One of the coolest things we did on our trip to Savannah was visit these old historic houses. I loved the stories of the houses and the families that lived there. I've tried to do my own research with the limited tools at my disposal to get more information. But here's what we saw!
. Facing Monterey Square, this house was started by in 1860 by Hugh Mercer. Construction was interrupted by the Civil War. Mercer went to fight on the side of the confederacy. In 1868, John Wilder bought the house and completed construction. Ten years later, Wilder died. The house has three floors and 7,000 square feet.
In the years prior to 1969, the house was vacant and had been for a while. Jim Williams bought the house for $55,000 and took two years to restore it. As noted in the book, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Jim Williams shot and killed Danny Hansford in the study (lower left window). He went on trial four times before he was acquitted. Sadly, he died 8 months after his acquittal in the same room in which Danny Hansford was shot.
View of the back veranda that you can see some of through the trees. The space between is a beautiful garden that is not original to the house. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take any photos in the house or in the garden during the tour.
You can tour the house. The guided tour brings you in via this carriage house (which is where Jim Williams had his shop) at the back and through the garden. You'll see the dining room, the main hallway, the office where the deaths occurred, the drawing room, the music room and the library. No photos inside.
Armstrong-Kessler House: 447 Bull Street. Jim Williams restored over 50 other homes in Savannah, and this was one of them. The house was built in 1919 for George Ferguson Armstrong. It was owned by the family until 1935 when it then became the campus for Armstrong Junior College. In 1967, it was slated for demolition. It was purchased by the Historic Savannah Foundation for $235,000 and then subsequently sold to Jim Williams for the same amount. Jim Williams restored it as his home. In 1970, the house was sold to a law firm. In 2017, Richard Kessler bought the property and commissioned a complete restoration, including buildings that had been demolished when the property was used as a junior college and law firm. It's a private residence and has 26,000 SF of living space.
Flannery O'Conner House at 207 E. Charlton Street. The house was built in 1856 and sits on Lafayette Square. Mary Flannery O'Conner was born here in 1925 and lived in this house until 1938, when her father died. It's currently a museum.
This is the Herb House. It was built on a lot that was to be a botanical garden modeled after the Chelsea Botanical Garden in London. This was known as the Trustee's Garden. There are differing thoughts on when the building was constructed. Some say 1733, which would make it the oldest standing structure in Savannah. Others claim 1853. It is currently part of the Pirate's House Restaurant
Pirates House at 20 E. Broad Street was originally built in 1794 as an Inn for sailors when Savannah's seaport began to thrive. The Trustee's Garden (mentioned above) was converted to a residential area. The tavern was a place where pirates gathered. The shutters are painted "haint" blue to ward off spirits. It's said that there are tunnels that were used by the pirates to build a crew from unsuspecting men. The Pirate's House is mentioned in
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. This building and the Herb House were slated for demolition in 1945 when they were both saved and eventually restored by Mr. Mary Hillyer. Today this building is a restaurant.
Owens-Thomas House: 124 Abercorn Street in Oglethorpe Square. This was one of the more interesting houses, from a historical perspective.
Built in 1819, it was designed by architect William Jay. The house was originally built for Richard Richardson. He was only in the home a few years before a yellow fever epidemic, a fire in the city and the deaths of several members of his family induced him to sell the property and move.
For six years after Richardson's departure, Mary Maxwell used the house as a boarding house. In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette stayed here and spoke to the people of Savannah from this balcony. Then, in
1830, the house was purchased by George Welshman Owens, who was a local attorney and politician. He lived here with his wife and six children. He owned other properties around the state and enslaved about 400 people on these properties.
Owen-Thomas House: Slave Quarters. Located at the back of the property, the tour starts here. The slaves that lived here included a nanny, a cook and a butler. In 1840, there were 14 slaves living here.
This is the second floor of the building where the slaves presumably lived. There are three rooms on two levels in this building. Nine of the 14 people enslaved here lived in this building. The thought was that the cook and the nanny may have lived closer to their workspaces in the main house.
Per the 1840 census, most of the slaves were women and children. This is another section of that same room.
