With military precision, the Hancocks and Moodys quickly assemble their tents, chairs and food in the first square on the parade route. It’s planned to.
2021 Jasper Green Ceremony crowds limited due to pandemic
2021 Jasper Green Ceremony crowds limited due to pandemic By WTOC Staff and Mariah Congedo | March 16, 2021 at 3:44 PM EDT - Updated March 16 at 11:30 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The 2021 Jasper Green Ceremony was held in Savannah on Tuesday afternoon with limited attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event memorializes Revolutionary War hero Sgt. William Jasper. A Savannah military unit was named in his honor in 1842, The Irish Jasper Greens, but it honors all U.S. military, past and present, of Irish descent and otherwise.
Sgt. Jasper bravely recaptured his brigade’s banner during the Siege of Savannah despite being mortally wounded in the battle. On the day before St. Patrick’s Day every year, a wreath is laid at the Jasper monument in honor of the military.
Many Savannahians, Irish and non-Irish alike, were disheartened at the news of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade’s cancelation for the second year in a row due to the ongoing pandemic. Savannah locals love decking out in every shade of green and playing host to more than 400,000 visitors from all over the world, joining together to celebrate the city’s Irish heritage and have a drink or 10. The biggest party of the year may have been cancelled but the Irish heart and history of Savannah can be found everywhere you look.
Irish men and women were among the first settlers of Savannah in 1733 when it became the first city of Georgia, the 13th and final colony. But their major influence began in the 1830s and 40s after a large influx of Irish immigrants arrived looking for work and later escaping the potato famine in Ireland, according to the Georgia Historical Society. Contributions of the Irish in Savannah go far beyond a single day with much of the city’s foundation and cap