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<div>Established in 1750,&nbsp;Colonial Park Cemetery grew to six acres by&nbsp;1789 and remains that size today.&nbsp;The cemetery is the oldest cemetery in Savannah, and&nbsp;no one has been buried there since 1853. The cemetery was the primary&nbsp;cemetery&nbsp;used by the residents from 1750 to 1853, after which point Laurel Grove Cemetery became the city's main cemetery.</div><div>The cemetery is the final resting place for&nbsp;Button Gwinnett, a signer of&nbsp;the&nbsp;Declaration&nbsp;of Independence. Major General&nbsp;Nathaniel&nbsp;Greene was also interned here in&nbsp;1786, although his&nbsp;remains were moved from the Graham family vault to the&nbsp;Nathaniel&nbsp;Greene Monument in Johnson&nbsp;Square. &nbsp;</div><div>An epidemic of&nbsp;Yellow Fever caused 700 to be&nbsp;interned&nbsp;at the cemetery in the early 1820s. In the final years of the&nbsp;Civil War, Union soldiers used Colonial Park Cemetery as a campsite. During this time,&nbsp;some of the soldiers decided to have a little fun, altering headstones by&nbsp;carving different dates into some of&nbsp;the headstones. Today, visitors often enjoy searching for these altered&nbsp;gravestones.</div>

This historical marker provides information about Colonial Park Cemetery  

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Colonial Park Cemetery is best-known for its iconic iron fences and role as the final resting place for veterans and leading citizens of early Savannah. The cemetery contains ten thousand graves and visitors to the city often tour the cemetery to see its monuments and memorials. 

Colonial Park Cemetery

<div>The building material for this US Customhouse&nbsp;is especially significant in terms of architecture, because it is built entirely out of stone that has fireproof qualities—a main concern of the citizens of Savannah, and Norris himself, as the city had had several fires in recent years. The US Post Office occupied the basement; custom services offices were on&nbsp;the first floor and the federal courts were located on&nbsp;the second floor. A cast-iron fence featuring spindles that have tobacco leaf and fleur-de-lis decorations surrounds the massive gray granite structure, which&nbsp;has the title "United States Custom House" emblazoned across the facade. The greatest piece of architecture within the building is perhaps the staircase. It is beautifully constructed, made to look like each step is supporting one another without the typical perpendicular structure of a regular stair case. It is made completely of granite with a sold, iron railing for support. &nbsp;</div><div> </div><div>The US Customhouse in Savannah, GA has changed hands a few times, particularly during the Civil War. It was under Confederate possession for a brief period of time when the Succession Ordinance was adopted by the Georgia State Convention. Although, in 1864, General Sherman captured the Customhouse and it was again under possession by the United States. Even more significantly, in 1869 the Savannah Customhouse employed the first African American Customs Collector, Colonel John H. Deveaux. The history of the site, not just the building, is perhaps even more important than its functions. The building was constructed on the site where James Oglethorpe's one-story frame house sat, and he lived in this house for a time, around 1733 when he founded the Colony of Georgia. He was also responsible for drawing up plans for the city of Savannah. Another notable thing that highlights the significance of this site even further, is on the rear lot was the federal court house as well as the tabernacle church were Rev. John Wesley preached his first sermon in America.&nbsp;</div><div> </div><div>The US Customhouse is still used for its original purposes, mostly. It was added to the Register of National historic Places in 1974 after it had been listed as a contributing property to the Historic district in 1966. This building is a symbol of Savannah as a port city in previous centuries. Although it is not a museum, there are exhibits that showcase contraband the Customhouse has found.&nbsp;</div>

Located in Savannah, GA, this custom house was constructed between 1848-1852; it was one of three built in Georgia around this time period and is the oldest federal building in the state. The customhouse provided an office for employees of the US Custom Service, which collects taxes on imported goods, prevents smuggling and fraud, among other duties. The building was designed by John S. Norris in the Greek Revival style. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974.

United States Customhouse (Savannah,GA) 

The building on 21 West Bay Street in Savanah is one of many historical sites, but its history is unique as given its role as a hotel during the antebellum period. In those years, wealthy guests often travelled with enslaved servants, and most large Southern hotels that catered to the wealthy included separate accommodations for body servants and basement holding cells for other enslaved persons who might have been recently acquired at the many markets where enslaved persons were bought and sold. The building later served as a hospital, post office, and bank. Elazer Early arived in Savannah from Charleston, South Carolina and decided to build the first luxury hotel in Savannah. From its grand opening in 1821, Early's "City Hotel" became one of the leading businesses in the city. Famous guests included the Winfield Scott during the years when he was regarded by many Americans as the hero of the War of 1812. Marquis de Lafayette also stayed at the City Hotel, as did the first three commodores of the U.S. Navy. Naturalist James Audubon stayed hotel for six months while trying to sell his wildlife sketch books. Peter Wiltberger acquired the hotel in 1851 and is best-known for putting a live lion on display to attract guests to the hotel. The last guest to stay at the City Hotel was in 1864 just before General Sherman marched the Union Army into Savannah. The building later served as the home of a makeshift hospital for people, mostly children, who were being treated during the Yellow Fever Epidemic in 1876. The Yellow Fever Epidemic originated in New Orleans and spread all the way up the Mississippi River. The building was used for storage for many years and then used for a coal warehouse. The building was later sold in 1960 and became the home of an office supply store. In 1979, Hurricane David hit Savannah, Georgia and blew the roof off of the building. The building sat empty until 1995 when the process of restoration and renovation began culminating in the opening of the Moon River Brewery in 1999.

Constructed as the city's first luxury hotel in 1821, this historic Savanah structure has been home to the Moon River Brewing Company since 1999. Elazer Early had the building constructed and operated what would be widely-recognized as one of the finest hotels in antebellum Savannah. Guests included American military leaders such as Winfield Scott and Marquis de Lafayette, as well as the first three commodores of the U.S. Navy and naturalist James Audubon. The hotel operated until 1864 and later served as a hospital during the Yellow Fever Epidemic in 1876. A century later, the building withstood a catastrophic hurricane in 1979. During most of the 20th century, the building was used as a warehouse.

