Ed Jackson and Charles Pou

The University of Georgia

August 27

1881 A deadly hurricane hit the coast of Georgia killing an estimated 700 people and leaving an unknown number homeless.

1893 On the evening of Aug. 27, a major hurricane hit Georgia's southern coast. The path of the hurricane then traveled northward along the coast, with storm surges and tides submerging many of Georgia's barrier islands – which led to it being called the "Sea Islands Hurricane.". The center of the hurricane hit Savannah and Charleston the next day. In Charleston alone, more than 1,000 people drowned as a result of a tidal surge. Left in the wake of the storm in Georgia and South Carolina were up to 2,000 dead and more than 30,000 homeless. Gov. William Northen called Clara Barton and the Red Cross for help. 

Based on his historical research on the impact of hurricanes that have hit the coasts of Georgia and northeast Florida, Al Sandrik, a senior forecaster and meteorologist at the National Weather Service, had this to say about the Aug. 27, 1893, hurricane:

"The hurricane was a true Cape Verde type hurricane which may be tracked back to the African coast on the 15th of August. The storm made landfall as a major hurricane southwest of Tybee Island and was in the process of recurving toward the north as it did so. The storm passed a bit to the east of Jekyll and St. Simons Islands, placing them on the weaker western side. The minimum sea level pressure recorded at Savannah was 28.36 inches or 960.3 mb. Frances Ho produced a re-evaluation of the extreme hurricanes of the 19th century back in 1989 and estimated a central pressure of 27.50 inches or 931 mb at landfall. Put into 20th century terms this would have tied for the 7th most intense hurricane to strike the United States in the 20th century. "Put in more human terms it was of equal intensity to the Galveston Hurricane of Sept 1900 (which is now estimated to have been the 2nd most deadly storm in the Atlantic Basin in the last 500 years and killed between 8,000 and 12,000 people). The death toll associated with the 1893 storm is likely the 20th most deadly storm of the past 500 years.

"In terms of deaths, the greatest disasters in American history would rank about as follows:

Note the greatest disasters by far have been related to Tropical Cyclones and TWO of those occurred along the upper Georgia coast!"

1931 Gov. Richard Russell signed Georgia's first law regulating outdoor advertising along highways.

Among the provisions was a prohibition on advertising in the right-of-ways along public roads and erecting signs on private property without written permission of the owner of that property.

1962 Albany-born Ray Charles' "You Don't Know Me" reached the top of popular music charts.

1963 Former Atlanta University professor and civil rights leader W.E.B. Du Bois died at age 95 in Accra, Ghana. For almost 25 years, Du Bois taught and wrote as a faculty member at Atlanta University, later recalling that it was this period where he developed many of his thoughts and beliefs on black equality. He is probably best remembered for helping organize the Niagara Movement in 1905 and for co-founding the NAACP four years later.

Later in life, Du Bois became bitter about the progress of civil rights in America. In 1961, he openly embraced communism and moved to Ghana, where he renounced his U.S. citizenship.

1976 Former Georgia Governor Lester Maddox was nominated for President by the American Independent Party.

1996 Georgians played a prominent role in this night's proceedings of the Democratic National Convention meeting in Chicago. First Gov. Zell Miller, co-chairman of the National Democratic Party's platform committee, called the Republican Party to task for its platform and the personal attacks against Bill and Hillary Clinton.

Georgia U.S. Representatives John Lewis and Cynthia McKinney defended the Democratic platform on abortion and Medicare. Perhaps the most moving speech of the night by a Georgian was by Carolyn Stradley of Marietta, who confided that she didn't vote for Clinton in 1992 but that since his election her struggling business had dramatically grown because of the robust economy during the past four years. She felt Clinton was responsible, and in 1996 she was going to support him.

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1735 In what would become a recurring plea, Georgia colonist Patrick Tailfer wrote the Trustees on behalf of himself and others outlining reasons why they should reverse their ban on slavery:

"We, all having land in your colony of Georgia and having come here chiefly with a design to settle upon and improve our land, find that it is next to an impossibility to do it without the use of Negroes. For in the first place, most part of our white servants not being used to so hot a climate can't bear the scorching rays of the sun in the summer when they are at work in the woods, without falling into distempers which render them useless for almost one half of the year. Second, there is a great deal of difference betwixt the expense of white servants and Negroes, for Negroes can endure this climate almost without any clothes, only a cap, jacket and pair of trousers made of some coarse woollen stuff in the winter and one pair of shoes; where white men must be clothed as Europeans proportionable to the season all the year throughout. And then as to their diet, the charge of maintaining Negroes is much less than of white men, for the first live in good plight and health upon salt, Indian corn and potatoes which they raise themselves with no expense to the master but the seed and having nothing to drink but water; whereas white men must be fed with flesh meat, bread and other victuals suitable to the European diet which they have been used to and bred up with from their infancy, and must likewise have beer or other strong liquors in due quantities for their drink, otherwise they turn feeble and languid and are not capable to perform their work. Thirdly, there are a great many disadvantages attend the use of white servants here which do not Negroes, for we have white servants only for a short time, being generally indented for four or at most five years, one of which at least is lost by their frequent sickness . . . . Nay let us take all possible care we could, they would be continually stealing and embezzling our goods and, which is a worse consequence, forming plots and treasonable designs against the colony . . . . Another great disadvantage is their frequent running away which they have must more opportunity of doing than Negroes, for there is no law as yet made to take up people who are traveling, nor could it easily be distinguished whether they were servants or not; where Negroes would always be known and taken into custody unless they could produce a certificate from their master. . . ."

Source: Mills Lane (ed.), General Oglethorpe's Georgia: Colonial Letters, 1733-1743 (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1990), Vol. I, pp. 225-226.

1738 George Whitefield recorded of his decision to return to England for a time, but (as colonists did so frequently) didn't fail to mention the weather:

"Sunday, August 27. GOD having now shewn both me and my Friends that it was his Will that I should return for a while to England: This Afternoon I preached my Farewell Sermon, to the great Grief of my dear Parishioners, for their Hearts I found were very full as well as mine, which they expressed by shedding many Tears. But a sensible Alteration appear'd in their Countenances, when I promised them solemnly before GOD to return as soon as possible. The Weather was exceeding hot, and the Greatness of the Congregation made it still hotter, but GOD enabled me to preach with Power."

Source: [no author or editor cited], Our First Visit in America: Early Reports from the Colony of Georgia, 1732-1740 (Savannah: Beehive Press, 1974), p. 296.

1739 Salzburger pastor Johann Martin Boltzius wrote in his journal of a general unhappiness among Georgia's non-Salzburger colonists:

"Under God's protection, I returned tonight from Savannah, arriving just when the people were in the prayer meeting. I am glad to be back home among our listeners and with my dear colleague, where I am much quieter and happier than in other places. In other places [in Savannah and Purysburg] one hears and sees almost nothing but unpleasant and sad stories; and, since one cannot help, one would rather stay home than be there. [In Savannah, there is much discord among those who are appointed as authorities above the people, and it has led to several annoying legal proceedings. If the authority of Mr. Oglethorpe, who is still among the Indians, cannot settle these matters, it will go from bad to worse."

Source: George Fenwick Jones and Don Savelle (ed. and trans.), Detailed Reports on the Salzburger Emigrants Who Settled in America . . . Edited by Samuel Urlsperger (Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1981), Vol. 6, p. 192.

1864 Harper's Weekly printed some images from the Battle of Ezra Church.

1865 In this morning's sermon at the Methodist Church in Washington, Georgia, 25-year-old Eliza Frances Andrews felt that the eyes of the congregation were on her, as she recorded in her journal:

"The bolt has fallen. Mr. Adams, the Methodist minister, launched the thunders of the church against dancing, in his morning discourse. Mr. Montgomery wanted to turn his guns on us, too, but his elders spiked them. I could not help being amused when Mr. Adams placed dancing in the same category with bribery, gambling, drunkenness, and murder. He fell hard upon wicked Achan, who caused Israel to sin, and I saw some of the good brethren on the "amen" benches turn their eyes upon me. I was sitting near the pulpit, under full fire, and half-expected to hear him call me "Jezabel," but I suppose he is reserving his heavy ammunition for the grand attack he is going to make next Sunday. The country preachers have been attacking us, too, from all quarters. I understand that some of them have given Washington over to destruction, and the country people call it "Sodom." I thought I should die laughing when I first heard of this name being applied to our quiet, innocent little village – though it might not have been such a misnomer when the "righteous Lot" was in our midst. It is a pity that good, pious people, as some of these preachers undoubtedly are, should be so blinded by prejudice. I wish we had an Episcopal Church established here to serve as a refuge for the many worthy people who are not gamblers and murderers, but who like to indulge in a little dancing now and then."

Source: Eliza Frances Andrews, The War-Time Journal of a Georgia Girl, 1864-65 (New York: Appleton, 1908), pp. 381-382.