Michael Cash (1833–1880) was an Irish

stonemason Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. Stonemasonry is the craft of shaping and arranging stones, often together with mortar and even the ancient lime mortar ...

who was active in the mid-19th century. His most notable work is the

Factors Walk Factors Walk, also commonly spelled Factor's Walk or Factors' Walk, is a historic street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It runs for about along the upper levels of the southern frontages of the buildings of Factors Row, which is located ...

retaining wall in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Brita ...

, which was built between 1855 and (after interruption) 1869.

Factors Walk retaining wall

Cash's most notable work is the

retaining wall that separates River Street and its working waterfront from the city of

, United States."Five key Irish contributors to Savannah’s history, heritage"
– ''

Savannah Morning News The ''Savannah Morning News'' is a daily newspaper in Savannah, Georgia. It is published by Gannett. The motto of the paper is "Light of the Coastal Empire and Lowcountry". The paper serves Savannah, its Savannah metropolitan area, metropolitan ...

'', 6 March, 2019 The wall, which runs for and averages in height, is part of Savannah's Historic District. Its purpose was to provide access to shipping while also preventing erosion of the 40-foot-high bluff beside the

Savannah River The Savannah River is a major river in the Southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and South Carolina. The river flows from the Appalachian Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, ...

. Most of the wall was built from 1855, shortly after his arrival in the United States, to 1858, but it was not completed until 1869."Irish stone mason was a major factor in building city landmark"
– ''

'', 13 March, 2007 The wall was partially dismantled by U.S. soldiers during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

, with the blocks placed in the river to block

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

vessels. It was repaired in 1866.

War years and beyond

Cash served in the Confederate Army, and the subsequent post-war years provided more work for him: he was the contractor for work done on River Street and its docks, as well as several paving jobs, including that between East Broad and

Drayton Drayton may refer to: People * Drayton (surname) Legal cases * '' United States v. Drayton'', 536 U.S. 194 (2002) Places Australia *Drayton, Queensland, a locality in the Toowoomba Region *Shire of Drayton, a former local government area in Quee ...

Streets, and the wooden pavement between Drayton and

Whitaker Whitaker (also Whittaker) is a surname of English and Scottish origin, meaning the white acre, also spelled "Whittaker" and "Whitacre (disambiguation), Whitacre." Notable people with the surname include: People with the name * The Whitaker iron ...

Streets.

Personal life

Cash was born in

Blackwater, County Wexford Blackwater () is a rural village in County Wexford, Ireland. It lies mostly within the townland of Ballynaglogh () on the R742 regional road north of Wexford town. History Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ring ...

, Ireland, in 1833. In the mid 1840s, he moved to Savannah. He worked out of a shop on

Indian Street Indian Street is a historic street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It runs for about from Warner Street in the west to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard (part of State Route 25) in the east. It is immediately to the south of the Talma ...

, which runs parallel to River Street near its western terminus. 81 per cent of the residential population in that area at that time was Irish-born, and almost half of that contingent was from County Wexford, according to a 2017 study. He joined the Irish Union Society, and in 1872 he returned to his home town for the summer but fell ill. Cash was found clinically

insane Insanity, madness, lunacy, and craziness are behaviors caused by certain abnormal mental or behavioral patterns. Insanity can manifest as violations of societal norms, including a person or persons becoming a danger to themselves or to other ...

towards the end of his life. He was taken to Savannah's county jail for "safe keeping," before a jury returned a verdict that: "We find said Michael Cash insane and incapable of managing his estate." It is believed he was taken to an asylum in

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

or more locally in

Milledgeville, Georgia Milledgeville () is a city in and the county seat of Baldwin County, Georgia, Baldwin County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Founded in 1803 along the Oconee River, it served as the List of current and former capital cities in the ...

Later years and death

Cash eventually returned to Savannah and continued in the business of construction. He won a contract to build a new sewer at

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

and

Barnard Barnard is a surname of Old English origin, derived from the Anglo-Saxons, Anglo-Saxon given name "Beornheard". It is composed of two elements: "Beorn," meaning "young warrior" or "bear," and "heard," meaning "hardy," "brave," or "strong." In some ...

Streets, and to install a new stone pier and steps at the

Exchange Exchange or exchanged may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film and television * Exchange (film), or ''Deep Trap'', 2015 South Korean psychological thriller * Exchanged (film), 2019 Peruvian fantasy comedy * Exchange (TV program), 2021 Sou ...

. In 1880, Cash was injured while erecting some stonework. He died several weeks later, aged 46 or 47. His obituary in the ''

'' described him as a "highly esteemed citizen and well-known contractor" who had "accumulated" in the city "a handsome competency" and "made many friends among all classes of our people".Michael Cash
– IrishGeorgia.com

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cash, Michael 1833 births 1880 deaths People from County Wexford Artisans from Savannah, Georgia Irish stonemasons Irish soldiers in the Confederate States Army Irish emigrants to the United States