Moon River Brewery

&nbsp;Retired professor Dr. Abigail Jordan worked for ten years and donated $100,000 to make the statue a reality. Savannah College of Art and Design Professor Dorothy Spradley and&nbsp;her student Dan Koster designed and built the&nbsp;monument. &nbsp;&nbsp;The monument was finalized only after poet Maya Angelou accepted a compromise with Mayor Floyd Adams and other city leaders and influential citizens who were unsettled by Angelou's quote because of its graphic depiction of conditions within slave ships. In order to end their opposition and allow the monument's dedication to move forward, Angelou and Black leaders in Savannah agreed to "soften" the poet's quote by adding the final line "Today, we are standing up together, with faith and even some joy." In 2001,&nbsp;Angelou explained why she and other Black leaders wanted to make sure that her original quote, which includes a reference to the unsanitary conditions&nbsp;slaves endured during the Middle Passage,&nbsp;was included on the monument. "The picture of it, it's so horrible. And yet if we can see how horrible it is, then we might treat each other a little nicer."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The inscription reads:We were stolen, sold and bought together from the African continent. We got on the slave ships together. We lay back to belly in the holds of the slave ships in each others excrement and urine together, sometimes died together, and our lifeless bodies thrown overboard together. Today, we are standing up together, with faith and even some joy. Angelou penned the final line and gave the city permission to modify her original quote to include this as&nbsp;on the monument so long as the rest of the quote was not modified.&nbsp;

This monument was made possible by a $100,000 donation of Dr. Abigail Jordan, who also worked for over a decade to convince city leaders to allow for the dedication of a monument that recognized Savannah's connection to the slave trade. The statue was dedicated on July 27, 2002 and stands to remind residents and visitors of the history of slavery and emancipation. The statue depicts a family with chains at their feet who are finally able to embrace one another after slavery's demise. The location of the monument is significant, standing near the point of entry for many slaves who first arrived in Georgia through the riverfront markets. The monument is also significant as the first in the city to commemorate the experience of African Americans. Prior to its dedication in 2002, none of the more than 40 statues, plaques, and monuments in Savannah paid tribute to individual African Americans or the experiences or contributions of African Americans. 

Savannah's Slavery Monument

Eli Whitney was a native of Massachusetts and a Yale Law Graduate. He wanted to practice law but the need for income was more important at the time, so in 1792&nbsp;he accepted an invitation from Catherine Greene (the widow of American Revolutionary General Nathaniel Greene)&nbsp;to work as a tutor on her plantation.&nbsp;There he learned how difficult it was for planters&nbsp;to remove the sticky seeds from the cotton. With Catherine's financial backing, Whitney spent the winter trying to figure out how to separate the seeds and eventually developed a gin.&nbsp;He received a patent for his invention on March 14, 1794. Henry Ogden Holmes improved the gin two years later and received his own patent in 1796. The invention of the cotton gin spurred the growth of cotton production in the South and&nbsp;gave rise to the textile&nbsp;industry in the North. The invention had dire long-term consequences given its connection to slavery, but it also gave the&nbsp;United States an advantage&nbsp;in producing textiles at a time when Britain dominated the industry. As for Whitney, he did not make his fortune from his cotton gin but he did become rich after inventing a way to mass produce muskets.

This historic marker was dedicated in 1986 and commemorates the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1794. This invention reduced the need to remove seeds from cotton by hand—a time-consuming process that had precluded cotton from being produced on a large scale. Cotton gins made the processing of cotton much more economical than other fibers, giving rise to the growth of cotton plantations in the American South in ways that fueled the increase of chattel slavery in the early 1800s. Prior to the rise of cotton production, many leading Americans believed that slavery would slowly decline and be entirely replaced by free labor. After the invention of the cotton gin, American planters and slaves produced a total amount of cotton that doubled each decade from 1800 to 1860. 

Invention of the Cotton Gin Historical Marker

Nathaniel Greene was born in 1742 into a Quaker family in Rhode Island. During the war, Greene fought with George Washington and played a significant role in several battles that served as turning points in the American Revolution such as the Battle of Trenton. Encamped&nbsp;at Valley Forge while the British were in Philadelphia, Washington and Greene led the men in training and held the army together despite low supplies and morale.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Marquis de Lafayette paid tribute to Greene as he laid the&nbsp;cornerstone slab. “The great and good man to whose memory we are paying a tribute of respect, affection, and regret, has acted in our revolutionary contest a part so glorious and so important that in the very name of Greene are remembered, all the virtues and talents which can illustrate the patriot, the statesman, and the military leader”&nbsp; 

&nbsp;

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This Savannah monument dates back to 1825 and honors American Revolutionary War officer Nathanael Greene. Greene’s friend Marquis de Lafayette laid the original cornerstone in that year, but it was not until architect William Strickland became involved that work was completed in 1830. Greene was originally buried in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery. His remains were later moved to this historical monument where he was reinterned in 1902. 

Nathanael Greene Monument

The bronze and copper globe is split in two, symbolizing the division between the European and Pacific theaters of the War. The two halves of the globe are seated atop blocks of Georgia granite, between which visitors can walk. The names of the 527 Chatham County servicemembers killed in World War II are inscribed on the monument’s inner walls.&nbsp; An engraved stone reads: "Honoring all veterans of Chatham County who gave their lives to retain the freedom of the United States of America and save the world from tyranny."The Veterans Council of Chatham County is made up of 23 veterans organizations. The Veterans Council holds meetings monthly to determine their upcoming course of action and to discuss any pending events and announcements. The Veteran's Council is responsible for selecting the Veteran of the Year and organizing and implementing the Veterans Day Parade.

The symbolism of the monument, “A Word Apart,” depicts the globe split in half as a result of World War II. The interior of the monument features a wall of Georgia granite that lists the names of veterans from Chatham County who died while serving during the war. The monument was made possible by the Veterans Council of Chatham County and community donations. 

Chatham County World War II Memorial

The Montmollin Building is no stranger to important history. It’s use as a slave-market auction-site is devastating at best, but on top of that, there is no commemoration for its slave history or the memory of the building being turned into a freed slave school after General Sherman and his “march to the sea.” The name of the building has even been changed, so to forget the memory of slave trader John S. Montmollin and his partner Alexander Bryan. The Montmollin Building is one of many historical buildings in Savannah, Georgia that have not been recognized for their historical significance.As mentioned before, the owner of the Montmollin Building was none other than John S. Montmollin himself. He was well known in Savannah as a successful slave trader, so it was no surprise when he rented out his third floor to another well-known slave trader, Alexander Bryan. Although it was technically Bryan who ran the slave trade on the third floor, it is assumed that Montmollin was also involved because the bottom floor of building, below his first floor butcher shop, was used to house slaves in chains without being rented out by Alexander Bryan. Montmollin died in 1859 by explosion of a boiler of a steamer so his, “property fell into the possession of Alexander Bryan, who until a few days prior to the occupation of Savannah by the Federals, used the premises as a jail and office for the barter and sale of slaves,” (Savannah Daily Herald, 1865).Slavery was part of a horrific period of time that will never be fully lost on people or history. However some people have forgotten, so it is important to know that even when the Emancipation Proclamation was put into law by Abraham Lincoln, several southern regions chose to ignore it and continue with the buying and selling of slaves. This included Antebellum Savannah. In fact, President Lincoln gave specific orders that slave trade was to be entirely ended by January 1st, 1863, however, the Montmollin building continued to buy and sell slaves until December 1864, almost a full two years after it was deemed illegal.As soon as Lincoln found out that Antebellum Savannah and many other southern regions were still participating in the slave trade, he gave orders to General William T. Sherman to lead an army of 60,000 soldiers to Savannah from Atlanta. It was said that the sole purpose of this march was to scare those still partaking in slave trade into stopping. (history.com editors, 2018). They achieved this by stealing food and livestock and burning down the houses of individuals who tried to fight back against them. Although General Sherman was looking to put an end to the slave trade, it is important to acknowledge the immense amount of damage his soldiers and himself caused to the south. However, news of this march did not seems to scare Bryan and he continued to run his slave market until General Sherman and his soldiers physically forced him to stop. The slaves were set free and that same third floor was eventually turned into a school for freed slaves. (Mobley, 2009).One would think a building with that much history would be filled with some type of commemoration, but the sad fact is there is none. Today, it is just an average pet store with no proof of its strong historical past. It takes a lot of digging to find out that the building was once a slave auction site. However, it takes even more digging to reveal that after the fact, it became a freed slave school. Even with that research, it still is unclear who managed the school, how long it was used, or who even was interested in using the building as a school. All that is mentioned is that the third floor was no longer property of the original owners and continued afterwards as a school. Obviously, somewhere along the way that history was covered up and turned into a pet store where people are now oblivious to the trauma that took place within its walls.

