WCHS Program - January 2020 - Sherman’s March on and Destruction of Atlanta

The Wakulla County Historical Society’s program on Tuesday, January 14 at 4:30 p.m. in the Wakulla County Public Library, 4330 Crawfordville Hwy., Crawfordville, FL, will feature Steve Fentriss with a presentation on Sherman’s March on and Destruction of Atlanta during the Civil War.  Steve will show comparison photographs of the way sites looked then and how they look now.  It was late summer when a Neptune Beach and childhood neighbor gave Steve a $100 Confederate bill as a parting gift just before his family relocated to Richmond, Virginia. This inspired an interest in Civil War history as he was entering the first grade and while Virginia was preparing for its 1961 – 1965 centennial celebrations. Steve would spend his high school years in Williamsburg, Virginia, the state’s restored colonial capital, and it was here that his first camera was purchased. Upon the chance discovery of a Matthew Brady photograph publication, Steve recognized that many vestiges of the Civil War were still intact and that then-and-now photos may perhaps be of some future historical interest. Over the next four decades Steve and his wife Patty have followed the steps of Brady and other Civil War photographers accumulating and taking hundreds of comparison images. Fascinating people, experiences and adventures have occurred along the way but the $100 Confederate bill has long disappeared.

Steve and Patty found Wakulla County on a visit to Natural Bridge and have been residents since 2016. Steve is a retired real estate appraiser and businessman. Their newest then-and-now presentation is being sponsored by the Wakulla County Historical Society and will feature selected images pertaining to Sherman’s march on and destruction of Atlanta. This presentation begins at 4:30 p.m. on January 14th at the Wakulla County Public Library in Medart. The public is cordially invited and there is no charge to attend this event.