Christmas carols tend to focus on northern climes. When you hear songs about snowmen and sleigh rides, your mind is likely to go to New England or the uppermost reaches of the Midwest, not the South. We know how to celebrate Christmas in Georgia, but most of the Peach State doesn’t get white Christmases very often, if ever. For some areas of the state, even a light dusting of snow is a once-a-decade event. It may surprise you, then, to learn that one of the most famous Christmas songs of all was possibly written right here in Georgia. The birthplace of the song “Jingle Bells” is actually a hotly-contested battle between Georgia and Massachusetts.
Here’s what’s known for sure. “Jingle Bells” (actually published as “The One Horse Open Sleigh”) was copyrighted in 1857 by James Lord Pierpont, a songwriter who would later fight in the Civil War for the Confederacy.
Wikimedia Commons The original purpose of the song is unknown - there are claims that it was a Sunday school choir song celebrating Thanksgiving, and others say it was a drinking song. As its popularity soared over the ensuing decades, its ties to Christmas grew, and it’s now one of the best-known Christmas carols in the world.
The song’s origins are hazy and there is much debate as to when and where it was first written. In Medford, Massachusetts, the town square has a plaque commemorating the city as the birthplace of “Jingle Bells.”
d mw/Flickr The plaque states that Pierpont wrote the song in Medford Square’s Simpson Tavern in 1850. The tavern no longer exists. Medford was well-known for hosting sleigh races during the 1800s and it’s thought that these inspired the writing of the song.
However, Savannah, Georgia also has a plaque declaring “Jingle Bells” was composed there. In 1857, Pierpont moved to Georgia to become an organist for a local church, and that’s when and where the song was actually copyrighted.
Deidre/Wikimedia Commons
We may be biased, but the Massachusetts claim seems a bit dubious. Pierpont was notorious for having financial difficulties that led to him publishing as many songs as possible to try to bring in money. Why would he have waited seven years to publish “Jingle Bells” if he was so badly in need of income?
Dave/Flickr
Adding more support for Georgia’s claim is that it’s quite possible Pierpont was not even living in Massachusetts in 1850. Some records show he was in California at the time.
Susanne Nilsson/Flickr
Regardless of where the song was written, the ongoing battle between Massachusetts and Georgia is certainly an interesting one!
Joseolgon/Wikimedia Commons Pierpont spent most of the rest of his life in Georgia and is buried in Savannah’s Laurel Grove Cemetery.
If you’d like to see the historical marker in Georgia for “Jingle Bells,” it’s in Savannah’s Troup Square.
Wikimedia Commons
The original purpose of the song is unknown - there are claims that it was a Sunday school choir song celebrating Thanksgiving, and others say it was a drinking song. As its popularity soared over the ensuing decades, its ties to Christmas grew, and it’s now one of the best-known Christmas carols in the world.
d mw/Flickr
The plaque states that Pierpont wrote the song in Medford Square’s Simpson Tavern in 1850. The tavern no longer exists. Medford was well-known for hosting sleigh races during the 1800s and it’s thought that these inspired the writing of the song.
Deidre/Wikimedia Commons
Dave/Flickr
Susanne Nilsson/Flickr
Joseolgon/Wikimedia Commons
Pierpont spent most of the rest of his life in Georgia and is buried in Savannah’s Laurel Grove Cemetery.
Were you familiar with the hotly-contested origins of this famous Christmas carol?
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