Less than 200 years ago human beings were trapped within the walls of this building, called the Montmollin Building, where they awaited the horrific reality of being bought and sold as slaves in the United States. Located at 21 Barnard St. 31401, the building sits right in the heart of Savannah’s City Market. The building is of historical importance because of its use between the 1850’s until December 1864, when it was used to hold, buy and sell slaves in the slave market. It was owned by John S. Montmollin and the 3rd floor was rented out to Alexander Bryan until Bryan later ended up owning the building. Both were known for being largely involved in slave trade throughout the city of Savannah. This building is particularly important because it continued to host and sell slaves even after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Montmollin’s building only became slave free when “Sherman’s March to the Sea” put an end to it via physical force, and eventually turned it into a freed slave school. Sadly, today the building is still in tact, but without any commemoration to the slave-trade/slave school history. It is currently a pet store that people are free to walk through without seeing any recognition of the tragedy that took place within its walls. 

The Montmollin Building

The passage of the
Eighteenth Amendment in 1920 was the culmination of years of lobbying and campaigning
by various groups in what was known as the temperance movement. Temperance
societies were present across the United States, and various local and state
laws restricting alcohol were passed in the 1800s. The temperance movement
began to gather steam at the turn of the century, with national groups such as
the Anti-Saloon League becoming increasingly influential. Many of the movement’s
strongest advocates were women, evangelical Protestants, and factory owners,
who believed that alcohol was immoral, damaging to families, and limited
productivity. The campaign proved highly successful, and the Eighteenth
Amendment, which banned the production, transfer, and sale of alcohol, was
ratified and went into effect in 1920.

Problems with
Prohibition began to emerge almost immediately. Enforcing the ban on alcohol
was difficult, expensive, and prone to corruption. Bootlegging -the illegal
production of alcohol- became a thriving Black market, and speakeasies opened
up to sell it. Rather than decrease violence, Prohibition fueled the rise of dangerous
gangs and organized crime, which made lucrative profits off of selling or
smuggling alcohol and operating speakeasies. The number of incarcerations
skyrocketed. Thousands of people were also killed by drinking toxic homemade
alcoholic beverages. Support for Prohibition began to decline as the costs of
its impact mounted. In 1933, following the election of President Franklin Roosevelt,
the Twenty-first Amendment was ratified, formally repealing the Eighteenth
Amendment and ending Prohibition on the national level. By 1966, every state
had repealed their own bans on alcohol.

In 2015, the company
Historic Tours of America began planning to establish a museum dedicated to
prohibition. Savannah, Georgia was chosen out of seven possible locations due
to the state’s historic ties to prohibition efforts. During the colonial era,
King George III issued a decree banning hard liquor in Georgia, the first place
in America to experience a ban on alcohol. Historic Tours of America purchased
a former retail store and apartment building in the City Market district and
spent two years converting it into a museum, opening in 2017. 

The immersive,
two-story, 5,500 square-foot museum features thirteen exhibits, containing wax
figures, videos, and other effects. They cover topics such as the temperance
movement, Carry Nation (an activist who was notorious for destroying bars with
her hatchet), moonshining and bootlegging, smuggling, organized crime, the
repeal of Prohibition, flapper culture, and the origins of NASCAR. &nbsp;Interesting features include talking pictures,
four antique vehicles, and an artificial river of whiskey. Additionally there
is a theater which plays an informational video during the day and classic
movies in the evenings. 

The American
Prohibition Museum is also known for having its own secret bar, 220 Congress
Street Up. The bar is designed to resemble an authentic 1920s speakeasy; it is
even discreetly hidden and requires a password to enter. It serves a variety of
prohibition-era alcoholic beverages, and also offers cocktail-making classes.
220 Congress Street Up is open during normal museum hours, as well as weekend
nights. Both the bar and the theater can be rented for private events.

The American Prohibition Museum is the only museum in the United States that focuses on the temperance movement and the Prohibition Era. Prohibition began in 1920 when the Eighteenth Amendment banned the production and selling of alcohol, and ended in 1933 when it was repealed by the Twenty-first Amendment. The museum presents the history of Prohibition and its impact on America, both good and bad. It opened in 2017 and is owned and operated by Historic Tours of America. The museum includes thirteen separate exhibits, a theater, gift shop, and a fully-stocked bar designed to resemble a speakeasy

American Prohibition Museum

William Washington Gordon was born on January 17, 1796, on his father Ambrose Gordon's plantation in Screven County, which is on the border with South Carolina. When Gordon’s father died in 1804, the eight-year-old was sent to school in Rhode Island, where later he was appointed as a cadet at West Point, a U.S Military Academy. In 1814, he was the first Georgian to&nbsp;graduate from the academy. He was a lieutenant in the Ordnance Corps, but after less than a year, he resigned and returned to Savannah. Once he was back in Savannah, he studied law under Judge James Moore Wayne.

Gordon was admitted into the Georgia Bar, the state’s governing body of legal professions, in 1820. His career was successful, and he was a legal advisor for Savannah from 1822-1824. He was in the Georgia Hussars, a cavalry unit, where he was the captain from 1827-1837. Gordon was an alderman, or an elected member of the municipal council, from 1833-1836, and served as the&nbsp;Mayor of Savannah from 1834-1836. He was elected as a representative to the Georgia legislature in 1835, and in 1838, he was elected senator. While Gordon studied under Judge Wayne he met his niece, Sarah Anderson Stites. In March 1826, they married and later had four children, who they&nbsp;raised in Savannah in the house that eventually became the Girl Scouts of America Museum. Gordon’s granddaughter was Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts.

