It is the artist’s business to create sunshine when the sun fails.
-Romain Rolland
‘Jingle Bells’ was written here.
Unitarian Church, Savannah, GA
Horses and carriages still plow through Savannah’s streets as they did for centuries, but are there any one-horse open sleighs? Since it doesn’t snow here, Savannah has never seen them. It may surprise you that Savannah is the home of one of the most famous songs about enjoying the snow. James Lord Pierpont published “One Horse Open Sleigh,” also known as “Jingle Bells,” in Savannah on September 16, 1857. It was once considered a joke and was later used as a drinking song. The idea of a man and a woman taking an unchaperoned ride into the woods was improper.
Pierpont is said to have written the song while visiting his girlfriend in Medford, Massachusetts. A plaque in Medford claims that Pierpont wrote “Jingle Bells”, in 1850 at Simpson’s Tavern, “in the presence Mrs. Otis Waterman,” and was inspired by the Salem Street Sleigh Races. Pierpont was an organist and music director at the Unitarian Church of Savannah when the song was published. His brother, Rev. John Pierpont, Jr. was a minister. Georgia historians disagree that Medford claims to have written the song. They believe Pierpont wrote “Jingle Bells” in Savannah while he was nostalgic for New England. Although the truth of this story is still open to debate, Savannah has more documented evidence.
Jingle Bells Historical Marker
Side note: Although he was the son and Boston abolitionist Rev. James Pierpont, John Pierpont was an active Confederacy member and wrote martial songs such as “Strike for the South” and “We Conquer or Die.” Not exactly singalong hits.
Interesting Fact:
The song was originally written for Thanksgiving, but over the years it became associated with Christmas and the holiday season.
A pair of eateries that “provide real-world experiences” for students at the Culinary Institute of the South recently opened at Buckwalter Place, school officials said. The Clist Café and The Bistro… Read more.
A pair of eateries that “provide real-world experiences” for students at the Culinary Institute of the South recently opened at Buckwalter Place, school officials said. The Clist Café and The Bistro… Read more.
Creative Coast February Social @ Service Brewing happening at Service Brewing Co., 574 Indian Street, Savannah, United States on Thu Feb 17 2022 at 05:30 pm to 07:30 pm Read more.
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