Owens-Thomas House - Back of the house/gardens. The gardens aren't original to the house. View from the slave quarters. The garden was installed in 1950 when the house became a museum. The staircases lead up to the second floor. The kitchen would be on the first floor/basement.
More than likely, this was a work yard where they had livestock, like chickens. In the bottom left corner was a two-sided privy that the enslaved people used. Inside the house, they had plumbing, which was very unusual. There was running water on all levels of the house, including flushing toilets. There were two cisterns located in the attic and between the floors that were fed by rainwater from the roof. They had a tub in the master bathroom, two tubs and a shower in the basement.
This is the family dining room. Informal meals would be taken here. This is where the kids would take their lessons or play games, etc.
This is the formal dining room. The room toward the back is the butler's pantry. Peter was the Owens' enslaved butler. He would have run the service in this room. After dinner, men would remain here, and the women would retire to a separate room.
Front Entry Hall
This is the drawing room where the family would entertain visitors. The ladies probably came over here after they were kicked out of the dining room. The "social season" in Savannah was from October to May. If they were here in the summer months, the windows would have remained open making this room very dusty from the street. There were no screens back them.
This is the library where George Owens would meet with friends. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1835 - 1839.
Master Bedroom - This room is typical of a 19th century bed chamber. There's a children's bed chamber where the enslaved nannies (for this family, it was Emma and Mom Kate) would have slept on a pallet in the same room. The Nannies usually raised the children.
This is the scullery where all the "wet" chores like washing, prepping vegetables and such would take place. They would use boiling water and lye to wash the clothes of the family. They would have to wash their own clothes out in the yard after their regular chores were done.
The kitchen is on the other side of the wall to the right where Diane, the enslaved cook would prepare foods not only for the family but the other enslaved people as well. So she was cooking for 12 - 22 people a day...multiple meals! And sometimes, the family had guests. Her day would start when the sun came up and not end until well after dark. The poor woman probably slept in the kitchen.
Earlier, I mentioned that this house had indoor plumbing. This is the bathing chamber in the basement. It was divided into four rooms: Two held bathtubs, one held this shower stall and the fourth was a dressing area that had a fireplace. Only the family enjoyed this luxury. The enslaved people would have washed using a bucket in front of the fireplace in their quarters.
The researchers are still investigating and digging to find out more information about the families and enslaved people that lived in this house.
This house is part of the Telfair Museum. You can buy one ticket and you gain entrance to this house, the Telfair Museum and the Jepson Center for the Arts.
Telfair Academy at 121 Bernard Street on Telfair Square. The house, built in 1818, was designed by William Jay (of Owens-Thomas House fame) and built for Alexander Telfair. Alexander was the son of Edwin Telfair, a Scottish man that came to the U.S. in 1758 with his brother, William. Edward was 40 when he married Sarah Gibbons, who was only 16. They had 8 kids of which Alexander was one. Alexander died and left the house to his sister, Mary. The statues in front were brought in after the home became a museum. They are of: Rembrandt, Reubens, Phidias, Raphael and Michelangelo.
Mary Telfair was a great collector of art. She never married because there was no financial reason for her to do so. When she died in 1875, she bequeathed the house and all its contents to the Georgia Historical Society to be opened as a museum. The original entry hall had two staircases that led a landing and then one staircase that led to the second floor where the bedrooms were located. The second floor was originally open with two walkways on each side. On the left of the entrance is an Octagon room. To the right was a double parlor, which now houses the gift shop and the admission desk. The original staircases were removed, and the entryway was modified to accommodate groups of visitors.
This is the octagon room where Alexander would have greeted visitors. His sisters, Mary and Margaret, used this room as a sitting room. The furniture, made in 1810, belonged to the Telfair family. It consisted of two Grecian couches, the round table and 15 side chairs.
The house is two-stories tall and has two 19th century period rooms. This is the dining room, which is located directly over the kitchen. This table was purchased in 1836 by Mary from cabinetmaker Thomas Cook. Most formal dinners during this period could go on forever! They might start mid-afternoon and continue for 3 or so hours. At some point, the hostess would rise and that would be the sign for the women to retire to another room. The men would continue to sit and smoke cigars.
