS JUST ONE OF THE GROUPS THAT EMERGED
FROM THE MUSIC SCENE IN THIS COLLEGE TOWN--ATHENS.
THE B-52s, PYLON, AND INDIGO GIRLS
ALSO GOT THEIR START HERE.
SO DID ACTRESS KIM BASINGER AND FOOTBALL LEGEND FRAN TARKENTON.
NOW THE FIFTH LARGEST CITY IN GEORGIA,
ATHENS GREW UP AROUND THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA.
OPENED IN 1801, IT WAS THE NATION'S FIRST
CHARTERED STATE UNIVERSITY.
THE SCHOOL'S FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYS ITS HOME GAMES HERE,
AT SANFORD STADIUM.
ORIGINALLY BUILT IN THE LATE 1920s BY CONVICT LABOR,
IT HAS SINCE EXPANDED FROM 30,000
TO MORE THAN 90,000 SEATS.
FROM THE AIR, YOU CAN SEE THE FAMOUS HEDGES
THAT HAVE ENCIRCLED THE FIELD EVER SINCE ITS OPENING GAME--
GEORGIA BULLDOGS VERSUS YALE BULLDOGS, 1929.
IT WAS THE YALE FOOTBALL TEAM'S FIRST VISIT TO THE SOUTH.
BUT AFTER THE BULLDOGS HAD BATTLED,
YALE WENT HOME DEFEATED, 15 TO NOTHING.
IT'S ABOUT 100 MILES FROM ATHENS TO ROME,
AT LEAST IN GEORGIA.
HERE, IN FRONT OF CITY HALL, STANDS A PERMANENT REMINDER
OF THE BOND BETWEEN OLD ROME AND NEW ROME--
A BRONZE REPLICA OF ITALY'S FAMED SCULPTURE
OF ROMULUS AND REMUS.
DURING WORLD WAR II, BECAUSE OF ITALY'S TIES TO NAZI GERMANY,
THE SCULPTURE WAS REMOVED AND REPLACED BY AN AMERICAN FLAG.
IT WAS RETURNED TO THIS SPOT IN 1952.
ROME PRIDES ITSELF ON ITS HISTORIC MAIN STREET.
REBUILT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR,
THIS REVITALIZED NEIGHBORHOOD
IS ONE OF THE BEST-PRESERVED VICTORIAN CITY CENTERS
IN ALL OF THE SOUTH.
SEEING GEORGIA FROM THE SKY, YOU QUICKLY COME TO REALIZE
HOW BEAUTIFUL, WILD, AND DIVERSE THIS STATE IS.
FROM A TIMBER TOWN TURNED BAVARIAN VILLAGE IN HELEN,
TO A GLOBAL VILLAGE
AT HABITAT FOR HUMANITY IN AMERICUS.
BUT ONE THING THAT'S LONG HELD GEORGIA TOGETHER
IS ITS RAILROADS.
SINCE THE TRAINS FIRST RAN IN THE 1830s,
MORE THAN 100 RAILWAYS HAVE OPERATED HERE--
LIKE THE HOOK AND EYE LINE, THE IRON BELT RAILROAD,
AND THE VIDALIA ROUTE.
DURING THE CIVIL WAR, THE RAILROADS PROVIDED
A CRITICAL NETWORK FOR CONFEDERATE TROOPS AND WEAPONS.
AS GENERAL SHERMAN BEGAN HIS FATEFUL MARCH
FROM ATLANTA TO SAVANNAH,
HE SET HIS SIGHTS ON THE RAILWAYS,
HUNDREDS OF MILES WORTH.
THE MELTED, TWISTED TRACKS HE LEFT BEHIND
BECAME KNOWN AS SHERMAN'S NECKTIES.
THIS HEARTH IS ALL THAT REMAINS OF A HOME HIS TROOPS BURNED--
ALL PART OF AN EFFORT TO DESTROY SOUTHERN MORALE
AND FORCE A SURRENDER.
"I WANT TO MAKE GEORGIA HOWL," HE SAID--AND HE SUCCEEDED.
A MONTH INTO SHERMAN'S MARCH,
HIS TROOPS WERE NEARING SAVANNAH,
BUT THEY WERE IN DESPERATE NEED OF SUPPLIES.
THE OGEECHEE RIVER COULD PROVIDE
A PERFECT DELIVERY ROUTE FOR OFFSHORE UNION SHIPS.
BUT THE OGEECHEE WAS UNDER THE PROTECTION
OF AN EARTHEN-WALLED CONFEDERATE STRONGHOLD
CALLED FORT McALLISTER.
