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In the late 1700s, the New World was wild, and famed naturalist William Bartram wrote all about that wildness in his book “Bartram’s Travels.” He tells of alligator-like creatures that some called a sea serpent in the Savannah River just downstream from Augusta GA. In this episode of Stories, Secrets and Sagas, we recount what Bartram – and many others – claimed to have witnessed and let you draw your own conclusion. What exactly was this creature in the Savannah River?

EPISODE TRANSCRIPT
In the late 1700s, famed naturalist William Bartram wrote about his explorations in the Southeast. The book was called “Bartram’s Travels”, and in one account he speaks of the alligator as being a terrible monster. I quote, “Clouds of smoke issues from his dilated nostrils. The earth trembles with his thunder.” Pretty dramatic stuff! After all, this was the New World.

Just look at all the early illustrations of wild monsters and serpents that the explorers used on their maps. We know today those didn’t exist, but to those men roughing the open sea for weeks and months on end, seeing a great white shark or octopus may have appeared dragon-like.

So, when you hear of a sea serpent in the Savannah River, just downstream from Augusta, Georgia in the early 1800s, you have to take it with a grain of salt; right? Or was there something more?

It was written about in the local paper, the Augusta Chronicle on both September 5th and 9th of 1820, and again in 1888. In an excerpt from the article the Chronicle writes: “The monster in the deep has at last made his appearance in the Savannah River. He was discovered coming up about 5 o’clock on last Thursday and was witnessed by several respectable citizens of this place. His gate appeared to be slow, but regular – we had not an exact view of him, but from appearance, he seemed to be about 60 feet in length, his head appeared to be about 6 feet in circumference – he appeared and disappeared at intervals of about ten minutes – He seemed to be of various colors.”

This does sound pretty amazing! We are talking about a giant creature with a head about 6 feet in circumference!?! That is huge!!! A few days later, on September 9th, the headline reported that the sea serpent had been captured.

Again, according to the Augusta Chronicle, “In endeavoring to force himself over the shoals, he floundered, and laid high and dry, exposed to the entire observation of a vast multitude of every age, sex and condition, who thronged in tumultuous disorder to see this wonderful and formidable production of nature.”

From there, the account gets pretty gruesome. If you don’t understand what something is, well, what do you do? Apparently, to that crowd, you kill it!

Yes, again as quoted, “An Alabamian of herculean stature, succeeded in bestriding his aquatic adversary, and inserted his thumbs into his eyes.”

So, what was this creature that came up the Savannah River? We will never truly know. Some say it was a huge Sturgeon, others say a giant Herring. During this period of time, anything could have been possible, well, except for a sea serpent. But, whatever it was, the creature took its mystery with it. I’ll see you next time on Stories, Secrets and Sagas.

LOCATION

Augusta, Georgia
Latitude: 33.472488
Longitude: -81.964401

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