Gordon is most well-known for his involvement in the construction of a railroad from Savanah to the interior of Georgia. Gordon wanted to keep Savannah as the main port for the export of Georgia’s goods, rather than allow a new South Carolina railroad passing near Augusta to control Georgia's cotton trade. In 1833, the Georgia state legislature gave three railroad companies charters to lay down track. The Central Railroad and Canal Company of Georgia, later the Central of Georgia Railroad and Banking company was one of the railroad companies given a charter. Gordon, while alderman and mayor, struggled to gain funds for the initial financing of the railroad, but construction began in 1836. In March of that year, Gordon was put on the Central of Georgia Railroad and Banking Company board of directors as its first president. Due to this appointment, Gordon had to resign as mayor and leave his law practice, because the position took up most of his time. The railroad itself was to go from Savannah to the cotton belt of central Georgia, and Gordon worked very hard to see it to completion. In 1837, there was a setback because of a financial panic, but in May 1839 there were 76 miles of track laid, and stagecoaches provided transport to Macon, a city in central Georgia, at the end of the rail line. Gordon constantly traveled around the state to supervise construction of the railroad. He dealt with labor disputes and negotiated with planters to obtain the land to be used for the railroad. Gordon’s constant movement was thought to be a factor in his death at age 46, in March of 1842. He did not live to see the Central of Georgia Railroad’s last bit of track to be laid in 1843.

Gordon had a Georgia County created and named after him in 1850. The monument created for him on top of Tomo Chi-Chi’s grave says on one panel “ WILLIAM WASHINGTON GORDON, Born June 17, 1796, Died March 20, 1842, The Pioneer, Of Works of Internal, Improvement, In His Native State, And First President of, The Central Railroad and Banking Company Of Georgia, To Which He Gave His Time, His Talents, And Finally His Life.” Another panel says “ Erected A. D. 1882 By The Central Railroad and Banking Company Of Georgia, In Honor of a Brave Man, A Faithful and Devoted Officer, And to Preserve His Name in the Grateful, Remembrance of His Fellow Citizens”.

The William Washington Gordon Monument was commissioned by the Central of Georgia Railway to honor him as the company's first president. The monument was designed by architects Henry Van Brunt and Frank M Howe. It was erected in 1883 on top of Yamacraw Indian Chief Tomo Chi-Chi’s burial site. The monument is forty seven feet tall, made of granite, limestone, and four columns made of red granite that are twelve feet tall. The columns support a slab of granite that have a globe supported by four winged Atlantes. One panel has a depiction of a train going over a bridge with Savanah’s port in the background. 

William Washington Gordon Monument 

Tomo Chi-Chi was thought to be born around 1644, some
sources also place his birth from 1650s to the 1660s. It is believed that he was
raised along the Chattahoochee River in Apalachicola town. Early records from
1706 seem to point to Tomo Chi-Chi being a slaver. Some of the first records of him were when he sold a few Native Americans to
English traders for goods, and later when he sold seven more “Waucoogau”
natives into slavery. It’s likely that from 1690-1715, he lived with Hitchitis,
a group known for selling other natives into slavery, along the Ocmulgee River. During this time, Tomo Chi-Chi created alliances with Yamasee speaking people, and then the Creek
Confederacy, which was created between 1680 and 1710. This gave Tomo Chi-Chi
power. By 1715, the Confederacy was a great mix of alliances between towns and it became very powerful after the Yamasee
War in 1715. The Yamasees fought English traders because they were assaulting
the native women, price gouging, and manipulating credit at the expense of the
Yamasees. The Yamasees were isolated by the Creek, and together with the British
Carolinians, outlawed the Native slave trade. This was a blow for Tomo Chi-Chi. The
Coweta Resolution between the Lower and Upper Creek in 1717 and 1718 pledged
partial allegiance to the British and made outcasts of the Yamasees and other groups that
participated in the uprising against the British. Tomo Chi-Chi’s power
came from the Yamasee slavers, and with them outcasts. he was “banished” from the
confederacy.After 1718,
he returned to Apalachicola Town to recover from his loss. In 1728, it is
thought he created the Yamacraw tribe, consisting of Lower Creek and Yamasees. &nbsp;By 1729, he had a falling out with the French near
the town, and he moved on to Apalachicola along the Savannah river. In 1732
he attended a treaty council with Upper and Lower Creek, as well as Carolina
officials, in a leadership role. He quickly became disliked among the Apalachicolans, and had to leave again. He then moved with the Yamacraw that followed
him down the river in late 1732, and created and led Yamacraw Bluff, along the south bank of the Savannah river, no doubt because of
the need of access to quality goods and new allies. In 1733, James Oglethorpe,
co-founder of Britain’s new colony Georgia, landed near Yamacraw Bluff.

In January
1733, Oglethorpe and Tomo Chi-Chi met along the Savannah River and made a verbal
agreement about the Native and British relations. In February, the two men met
in Savannah, where boundaries were set for the colony. Tomo Chi-Chi would
show up unexpectedly between February and March to establish himself in the
town. On March 7, he gave Oglethorpe deerskins, and Oglethorpe gave him gifts in
return. The two men exchanging gifts meant that, in native terms, there had
been an alliance forged. This alliance allowed for Tomo Chi-Chi to reenter the
Creek Confederacy. The alliance was also important to the British, who desperately needed Native allies&nbsp;due to the
border with Spanish-controlled Florida to the south.

In May 1734, Oglethorpe had Tomo Chi-Chi, his wife Senauki, and other Yamacraw administrators
join him in going to London, England, so they could ratify the agreement
reached between the Georgia colony and the Lower Creeks. Oglethorpe
needed the support of the Lower Creek for Georgia to survive. Tomo Chi-Chi probably
thought that by going to the negotiation, he would be able to get favorable
prices and more allies. This negotiation seemed to work; both sides got what
they wanted: the British trustees saw Georgia’s success, and Tomo Chi-Chi got to
communicate his needs in person and get some of what he wanted for his
people. 

Upon return,
Tomo Chi-Chi became the mediator between the Creek and the British, once he had
established himself as an important figure in the Creek Confederacy. Tomo Chi-Chi
supported efforts to have an Indian school established in 1736. He assisted
Oglethorpe with interactions with the Spanish by being a mediator and
establishing Georgia’s southern border. Oglethorpe and Tomo Chi-Chi were
thought to be good friends during their partnership. They were known to give
each other advice, and Oglethorpe was a pallbearer at Tomo Chi-Chi’s funeral. 

Tomo Chi-Chi died on
October 5, 1739, from a serious illness. Oglethorpe learned of Tomo Chi-Chi’s
death when he returned from a meeting with the Lower Creek.&nbsp; Oglethorpe held a military funeral for him
because of his&nbsp;part in establishing
Georgia as a colony. Before his death, Tomo Chi-Chi expressed that he wished to
be buried in Savannah, because of his hand in creating it. Tomo Chi-Chi was
buried in Wright Square under orders of Oglethorpe. Oglethorpe also had a
pyramid of stone placed over Tomo Chi-Chi’s grave, but it’s not known what
happened to it between the time of Tomo Chi-Chi’s death and a painting by
Joseph Louis Firmin Cerveau called View
of Savannah created in 1837 were the pyramid is not in Wright Square. Now, in Wright Square there is a monument to William Washington Gordon, that sits on
Tomo Chi-Chi’s grave. Gordon’s daughter in law, Nellie Kenzie Gordon, wanted
there to be a monument placed in Wright Square to Tomo Chi-Chi, because of the
removal of the mound and placement of the Gordon Monument. So on April 21, 1899
the Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America placed the Tomochichi
Monument, a granite boulder with a copper plaque commemorating him, in the
south eastern corner of Wright Square where it can still be viewed today.&nbsp; Which says “In Memory
of Tomo-Chi-Chi,&nbsp;The Mico of the Yamacraws,The Companion of Oglethorpe, And the friend and ally of the Colony of Georgia. This stone has been here placed, By the Georgia Society of the&nbsp;Colonial Dames of America 1739-1899".&nbsp;

At the current location of the Gordon Monument, there was once a monument and mound (referred to as a burial mound) for Chief of the Yamacraw Indians, Tomo Chi-Chi. Tomo Chi-Chi’s burial mound was removed in the early 1880’s to make way for the monument to William Washington Gordon, who was the founder and president of the Central Georgia Railroad. Tomo Chi-Chi is credited, along with James Oglethorpe, in the founding of Savannah and for the success of the Georgia colony. 