DURING THE WAR, THE FORT HAD REPELLED
SEVEN ATTACKS FROM THE SEA,
BUT IT WAS VIRTUALLY HELPLESS AGAINST A STRONG LAND ATTACK.
ON DECEMBER 13, 1864, A DIVISION OF UNION SOLDIERS
LAID SIEGE TO THE FORT.
JUST 15 MINUTES LATER, THEY DECLARED VICTORY.
UNION SHIPS WERE NOW ABLE TO RENDEZVOUS WITH SHERMAN'S ARMY
AND PROVIDE THEM WITH THE SUPPLIES THEY NEEDED
TO STAGE THEIR ATTACK ON SAVANNAH.
BEFORE SHERMAN'S MEN EVEN ENTERED THE CITY,
THE OPPOSING CONFEDERATE GENERAL TURNED TAIL AND DISAPPEARED.
THE NEXT MORNING,
SAVANNAH'S MAYOR OFFERED A FORMAL SURRENDER.
TODAY, SAVANNAH IS A BUSTLING INDUSTRIAL CENTER
AND THE LARGEST PORT IN GEORGIA.
BUT THAT'S NOT WHAT DRAWS TOURISTS HERE.
THEY COME HERE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD
TO EXPERIENCE SOUTHERN CHARM, RICH CULTURAL HISTORY,
AND, IN THIS CASE, A SPOOKY CONNECTION TO THE PAST.
SAVANNAH'S BONAVENTURE CEMETERY IS THE TITLE CHARACTER
IN AUTHOR JOHN BERENDT'S BEST-SELLING NOVEL,
MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL,
WITH THE CEMETERY FEATURED HEAVILY IN THE PLOT.
THE BIRD GIRL SCULPTURE THAT GRACES THE BOOK'S COVER
WAS REMOVED FROM HERE SHORTLY AFTER PUBLICATION
AND DONATED TO A LOCAL MUSEUM TO KEEP IT SAFE FROM TOURISTS.
BUT OTHER GHOSTLY FIGURES CAN STILL BE GLIMPSED
BETWEEN THE MOURNFUL TREES, DRAPED IN SPANISH MOSS.
AMONG THE NOTEWORTHY RESIDENTS HERE
ARE SONGWRITER JOHNNY MERCER, WRITER CONRAD AIKEN,
AND 6-YEAR-OLD GRACIE WATSON, A SAVANNAH GIRL
WHO DIED OF PNEUMONIA JUST BEFORE EASTER SUNDAY 1889.
ONE NEW ORLEANS MINISTER WROTE TO HIS WIFE,
"BONAVENTURE CEMETERY IS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO DIE."
HE THEN TRAVELED STRAIGHT HERE AND COMMITTED SUICIDE.
MANY GHOST HUNTERS CLAIM THAT THIS IS THE MOST HAUNTED
CEMETERY IN THE UNITED STATES.
IF ONLY THE SPIRITS COULD TALK, WHAT TALES THEY WOULD TELL
OF 200 DRAMATIC YEARS IN GEORGIA HISTORY.
GEORGIA'S 100-MILE-LONG COASTLINE
IS ONE OF AMERICA'S GREAT NATURAL TREASURES--
THE LONGEST UNBROKEN STRETCH OF
WILD ATLANTIC BEACHFRONT AND MARSH ON THE EAST COAST.
AND THERE'S NO BETTER WAY TO TAKE IN ITS RUGGED BEAUTY
THAN FROM THE AIR.
13 BARRIER ISLANDS, NICKNAMED THE GOLDEN ISLES,
LINE THE COAST, SEPARATED FROM THE MAINLAND
BY DEEP TIDAL INLETS.
SOARING OVER THESE ISLANDS
IS A JOURNEY INTO GEORGIA'S COLONIAL PAST.
AT THEIR NORTHERNMOST POINT
A 150-YEAR-OLD LIGHTHOUSE GUARDS COCKSPUR ISLAND.
THE COAST PROBABLY LOOKS MUCH THE SAME AS IT DID
WHEN ENGLISH CHAPLAIN JOHN WESLEY,
ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF METHODISM,
FIRST ARRIVED HERE IN 1736, ON HIS WAY TO SAVANNAH.
LONG AFTER WESLEY SAILED AWAY, THE ISLAND BECAME HOME
TO FORT PULASKI, BUILT BETWEEN 1829 AND 1847
TO PROTECT THE EASTERN SEABOARD.
THE MOAT SURROUNDING THE FORT IS BETWEEN 30 AND 48 FEET WIDE
WITH AN AVERAGE DEPTH OF 8 FEET.