Mary had an enslaved butler named George Gibbons, who was born on one of their plantations. He served her in this house until she died in 1875. The wallpaper is appropriate to the time period but not original to the house.
On the first floor is the kitchen. It was restored and opened to the public in 1920. It's the only service room on view at the house. The kitchen was run by Juddy and her daughter, Coomba. Coomba was married to George. The kitchen has the original hearth and double ovens.
When the Telfairs were traveling in Europe, Juddy and her family were leased to the Habershams. The photo is of Juddy and Lavinia, who is the daughter of Coomba and George.
Past the current staircase is the Rotunda Gallery. This and the Sculpture gallery on the first floor were part of the renovation in 1883 - 86 that transformed the house into a museum. There are four murals up high that represent the four forms of art: painting, sculpture, print making and architecture.
This is a portrait of Mary Telfair, the benefactress of the museum.
This was called something like 'running through life' but it shows the children on the left and the old women on the right. I thought it was kind of cool. The sculpture gallery was closed when we were there.
The upper-level galleries were previously bedrooms. The windows and fireplaces were walled off so that paintings could be hung. Here they have temporary and permanent exhibits.
This is a view from the walkway that leads to the other side of the upper level. Originally, the walkway went all the way around the upstairs.
In one of the upper galleries, they have the "Before Midnight" exhibit. This is where the "bird girl" statue now lives. After the book came out, people were going to Bonaventure Cemetery to get photos and they were trampling the grave sites. So the family moved the statue here.
They have the background from the book so that you can get your photo. The bird girl has two bowls that were to hold food and water for birds. I always thought she was weighing good and evil.
Early paintings of Bonaventure Cemetery.
The art was pretty cool but, personally, I would have been more interested in the lives of the people that lived there. Mary Telfair was the last in her family. Two of her sisters married but she outlived all of her siblings and their spouses. Most of her family members are buried at Bonaventure Cemetery.
Cotton Exchange at 100 East Bay Street was established in 1876. It's been in this currently location since 1887. The Cotton Exchange went out of business in 1951. Since 1976, Solomon's Masonic Lodge has occupied the space.
Second African Baptist Church: 123 Houston Street. Located on Green Square and originally called the Second Colored Church, the congregation was established in 1802. It was here in 1864 that Sherman read the Emancipation Proclamation to the people of Savannah. The current structure dates to 1925 when it replaced the previous wooden structure. Dr. Martin Luther King read his "I have a Dream" speech here before reading it in Washington, D.C.
Savannah Theater: 222 Bull Street on Chippewa Square. Designed by William Jay (of Owens-Thomas House fame), the theater opened in 1818. The theater is the oldest continuously operating theater. They have both live performances and movies. During 1898, the roof suffered damage due to a hurricane that hit the city. It also suffered damage in the 1906 and 1948 fires resulting in structural overhauls. The second one transformed the building into the art deco style it sports now. Edwin Booth, brother to the infamous John Wilkes Booth, played several engagements here. We did not go in.
St. John the Baptist Cathedral at 222 E. Harris Street sits on Lafayette Square. Catholicism was originally banned in Savannah as the thought was the Catholics would be more loyal to the Georgians sworn enemy, the Spanish! That ban faded around the time of the American Revolution. The church was built in 1859 and nearly destroyed by fire in 1898.
Steeples of the St. John the Baptist Cathedral. We saw these the first night as we were walking to dinner, and they were beautiful.
Inside the church. There are 81 stained glass windows and 16 gargoyles. The cathedral was upgraded to a minor basilica by Pope Francis in 2020.
City Hall: 2 East Bay Street. This was originally the site for the City Exchange, the former seat of Savannah's city government. Built in 1799, the building was used for both private and public interests until the city bought it in 1812. In 19904, the Exchange building was demolished, and the cornerstone was laid for the current building. This building was completed in 1905. In 1987, the dome was covered in gold leaf.
U.S. Customs House: 1 -3 E. Bay Street. This is the third location for the customs house. It was designed by John Norris and completed in 1852. The first location was Commerce Row and opened in 1789. The second opened in 1819 and was located on Eas Bryan Street. That building burned down in 1837. The customs house is a monument to Savannah's historic importance as a port city.