Tomo Chi-Chi's Grave Marker/Monument

The Owens-Thomas House &amp; Slave Quarters is located in the heart of the Historic District of Savannah. The English-born architect William Jay also designed the nearby Telfair Mansion, now the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, but the Owens-Thomas House is one of the most well-preserved examples of Jay's work in the Savannah area. The two-story home was completed in 1819 for Richard Richardson, a well-known bank president, shipping merchant, entrepreneur, and slave trader, his wife, Frances, and their six children.Although William Jay served as the architect, it was John Retan who built the home, along with numerous enslaved men who were under Retan's charge. On the east end of the property sat a carriage house and slave quarters, which housed the nine enslaved men, women, and children owned by Richard Richardson. The Richardsons ended up living in the home for just three years, and during that time, the family was plagued by tragedies. Two of their children passed away, one in 1822, the same year Frances died. Around that time, Richard's bank, the Savannah Bank of the United States, failed and he sold his home and moved to New Orleans. Richard Richardson died in 1833 on the seas while returning home from a voyage to France.The Bank of the United States took charge of the house in 1824 and leased it to Mary Maxwell, who operated it as a boarding house. The next year, Maxwell played hostess to the Revolutionary War hero, Marquis de Lafayette, and his son. Lafayette was in Savannah to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Revolution, and it was reported that he even gave a speech on the balcony.In 1830, George Owens, a prominent attorney from Savannah, purchased the home for $10,000 at auction. Owens would go on to be the mayor of Savannah, a state senator and representative, and then a United States congressman. The Owens family made a few changes to the home before moving in, adding three rooms to the second story at the back of the house. The family resided in the home during the winter months and lived in their homes in Philadelphia, New York, Europe, and north Georgia in the summer. During the time the Owens family lived in the house, they kept around nine to fifteen enslaved people. Upon the death of Owens' granddaughter, Margaret Gray Thomas, in 1951, the house was transferred to the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences and, in 1954, it opened as a museum.In addition to touring the main house, visitors also may view the Carriage House, the beautiful Parterre Garden, and the Butler's Pantry. On the north half of the building, the Slave Quarters can be found. A two story building, three rooms were placed on each level and around nine to fifteen enslaved people lived there from 1819 to the Civil War. After that time period, this building became a servants' quarters, the overwhelming majority of servants being African Americans. The Owens-Thomas House also holds priceless decorative arts that date from 1790 to 1840 and either were made in England, the United States, or France. The Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters is a priceless piece of architecture in one of the most historic areas in the South, telling the story of prominent Southern families and the enslaved people who built and ran it.

The Owens-Thomas House &amp; Slave Quarters was built in 1819 for successful cotton merchant and banker, Richard Richardson and his wife, Francis Bolton. It was designed by the English architect William Jay, one of the first trained architects in the country. He designed the house in the English Regency style and it features many interesting architectural elements such as curved walls and doors, indirect lighting in the drawing room, a bridge in the upstairs hall, and one of the finest staircases in the South. Today the house is one of three buildings that comprise the Telfair Museum, the oldest public art museum in the South. It features a decorative arts collection consisting of Owens family furnishings as well as American and European objects dating from 1790-1840. Behind the house are an English-themed garden and one of the earliest intact urban slave quarters in the South.

Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters

Edward Telfair was a Scotsman who settled in colonial Georgia in 1766 along with his brother, William. Telfair was one of the most successful merchants in colonial Georgia as he owned timber-rich land and a water-driven&nbsp;sawmill, and was a prominent slave owner and trader. A patriot in the Revolutionary War, Telfair attended&nbsp;meetings&nbsp;where revolutionaries organized and formed strategies for asserting their independence from Great Britain. Telfair signed the Articles of Confederation and also served on the Continental Congress from 1778 to 1785. He was then elected the Governor of Georgia in 1786, and then again from 1789 to 1793. Edward married Sarah Gibbons in 1774, and together they had seven children:&nbsp;Edward Jr. in 1780,&nbsp;Josiah in 1784, Thomas in 1786, Alexander in 1789,&nbsp;Mary in 1791, Sarah in 1792, and Margaret in 1797.1 Alexander Telfair was left to be the head of household at 29&nbsp;after the death of his father and older brothers;&nbsp;the family's plantations and mercantile operations became his responsibility. The lot where the Telfair Academy now stands was once&nbsp;the site of Government House, home of the royal governor James Wright. Alexander Telfair decided to build the mansion on this lot to properly house his mother and sisters in 1818. Mary was last living descendant of the Telfair family and gifted the mansion to the Georgia Historical Society with requirements that it be made into a museum.1 Telfair Museums is the oldest public art museum in the South, founded in 1883.&nbsp;Today, Telfair Museums consists of three unique buildings: the Telfair Academy and the Owens-Thomas House, two National Historic Landmark sites built in the early nineteenth century, and the contemporary Jepson Center. The Telfair Academy offers classes and workshops, and also provides self-guided tours through the museum buildings.2

The Telfair Academy of Arts and Science is a historic mansion and art museum built in 1818 for Alexander Telfair, son of Revolutionary War patriot and Georgia governor Edward Telfair. In 1875 the last living member of the Telfair family gifted the house to the Georgia Historical Society with requirements that it be made into a museum. The Georgia Historical Society hired German-born architect Detlef Lienau to add a sculpture gallery and a rotunda, and do other renovations. The Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences opened in 1886, making it the oldest public art museum in the South, and showcases two nineteenth-century period rooms and nineteenth- and twentieth-century American and European art from the museum’s permanent collection. 

Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences

At the time of the American Revolution, present-day Haiti was the French colony of&nbsp; Saint-Domingue and men from this colony volunteered for service as part of a French contingent that fought under French nobleman Charles Hector. The French recruited ten companies of free Black men in Saint-Domingue to assist in their effort to support the American colonists against England partly owing to a desire to wrest control of Britain's lucrative colonies in the Caribbean. The French commanders offered the same pay to their Haitian recruits of African descent as they did other colonial recruits. If the soldiers survived their term of enlistment, the pay they accrued wold be enough to secure a small plot of land. Some of the recruits also became free through enlistment as the French government waived the requirement of a substantial payment that was required for emancipation for soldiers and their families. While the American colonists of European descent often spoke of their cause as one of "freedom" from English tyranny, for Haitian soldiers of African descent, theirs was a war of emancipation from chattel slavery.&nbsp; While many free Black men from the British colonies that secured independence also fought on behalf of the colonial patriots, George Washington's official policy which rejected Black military service with few exceptions until late in the war deprived the colonies of manpower. The British saw the potential of Black military service and the power of turning American slaves against their masters. As a result, the majority of men of African descent who fought in the war were enslaved men who fought on behalf of the British in return for the promise of freedom.&nbsp; Despite the assistance of Haitians of African descent, and after several years of supporting Haitian rebels who sought independence from France in the 1790s, the United States actively suppressed the independence movement in the early 1800s. For example, while Haitians fought for independence from France, Thomas Jefferson supported French efforts to regain control of their former colony. After France abandoned their efforts to reconquer their former colony, the United States isolated the republic of Haiti by barring trade with the small republic. The United States did not offer diplomatic recognition to Haiti until 1862.&nbsp;

This Savannah monument was dedicated in 2009 and commemorates the actions of five hundred Haitian soldiers who fought on behalf of the colonial patriots in the American Revolution and defended the city of Savannah in the summer of 1779.  The ten companies of Haitian soldiers fought in the Southern theater of the war and were known as the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue.  The monument was made possible by members of the Haitian-American Historical Society who publicized the effort of Haitian soldiers and worked with city officials to raise funds for the monument. Sculptor James Mastin designed the monument which depicts Haitian soldiers and Henri Christophe, a drummer boy who later became a leader of Haiti after its people secured independence from France. The monument commemorates the soldier's defense of Savannah against British forces in the 1779 Siege of Savannah and includes a short history of the Haitian units that assisted American forces in the Georgia. 

Haitian Monument, Savannah - Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue  

<div>Juliette was an inquisitive child; she was interested in art, poetry, the outdoors, and was good at organizing playtime with family and friends. She was sent to boarding schools and upon finishing her schooling, returned to Savannah in 1880&nbsp;to be in charge of the household after&nbsp;her sister Alice&nbsp;died. It was during this time she met William Low and they fell in love. They did not get married until 1886 because he attended Oxford University.&nbsp;Unfortunately, their marriage did not last. She had always been a prone to sickness and was unable to bear children. For his part, William spent much of his time hunting and gambling.&nbsp;After he&nbsp;passed away&nbsp;in 1905, Juliette traveled and spent time thinking about what she could do to help others. On a trip to England in 1911, she met Baden-Powell and finally found her new calling in life.Juliette was able to start Girl Scouts (it was first called Girl Guides but changed to Girl Scouts in 1913)&nbsp;because she was particularly skilled at&nbsp;public relations and fundraising. She used her large network of friends for support and to help spread the world. Juliette wanted to make sure Girl Scouts would be "girl-led." One of the main elements to Juliette's Girl Scouts was diversity. She wanted all girls to be welcomed in Girl Scouts if they chose to be. As a result, girls of all different cultures, classes, and ethnicities joined Girl Scouts. &nbsp;</div><div>On January 17, 1927, Juliette passed away after a struggle with breast cancer. She is recognized for her will to strengthen and empower young women. After she passed, she was awarded many honors. Her friends made the Juliette Low World Friendship Fund, which&nbsp;helps Girl Scouts finance international projects. Even today, Girl Scouts still remember and dedicate scholarships, camps, and schools to her. Most recently she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2012 from President Barack Obama. Juliette changed the way the world viewed women and the way women viewed themselves. With her encouragement and guidance, young women had the courage to take leadership in a time when that was uncommon. &nbsp;</div>

The founder of the Girl Scouts of America, Juliette Gordon Low, was born in this house on October 31st, 1860. She lived here until she married in 1886 to her husband William Low. Juliette Low had been a part of Girl Guides work in England and Scotland and brought Girl Scouting to America at the suggestion of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout Movement. Juliette started the first Girl Scout troop in March of 1912 at the Louisa Porter Home in Savannah. In 1933 her birthplace was acquired by the Girl Scouts of the United States of America. Today it is used as a memorial to their founder and a center for girl scouting activities. The house, along with the adjacent Andrew Low House (Andrew was William's father) and its carriage house, comprise a National Historic Landmark District. 

Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace

Isaiah Davenport was a master builder from New England and learned carpentry through an apprenticeship in New Bedford Massachusetts. From 1809 to 1827, Davenport was an extremely successful&nbsp;master builder in the port city of Savannah, Georgia. There were silhouettes of Davenport's family members in his home, however, there are no artifacts describing what he may have&nbsp;looked like, therefore Davenport lives on through his unique&nbsp;architecture. This house served as his home, office, business card, and advertisement, as it was one of the largest and most exquisite&nbsp;homes in Savannah when it was built in 1820. A local architectural historian was quoted as saying, "there was a Davenport house on every block of Savannah."1 Davenport resided in the home until his death in 1827. After his death, Davenport's wife, Sarah, converted the home into a boarding house. Sarah lived in this home until 1840, and when she passed the home was sold to the Baynard family from South Carolina. The Davenport home stayed in the Baynard family until the late 1940s and had become run down from its use as a boarding home. In the 1930s the home was measured&nbsp;by the Historic American Buildings Survey. However, it faced demolition in 1955 due to the&nbsp;trend of destroying old buildings in Savannah, Georgia&nbsp;and converting the space into parking lots or shopping malls in in the 1950s. One woman,&nbsp;Anna Colquitt Hunter, was not going to let that happen to the Davenport House.2 Anna Colquitt Hunter spent the majority of her childhood in Savannah, Georgia and attended Agnes Scott College in&nbsp;Decatur, Georgia where she dropped out of college prior to graduation to get married. Hunter's husband died an unexpected and untimely death, and she was left a widow in her 40s. In order to support herself and her three children, Hunter became a journalist and writer for the&nbsp;Savannah Morning News and the Savannah Evening Press. In 1943 she became a field director for the Red Cross at the age of 51. Hunter was quite the traveler in her 50s as she became the Director of R&amp;R for troops in North Africa and Italy. In 1945 Hunter returned to Savannah and her job writing for the local newspapers, but this time she was a literary and art critic. This position enabled her to publish multiple poems and short stories and become a painter. Hunter's preservation tendencies were born through her art; she painted portraits of historic landmarks in Savannah and plantation culture. She became a true preservationist in 1955 when she galvanized the movement of saving historic structures in Savannah, Georgia, starting with the Davenport House.3 In 1955 Anna Colquitt Hunter was outraged at the destruction of historic structures in Savannah, Georgia. She gathered six women who she knew could make a difference and formed the Historic Savannah Foundation, these ladies are now&nbsp;historically known as, "The Seven Ladies." The HSF raised enough money to purchase the Davenport House before a local funeral parlor could purchase and destroy the historic home, and that was just the beginning of their movement.&nbsp;The Historic Savannah Foundation created a revolving fund that saved many historic structures from being destroyed. Any time they a historic structure went on the market, HSF purchased the building, historically restored it, and placed it back on the market- only to be sold to someone who saw the benefit of living or working in a historic structure. The money made from reselling&nbsp;the structure went back into the fund so that it could be used to purchase more historic structures in need.&nbsp; The Davenport House was the original headquarters for the Historic Savannah Foundation, now located at 321 E York Street.The first floor of the Davenport House was historically restored and opened to the public in 1963, and as the HSF moved to another building, the second and third floors were renovated and opened to the public as well. The mid-1990s held a&nbsp;re-restoration process for the Davenport House to serve a more authentic experience for museum visitors, complete with&nbsp;accurate wallpaper and furnishings that reflect the inventory taken at the time of Isaiah Davenport’s death in 1827.&nbsp;The Davenport House Museum sees approximately 35,000 visitors annually through its guided tours and education programs.4