TODAY, TURTLES AND ALLIGATORS MAKE THEIR HOME
JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE.
WHEN THIS OUTPOST WAS BUILT, BRICK FORTS WERE CONSIDERED
THE BEST FORM OF DEFENSE IN THE WORLD.
BUT THAT WOULD CHANGE DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
ON APRIL 10, 1862, UNION TROOPS LAUNCHED THEIR ATTACK
ON FORT PULASKI WITH A BRAND NEW TECHNOLOGY: THE RIFLED CANNON.
ABLE TO FIRE LONGER DISTANCES WITH GREATER ACCURACY,
THIS WEAPONRY COMPLETELY DOMINATED THE FORT
IN A MATTER OF 30 HOURS.
THE DAMAGE IS STILL VISIBLE.
NOT WANTING TO EXPOSE THE GARRISON TO FURTHER DESTRUCTION,
CONFEDERATE GENERAL CHARLES OLMSTEAD SURRENDERED.
NO ONE WOULD EVER BUILD A BRICK FORT AGAIN.
NONE OF GEORGIA'S BARRIER ISLANDS
HAS A MORE FASCINATING HISTORY THAN THIS ONE--
A MORE THAN 5,000-ACRE WILDLIFE REFUGE
NAMED FOR THE WORLD'S MOST NOTORIOUS BUCCANEER.
THIS IS BLACKBEARD ISLAND.
BLACKBEARD WAS KNOWN TO PLUNDER MERCHANT SHIPS
OFF THE GEORGIA COAST IN THE EARLY 18th CENTURY.
LEGEND HAS IT, HE AND HIS MEN CAME TO THIS ISLAND
TO STASH THEIR LOOT AND HIDE OUT BETWEEN RAIDS.
BLACKBEARD'S CAREER CAME TO A GRISLY END IN 1718,
WHEN HE DIED IN A BLOODY BATTLE IN NORTH CAROLINA.
IT'S SAID HIS HEADLESS GHOST STILL WALKS THIS ISLAND,
GUARDING HIS BURIED TREASURE.
IN 1800, THE U.S. NAVY PURCHASED BLACKBEARD ISLAND
AS A SOURCE OF LUMBER FOR SHIPBUILDING.
THEN, IN 1880, IT BECAME A QUARANTINE STATION
TO MONITOR INCOMING SAILORS FOR YELLOW FEVER.
A FEW YEARS EARLIER, THIS MOSQUITO-BORNE DISEASE
HAD REACHED EPIDEMIC PROPORTIONS,
KILLING 1,000 PEOPLE IN SAVANNAH ALONE.
THE ISLAND IS NOW A NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE,
PROVIDING SAFE HAVEN FOR MIGRATORY BIRDS
AND ENDANGERED LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLES.
SOME 10 MILES AWAY
IS THE MOST REMOTE AND DESOLATE OF GEORGIA'S COASTAL JEWELS--
LITTLE ST. SIMON'S ISLAND.
IT'S LUCKY TO HAVE SURVIVED IN SUCH PRISTINE CONDITION.
IN 1908, NEW YORK'S EAGLE PENCIL COMPANY
PURCHASED THIS 10,000-ACRE ISLAND
WITH THE INTENTION OF HARVESTING ITS VAST RED CEDAR FORESTS.
BUT AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT, THE WOOD HERE WAS TOO DAMAGED
BY SALT AND WIND FOR PENCIL MAKING.
BY THE TIME EAGLE WAS READY TO CALL IT QUITS,
THE COMPANY'S OWNER HAD FALLEN IN LOVE WITH THIS PLACE
AND BOUGHT IT FOR HIMSELF.
THE ISLAND REMAINS IN HIS FAMILY,
UNDEVELOPED AND ACCESSIBLE ONLY BY BOAT.
TO HELP PROTECT ITS UNSPOILED WILDLIFE HABITATS,
ONLY 32 VISITORS ARE ALLOWED ON LITTLE ST. SIMON'S
AT ANY ONE TIME.
JEKYLL ISLAND, ON THE OTHER HAND, IS A TOURIST PARADISE,
ITS COASTS LINED WITH VACATION HOMES.
THE ISLAND WAS FIRST DEVELOPED IN THE LATE 1800s
AS A WINTER RESORT FOR NORTHERN BUSINESSMEN,
LIKE J.P. MORGAN, JOSEPH PULITZER,
AND WILLIAM VANDERBILT, WHO BUILT ELABORATE ESTATES HERE.
THEY WERE AMONG THE CHARTER MEMBERS
OF THE JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB, DESCRIBED AS "THE RICHEST,
THE MOST EXCLUSIVE, THE MOST INACCESSIBLE CLUB IN THE WORLD."
