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Modena

November 15, 2024 by

Hidden Histories, Historical Marker Resource

Modena

This Hidden History was created by SCAD student Layla Yangfen Li as part of her SCAD art history department coursework, with guidance from art history professor Holly Goldstein, Ph.D., in 2022.

The Modena historical marker was dedicated in 1987. View the Modena historical marker listing.

Gallery

Illustrations Expand

1. Modena Plantation Marker text. Courtesy of the Georgia Historical Society.

2. Current position of Modena. 2018. Top Row Dawg. Georgia Natural Wonder.

3. Dorothy “Dickie” and Robert Roebling. Courtesy of Wainwright Ripley (Rip) Roebling

4. Painting on the silk. 1882. Courtesy of the Georgia Historical Society.

5. Feeding silkworm step. Courtesy of the Farm Bureau Georgia.

6. Silk dress. 1761. Courtesy of the Georgia Historical Society.

7. Silk Cocoon and Pearl Earrings, Layla Yanfeng Li, 2022

Artist Statement Expand

To sum up, the silk industry was not successful, mainly because of the weather. The climate was unsuitable for the growth of silkworms. The archives of the Georgia Historical Society also record that the silk industry in Georgia never became self-sufficient or profitable. However, the English aristocracy did not want to give up this only source of silk. Modena plantation no longer exists, but it is an important marker for historians studying history. I wanted to study the silk industry and silk-producing agriculture in Georgia. I am a jewelry designer, and my original artwork is a set of silkworm-inspired earrings. The bells on my earrings are made of actual silk cocoons, inset with pearls representing the silkworm and the genesis of the hope for a profitable silk industry. (Figure 7)

Further Reading Expand

[i] “Modena.” Georgia Historical Society, https://www.georgiahistory.com/ghmi_marker_updated/modena/

[ii] “Hair of the Dawg.” Www.hairofthedawg.net, www.hairofthedawg.net/forum/read.php?8. Accessed 27 May 2022.

[iii] “Modena Plantation.” Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, www.skio.uga.edu/about/modena_plantation/. Accessed 28 May 2022.

[iv] Spracher, Luciana ,Colonial Sericulture, Georgia’s Promise 1733-1772, EO5870 Dr.Howard Geography of North America, December 2000, P3

[v] McKinstry,Mary Thomas, The Georgia Historical Quarterly , SEPTEMBER, 1930, Vol. 14, No. 3 (SEPTEMBER, 1930), pp. 225-235

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Jepson House Education Center*

104 W. Gaston Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-651-2125

Open: Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
*BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Research Center

501 Whitaker Street
Savannah, GA 31401
912-651-2128

Open: Wednesday–Friday
12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
First and third Saturdays
10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Atlanta office*

One Baltimore Place NW, Suite G300
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-382-5410

Open: Monday–Friday
9:00 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
*BY APPOINTMENT ONLY

Charity Navigator

The Georgia Historical Society has been awarded its eleventh consecutive 4-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, the largest charity evaluator in America, for sound fiscal management and commitment to accountability and transparency, a distinction that places The Society among an elite 1% of non-profit organizations in America.

Privacy Policy
Financial Statements

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