The Davenport House, built in 1820, was the first building saved by the Historic Savannah Foundation in 1955. Savannah was a seedy city in the 1950s, and many historic buildings were demolished instead of restored during this time in efforts to improve the city. Savannah writer and artist, Anna Colquitt Hunter, formed a coalition with six of her friends to fight a local funeral parlor from purchasing the Davenport House. Hunter and her friends successfully raised the funds needed to purchase the Davenport House and saved it from demolition. The seven ladies of the Historic Savannah Foundation formed a revolving fund so they could save any historic structure that faced the fate of demolition. Today the Davenport House has been preserved and now serves as a house museum.

The Isaiah Davenport House

Located in the heart of Savannah for the family Kehoe family and their ten children, this historic house has been well-preserved and in the historical part of the Columbia Square neighborhood. William Kehoe arrived in America at the age of ten when his family immigrated from Wexford, Ireland in 1842. Growing up in the Old Fort District, William apprenticed at an iron foundry and rose to the position of foreman. Eventually, William purchased the foundry and later created a new foundry near the riverfront which became one of Savannah’s most successful businessmen. In 1868, William met and married Anne Flood. With a successful business and a fast-growing family, William purchased this lot of land across from their first home in Columbia Square for $950. Designed by DeWitt Bruyn for William Kehoe and his growing family of 12, this home was built for $25,000 and was finally completed by May 1892. The family stayed in the Kehoe family until 1930 when it was sold in an estate sale. Three decades later, the property was home to a boarding school, then the Goette Funeral Home. In 1980, Joe Namath purchased the home for $80,000 with the desire of turning it into a nightclub and disco. This plan led to opposition among residents of Columbia Square, and Namath responded by remodeling the home and selling the restored property for $350,000. The new owners of the home continued the work of restoration for two years before opening a bed and breakfast. In 2003 HLC Hotels purchased the property and continues to operate the bed and breakfast. The home has a reputation for paranormal activity, with locals and guests sharing stories of being visited by the haunted spirits of the Kehoe family. The family lost their twin boys after they were playing and fell into the home's chimney., and guests have reported the sounds of footsteps that sound like children running up and down the halls of the home. Guests have also claimed to see their ghost in the second-floor bedrooms or to hear young voices even though the bed and breakfast is only open to adult guests. The Queen Anne-style home features brass and marble chandeliers, two fireplaces, a courtyard garden, music rooms as well as Victorian-era antiques. This home now serves as a bed and breakfast for adult guests with thirteen guest rooms, and two include private balconies overlooking Savannah.

Located in the heart of Savannah, this historic home was constructed for the family of William Kehoe starting in the late 1880s. The home was completed in May of 1892 at a cost of $25,000, and Kehoe and his descendants lived in the home until 1930. In the years that followed, the home was used as a boarding school, a funeral home, and was even the property to quarterback Joe Namath from 1980 to 1992. In recent years, the home has served as a bed and breakfast. 

The Kehoe House 

William Scarbrough was a wealthy ship merchant and became one of the principal investors of the SS Savannah. His status earned him other positions such as bank director and&nbsp;manager of elections. Unfortunately, the venture into the ship ultimately failed and as a result in 1820&nbsp;Scarbrough lost his money, the house&nbsp;and his health deteriorated.&nbsp;The home was in private hands until the late 1870s when it was sold to the city and became a public school. This lasted until the 1960s. At this point the house was in bad shape and underwent a restoration in the 1970s. There was a brief period of vacancy after that before the house was bought by the museum and&nbsp;restored and expanded in mid 1990s.&nbsp;

The Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum promotes Savannah's maritime history through its many artifacts and artwork on display. These include paintings, maritime antiques, and several scale models of ships related to Savannah, including the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The museum is located in the 1818 William Scarbrough House, a National Historic Landmark and one of the first examples of Greek Revival architecture in the country. English-born architect William Jay designed the house. Only a few of his buildings have survived, a fact that gave further impetus to designate the home as a National Landmark.

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum (William Scarbrough House)

In 1810, there was an association created called “Friends to the Drama” that wished to have a permanent theater erected in Savannah. After gathering money and holding many meetings, however, their petition to the City council found that they hadn’t reached the amount necessary to create a theater. The association tried again in 1816, and, this time, they were successful. They petitioned the council for two lots for the theater, which they received on July 16, 1816. On February 28, 1818, mayor James M. Wayne&nbsp;signed the deed, as well as Aldermen John Tanner, Joseph Habersham, Fredric Densler, Hazen Kimball, William Davies, Paul P. Thomasson, and GW Owens. This deed was to James Bilbo, James Morrison, Alexander Telfair, and Alexander Jonathan. The deed gave two lots, and William Jay started construction immediately. Before the year was up, the theater was finished, and on&nbsp;December 4th, 1818 at 5:30 pm, the theater opened for the first time with the production of a comedy called “The Soldiers Daughter.”The house could seat 1000 people originally. There were two rows of boxes, which were supported by cast iron columns decorated by guilt capitals. The lower boxes had golden eagles with a wreath on them. The second row had bas-reliefs painted on them, by Etty from London England. They also had a Lyre with a wreath on some. The stage opening had an arch supported by four pillars, with a bas-relief on the back wall of the stage, and the whole theater was adorned with gold moldings and crimson and green backgrounds for some of the boxes.&nbsp; 

During the first twenty years the theater existed, it was turned over to different people many times. It was sold at auction twice during that time, as well. A stock company was organized in 1838, and the theater was integrated into the company that December. After its integration into this stock company, the theater's reputation grew, and this caused more popular actors and singers to visit and perform at the theater.

Over the theater’s two-century life-span, it has had to be repaired many times to keep up with the changing times, and as a result of fires that have been a part of Savannah’s history. One owner, Tomlinson F. Johnson, updated the theater extensively in 1882, and according to him, the theater had to be renovated and updated every ten years. The theater had a box office installed in 1895 because William Jay’s original design didn’t include one. In 1906, the interior of the theater was burned, but the walls and exterior remained and it was rebuilt. Another fire occurred in 1948. After that, the theater was remodeled in the Art Deco style which it currently shows.

