New book ‘Surviving Savannah’ details steamship Pulaski disaster
By Mariah Congedo | March 9, 2021 at 10:44 PM EST - Updated March 9 at 11:44 PM
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - A new book hit the shelves Tuesday called Surviving Savannah.
It’s all about the steamship Pulaski that exploded nearly 200 years ago off the coast of North Carolina. It carried many Savannah families and is a story the author says drew her in because it was often left untold.
For more than three years, Patti Callahan has researched the explosion and wrote her 15th novel about it. Callahan says around the time she started writing the book, the remains of the ship were found.
When the explosion happened, she says the ship was on its fourth journey. It would travel from Savannah to Charleston to Baltimore and then back to Savannah.
The book, Callahan says, is a great read for locals because it honors the people of Savannah who perished and it’s an important piece of history.
“There’s a lot of Savannah history in this book,” she said. “It’s interesting history. It’s not the dry history of facts and dates, but it’s the history that affects the families of Savannah. If you’re affecting the families of Savannah in 1838, you’re affecting the lives of Savannah people today.”
You find the book at all bookstores and online. Callahan says if anyone knows anyone or has descendants of anyone who survived or perished from the tragedy to reach out to her and share their story. You can contact her on Facebook.
Read More About the Author and SURVIVING SAVANNAH.