Independent Presbyterian Church at 207 Bull Street. The congregation was established in 1755. The first building was on Market Square (which is now Ellis Square). It was destroyed by fire in 1799. The next location was on St. James Square (which is now Telfair Square). That location was damaged by a hurricane.
Independent Presbyterian Church at night. This new location was dedicated in 1819.
. Founded in 1750, it was originally the burial ground for the Christ Church Parish but in 1789, it was opened up to all denominations. By 1853, it was closed to burials so there are no Civil War soldiers buried here. During the Civil War, several Union soldiers camped out here. They did damage to some of the headstones, including changing some of the dates. I know it's not a 'building' but it's historic so it counts! We didn't have time to walk around in there.
First Baptist Church 223 Bull Street is on Chippewa Square. The congregation was established in 1800. The original church met at a meeting house in Franklin Square. This current location was completed in 1833.
Juliet Gordon Low Birthplace: 10 E. Oglethorpe Avenue. Originally called the Wayne-Gordon House, it was built in 1821 for James Moore Wayne, then the mayor of Savannah. He filled an unexpired term in the House of Representatives and then to the US Supreme Court, requiring him to move to Washington. Wayne sold the house to his niece, Sarah Stites Gordon and her husband William Washington Gordon I. Gordon founded the Central of Georgia Railway. Today it's part of the Norfolk Southern Railway. His son, William Washington II was a confederate captain in the Civil War. His daughter, Juliette Gordon, was born in this house. She is the founder of the Girl Scouts. The house is now owned by the Girl Scouts of America. You can tour the house.
Andrew Low House: 329 Abercorn Street. Meanwhile, the Andrew Low family lived here. The house was owned by Andrew Low. Andrew was a Scottish immigrant who came to Savannah in1829. By 1857, he was one of the richest men in Savannah. The house was designed by John Norris (of Mercer House fame). Before the house was completed, Andrew lost his first wife and their young son, Andrew. He eventually married Mary Cowper Stiles and had more children.
Their son, William Mackay Low married Juliette Gordon in 1886. They spent the majority of their time in England. At some point, they separated. Juliette halted divorce proceedings because William was ill. He later died of kidney failure. You can tour this house as well. Both are on our list for next time.
Kehoe House: 123 Habersham Street. Built in 1892 for iron foundry owner William Kehoe, it sits on Columbia Square. It was built diagonally across from his first home on 130 Habersham Street. Upon the death of his wife, Kehoe sold the house. He died in 1929 at age 87. At the time he was Savannah's oldest resident. The house is currently an Inn.
Davenport House: 324 East State Street. Built in 1820 by Isaiah Davenport, the house sits on the northwest corner of Columbia Square. Isaiah was a builder and built the home as a showplace. He lived here with his wife, Sarah and their seven children until his death in 1827. Also living here are nine enslaved people.
The start of the tour is through the garden gate at the back entrance. The alleys are the same as they were when the city was first laid out. This alley backs up to a store where the tour actually begins. The store used to be a pharmacy.
The courtyard probably didn't look like this. However, it is true that Isaiah did hold two lots.
Researchers are still trying to figure out who the enslaved people are (outside of the list) and what happened to them. When Isaiah died, Sarah, his wife, had to sell everything except the house to pay off debts. This included the enslaved people living her. A student did a research paper that uncovered a lot more information. The historical society is trying to digest and incorporate that info into the tour.
Sarah was eventually able to buy most of the people back. She opened a boarding house with their help. This is the entry way. The columns represent a "point of no return". In other words, the space past the columns was private space where the rooms before that were "public".
Isaiah was an up and coming builder. He used his house as an example of what he could do. This is his office, the first room to the left when entering through the front door.
This is where he would conduct his business.
This is the "drawing room" or parlor. The society tried to use furniture and wallpaper as close to what was originally there as possible.
Through the pocket doors, was a "day" room where Mrs. Davenport would conduct the business of running the household.
Upstairs this is the girl's room (or what is thought to be so). There is mosquito netting around the bed and a tiny china set for tea parties. This room would have connected to the parents' room.
This is the trunk room where laundry was hung, etc.
This a tub in the boy's room.