TODAY, THE CLUBHOUSE HAS BEEN RENOVATED
INTO A LUXURIOUS HOTEL.
THE BUILDING IS STEEPED IN THE GRANDEUR OF THE GILDED AGE,
AND THE GROUNDS ARE HOME
TO A TOURNAMENT-LEVEL CROQUET GREEN.
THE LARGEST JEWEL IN GEORGIA'S COASTAL NECKLACE
IS CUMBERLAND ISLAND, KNOWN FOR ITS PRISTINE MARITIME FORESTS,
LUSH MARSHES, AND UNDEVELOPED BEACHES.
SPANISH EXPLORERS FIRST ARRIVED HERE IN 1566,
NAMING THE ISLAND SAN PEDRO.
OVER THE NEXT 100 YEARS, THEY BUILT FORTS AND MISSIONS HERE.
BUT BY THE TIME ENGLISH GENERAL JAMES OGLETHORPE ARRIVED
IN 1736, THE SPANIARDS WERE GONE.
IN 1955, THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NAMED THE ISLAND
ONE OF THE BEST COASTAL RECREATION AREAS IN THE COUNTRY.
BUT WHILE MUCH OF THE ISLAND'S UNTOUCHED COASTLINE
LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING FROM ANOTHER WORLD,
LIFELESS IT IS NOT.
LEGEND HAS IT THAT WILD PONIES LIKE THESE HAVE BEEN HERE
AS FAR BACK AS THE 16th CENTURY,
THE LEGACY OF ITS EARLIEST SPANISH SETTLERS.
LOOK FROM ABOVE, AND YOU CAN ALSO SEE A HUMAN FOOTPRINT,
OR AT LEAST THE REMAINS OF ONE.
DUNGENESS MANSION WAS BUILT BY THOMAS CARNEGIE
AS A WINTER RETREAT FOR HIS WIFE AND NINE CHILDREN.
IN ITS HEYDAY,
THIS SCOTTISH-STYLE CASTLE WAS THE HEIGHT OF EXCESS,
BOASTING 59 ROOMS, SWIMMING POOLS, A GOLF COURSE,
AND A STAFF OF 200 SERVANTS.
THE CARNEGIES LEFT THE ISLAND AFTER THE GREAT DEPRESSION
AND IN 1959, A SUSPICIOUS FIRE
TURNED THE ONCE GLORIOUS MANSION INTO RUBBLE.
ABOUT 50 MILES INLAND FROM THE GEORGIA COAST,
WATER MEETS EARTH IN A DRAMATIC DANCE.
THIS IS THE 402,000-ACRE SWAMPLAND
KNOWN AS THE OKEFENOKEE-- A NATIVE AMERICAN TERM
MEANING "THE LAND OF THE TREMBLING EARTH."
SURE ENOUGH, SOFT PEAT DEPOSITS, SOME UP TO 15 FEET DEEP,
COVER THE REGION.
JUMP UP AND DOWN IN SOME PLACES AND THE TREES AROUND YOU SHAKE.
IT'S THE LARGEST INTACT WETLAND SWAMP IN NORTH AMERICA.
FOR DECADES, INDUSTRY EXPLOITED THE SWAMP'S RESOURCES,
PLUNDERING ITS FORESTS FOR LUMBER.
BUT IN 1936, THE U.S. GOVERNMENT STEPPED IN
TO PROTECT THIS WONDROUS PLACE AND ITS WILDLIFE.
TODAY, THE OKEFENOKEE IS THE EPITOME OF WILD GEORGIA
AND A CELEBRATION OF NATURE'S VICTORY OVER HUMAN GREED.
FROM ITS WILD SWAMPS, TO ITS HIGHEST PEAKS,
DOWN ITS FREE-SPIRITED COAST,
GEORGIA IS A STATE AS RICH IN NATURAL WONDERS
AS IT IS IN ITS SPAN OF HISTORY.
FROM THE SITE OF AN ANCIENT MYSTERY,
TO KEY BATTLEFIELDS OF THE CIVIL WAR,
TO CITIES AND TOWNS DECIMATED BY CONFLICT
AND ECONOMIC HARD TIMES.
THROUGH IT ALL, GEORGIA HAS PERSEVERED,
PRODUCING GREAT WRITERS, A PRESIDENT,
AND ONE OF THE GREATEST CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS
THE WORLD HAS EVER KNOWN.
IT'S EASY TO SEE WHY GEORGIA HAS EARNED THE TITLE
"THE EMPIRE STATE OF THE SOUTH."