Monday, October 27, 2008

Savannah's Battery Backus in Danger

The October 27th Savannah (Ga) Morning News had a report by Chuck Mobley about the concern regarding Battery Backus, an 1898 fortification built on Tybee Island to protect the city from foreign attack.

It is up for sale for $2.1 million and, since it is right on the oceanfront, fear is that it will be torn down for a beach mansion. It is listed at 21 and 23 Pulaski Street.

Earlier this month, it was put on the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation's "10 Places in Peril" list.

It's construction began in the Spanish-American War and continued into the 1900s. It was one of seven batteries that made up Fort Screven. It was occupied during both world wars and deactivated in 1945.

Nearby Battery Gantt is now the foundation for a beach house. Backus is one of only two of Fort Screven's six batteries that have not been completely altered. At one time, the whole fort had about 265 buildings and only half of those remain today. Restoration of Battery Backus is possible, but not without government assistance.

Save the Battery!! --Old Coot

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