The bed that the boys would sleep in. The mattress was stuffed with cured Spanish Moss. If you pick up the moss from the ground, it has bugs in it. There's a curing process that will remove the bugs and a make it usable.
This was a book on the nightstand in the boy's room.
Stairs that lead to the third floor. One of the things that were mentioned was the floating staircase. It was a selling point for Davenport's ability. It was the new thing.
Carriage House - Davenport. This would have been the stable as well as the carriage house. The first floor, which was most likely the kitchen, was not available for viewing. They were doing some renovations so that area was being used as storage, as was the attic space.
. The duplex, built in 1858, was designed by John Norris (of Andrew Low House fame). It was built for a Presbyterian Minister named Charles Rogers and sits next to Mercer-Williams House on Monterey Square. Rogers died in 1861 and the northern side of the duplex was sold to Alergnon Hartridge in 1862. The other side remained in the family and was left to the youngest daughter, Caroline. Caroline, who married into the Stiles family, died in 1863. The house was left to her daughter Anna. The story about the fighting twins is untrue. Lee Adler (rival preservationist to Jim Williams) and his wife Emma lived in 425.
The Pink House (aka Habersham House): 25 Abercorn Street on Reynolds Square. James Habersham was a patriot. While he didn't fight in the Revolutionary war as his brothers did, James did help finance it. This house was completed in 1789. The house is made of red brick and covered in plaster. The house was never intended to be pink but the red of the brick kept bleeding thorough the white plaster. The house kept requiring new paint as a result. Habersham lived here until he died in 1799. In 1812, it became a Planter's Bank. During the civil war, it was occupied by union soldiers and used as a barracks. In the mid 60's, Jim Williams bought and restored the house. In 1971, it was turned into a restaurant. If you want to eat here, make reservations.
Hamilton-Turner House 330 Abercorn Street. The house is on Lafayette Square and was built in 1873 for Samuel Hamilton (1837 -1899). Samuel worked for the Brush Electric Light and Power Co so his house was the first in Savannah to have electric lights. They were in the parlor. In 1886, the rest of the house was fitted with electricity. He and his wife are buried in Bonaventure Cemetery.
In 1915, Francis Turner bought the home and lived there with his family until 1926. The house was then turned into a boarding house for the nurses that worked at Marine Hospital until the Turner family returned to the house in the 1940's. They sold it to St. John the Baptist Cathedral who wanted to demolish the house and turn it into a playground but the Historical Society stepped in and stopped them. Now it's an Inn.
. I took these random photos on the city tour because the building and the signage looked old. Turns out, it is! The building that houses the business was built in 1885.
Opened in 1883, it is the longest running business in Savannah and one of the oldest locksmiths in the U.S. The company was started by Simon. Simon's son, Aaron, was a hypnotist that worked with Harry Houdini. Simon's grandson, William Houdini Bradley (called Dini), took over the shop. William retired in 2019 and his grandchildren, Caroline and Andrew run the shop now. William and his family are buried in Bonaventure Cemetery.
. One of the largest homes at 16,000 sf, it sits on Madison Square. The house was designed by Charles Cluskey and built for Francis Sorrel (1793 - 1870) in 1840. Francis was a shipping merchant. His company shipped butter, salt, molasses, cotton and slaves.
Francis' second wife, Matilda, committed suicide after catching Francis with his slave mistress, Molly. A few weeks after, Molly was found dead by apparent suicide as well. In 1862, the house was bought by Henry Weed and it remained in the Weed family until 1914. The house is widely known to be haunted. The house is open to tour.
sits on the corner of Madison Square. The house was built in 1853 for Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant. Designed by John Norris (of Mercer House fame), the house cost $93,000 to build. In 1864, Sherman used this house as his headquarters. Sherman's chaplain conducted Christmas services at St. John's church next door in 1864. In 1892, the house was bought by Judge Peter Meldrim. In 1943. Meldrim's heirs sold the house to St. John's Church. The front entrance of the house faces the church.
sits on the corner of Madison Square across the street from Green-Meldrim House. The original congregation was formed in 1843 with Edward Padelford (with the neo-gothic stone at Bonaventure Cemetery) as one of the founders. The congregation outgrew its original location and the current church was consecrated in 1853.
