Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) will host a special discussion about “Revolutionary Savannah: The Story of 19 Revolutionary War Cannons Recovered from the Savannah River” on Thursday, October 10 at the HSF headquarters, located at 321 E. York St., as part of the 2024 Historic Savannah Foundation Lecture Series, “People, Places and Stories That Define Savannah.” Attendees are invited to a wine reception at 5:30 p.m. The discussion will start at 6 p.m.

This event will feature Coastal Heritage Society Chief Curator Catherine Duffy discussing the discovery of 19 Revolutionary War era cannons in the Savannah River in 2021. She will speak about the conservation process, share exciting updates on the artifacts’ historic origins and explain how these discoveries shed light on Savannah’s role in the American Revolution. 

Discovered during the Savannah Harbor Expansion Project, the 19 cannons and more than a dozen additional artifacts comprise one of the largest collections of Revolutionary War artillery ever recovered from a single naval event. The artifacts, which are believed to be relics of the 1779 Siege of Savannah, were hidden below the surface of the river for 240 years.

Since the recovery of the cannons and other antiquities, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, Georgia State Department of Natural Resources and Coastal Heritage Society have joined forces to conserve these historic treasures, with Coastal Heritage Society taking responsibility for their stewardship and future care. The artifacts are currently undergoing an extensive conservation process at the Conservation Research Laboratory at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Once the process is complete, the cannons and Revolutionary War artifacts will be displayed in a new core exhibition at the Savannah History Museum, which is operated by Coastal Heritage Society. The “Loyalists & Liberty: Savannah in the American Revolution” exhibit will offer a more complete story of Savannah’s participation in the nation’s fight for independence.

“A discovery of this magnitude has local, regional and national significance, as each cannon and artifact reveals untold stories about the Revolutionary War and adds another layer to Savannah’s treasured history,” said Historic Savannah Foundation CEO and President Sue Adler. “Catherine’s lecture will showcase the tremendous work and collaborative efforts of numerous agencies required to preserve the artifacts that fill our museums and inform our understanding of Savannah’s history.” 

A museum professional with more than 15 years of experience, Duffy has led many community-focused projects and exhibitions for Coastal Heritage Society and other East Coast-based institutions such as the Orange County Regional History Center, The History Center in Thompkins County and The Strong National Museum of Play. Her work has been recognized with industry honors, including the AASLH Leadership in History Award of Excellence, History in Progress and several Southeastern Museum Conferences Gold Exhibition awards. She earned a Master of Nonprofit Management from the University of Central Florida and a B.F.A. in Interior Design from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

The next speaker in HSF’s 2024 Lecture Series will be acclaimed local urban designer Christian Sottile and Matt West discussing the “Renovation of Regina Coeli Hall at Cathedral of St. John the Baptist: A New Chapter in the History of a Savannah Landmark” on November 14. For more information about the HSF Lecture Series, please visit myhsf.org. 

Historic Savannah Foundation’s 2024 Lecture Series is open to the public. Reservations are recommended, as space is limited. Attendance is free for Historic Savannah Foundation members and $15 for non-members. Members and non-members may RSVP by emailing Kendall Graham at [email protected] or calling 912-233-7787, ext. 109.