Was Georgia the temperate paradise as originally described by James Oglethorpe? Not according to these reenactors. The first English colonists faced a wilderness plagued by insects, heat, and disease. Of the original 144 colonists, nearly one in three died. An annual re-creation of colonial life held at Wormsloe Plantation near Savannah presents an opportunity for us to observe the colonists’ way of life and see demonstrations of the skills needed to face the challenges of settling the new colony.