October 21, 1950, the theater reopened as a movie theater; the first movie shown was Mister Eighty-Eight, starring&nbsp;Burt Lancaster and Dorothy McGuire. The theater was updated again in 2002, and&nbsp;turned back into a live theater, instead of a movie theater. There is now an advanced sound system&nbsp;and lighting system. Since this update, the theater hosts specific genre performances. The lobby of the theater displays artifacts, photos, and newspaper clippings from the theaters extensive past.&nbsp;

Architect William Jay, who later designed the Telfair Mansion, designed the original structure of this theater in 1818.  The original exterior of the theater was modeled after German architecture. while the interior followed Greek and Roman style semi-circle theaters. Throughout its lifetime, the theater has hosted many famous actors and actresses, but has also seen its share of tragedies. Various fires have necessitated multiple renovations and repairs, but the theater continues to remain an important mainstay in the cultural life of Savannah. 

Savannah Historic Theater 

<div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1896, the building of the Cathedral was finally finished.&nbsp; The Cathedral was finished with a brick structure that was stuccoed and whitewashed. The building was completed by Reverend Thomas A. Becker. The Cathedral was beautiful and could easily hold 1,000 people. However, two short years after the Cathedral was built, a devastatingly event occurred. A fire occurred on February 6, 1898, and it destroyed the Cathedral. All that was left were outside walls and&nbsp; two spires. &nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Although the fire was devastating, the Cathedral was soon rebuilt. On December 24, 1899, the new Cathedral was finished and the parish had their first mass. The mass was celebrated and lead by the seventh bishop of Savanna, Benjamin Keiley. However, it took thirteen more years until the interior design of the Cathedral was finished. The stained glass&nbsp;windows in the Cathedral were done by, Innsbruck Glassmakers of the Austrian Tyrol. The murals were created by, Christopher Murphy.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Renovation did not occur again until the years between 1959 and 1953. The Cathedral would now have an entrance plaza, lighting upgrades, and heating and cooling. The renovation was decided and directed by Reverend Thomas J. McDonough.&nbsp; Next, Reverend Raymond W. Lessard, the twelfth bishop of Savannah decided to make some changes. He decided to close the church until the decaying timber foundations were fixed. Lessard wanted to replace the timber with concrete. &nbsp;This happened in the year of 1984-1985. Shortly after these changes, many more occurred. Reverend J. Kevin Boland, the thirteenth bishop of Savannah, wanted to do many changes to the Cathedral. The changes included, paint scheme, murals, stained glass, stations of the Cross, new paint, and a new roof. These changes took until November 2000.&nbsp; Today, the Cathedral is welcomed to guests, and guests can even take tours to see this beautiful Cathedral.</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div>

The colonial charter of Savannah prohibited Roman Catholics from settling in Savannah. This prohibition faded shortly after the American Revolution. French Catholics established the first church in 1799 when they arrived from Haiti after slave rebellions began on that Caribbean island in 1791. A second church was dedicated in 1839 as the number of Catholics increased in Savannah. Construction began on the new Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in 1873 and was completed with the addition of the spires in 1896. 

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

Little is known about William Jasper prior to his enrollment
into the colonial military. It is believed that his date of birth is around 1750, that his
family is of Irish decent, and that he grew up in the swampy country of Georgia
and South Carolina. On July 7, 1775, Francis “Swamp Fox” Marion and William
Moultorie recruited Jasper into the Second South Carolina Continental Regiment
from the Halifax district in Georgia, an area of recruitment that strongly
opposed British control. By October 1775, Jasper rose to the rank of Sergeant
because of his strong leadership skills.

Charleston, which was under the control of the Continental forces of Major General Charles Lee after
the Royal British Governor, Lord William Campbell, was convinced to leave and
find protection under the British, was protected by a series of forts all manned
by 6,500 local colonists. Jasper’s unit was stationed at Fort Sullivan, later
renamed Fort Moultrie, which needed to be built and maintained by his unit. The
Second South Carolina was attacked by a British Naval fleet led by Sir Peter
Parker at about 11am on the morning of June 28, 1776; this is the time in which
Jasper began to gain an esteemed reputation. During the bombardment, the banner
of the Second South Carolina was shot off the flag staff and fell outside the
walls of the fort. Seeing this, Jasper jumped across walls to retrieve it; he
grabbed the flag from the broken staff and got a cannon sponge staff from
Captain Peter Horry. He then put the flag on the staff and put the flag back on
the summit of the fort. It is said that as he planted the flag, he shouted, “
God, save liberty and my country forever!” After his act of bravery, he
continued to fight until the British fleet left in the night. 

Jasper's act
of bravery led his commander to start a series of small guerrilla raids on the
British along the Georgia coast from 1776 to 1779. Jasper used stealth and
deception as well as hand-chosen men to capture enemy patrols and pickets,
those who were stationed ahead of the enemy troops. Jasper would dress as a
civilian to go into towns and gather intelligence on enemy troop movements and
placements, and would take prisoners when possible. The summer of 1779 was when
his most famous raid occurred. Jasper was supposedly off to visit his brother
who was across enemy lines, along with Sergeant John Newton. They saw a group
of war prisoners being sent to Savannah for execution, and the two men rescued
the group while the guards stopped to fill their canteens at a spring. They
returned with the freed prisoners, and once more Jasper was deemed a hero for
his actions. 

In 1778, Britain’s army began a campaign to control the South. By the end of December
1778, Savannah was controlled by the British. This was important because it meant that Britain&nbsp;controlled both the center of commerce and the coast of
Georgia. The southern commander of the Patriot Army, Major General Benjamin
Lincoln, knew that he needed to retake Savannah. In
September of 1779, Savannah was surrounded by Lincoln and French Admiral
Valerie D’Estaing. On October 9 1779, 1000 American troops and 3500 French
troops launched a frontal assault on the British, but they faced many difficulties. One unit entered the battle
late because they had trouble getting through the marsh. Other units had
difficulty because of underbrush and logs that had been put in areas to make it
difficult for the attackers to get close. Jasper’s unit was initially successful, but eventually could not handle the assault. The British troops, commanded
by John Maitland, moved to drive the Patriots and French back, resulting in close
combat fighting; this had the French and Patriots losing control of the
battle. In the Second South Carolina, lieutenant Bush carried one of the
regiment's flags into that battle, supported by Jasper. When Bush became injured,
he gave Jasper the flag. Sergeant Jasper ran to place the flag on the enemy’s
battlements to bolster morale, but became mortally wounded as he reached the
top. Bush recovered the flag and tried to recreate Jasper’s heroism, but also
became mortally wounded and fell with the blood soaked flag under him. 

The Second South
Carolina recovered Sergeant Jasper’s body from the battlefield, but he
eventually succumbed to his wounds. When his name was listed as one of those
who had died, it was written as “The Brave Sgt. Jasper”; this showed how high
he was thought of by his contemporaries. It is believed that Jasper’s body lies in an unmarked grave somewhere near where the battle took place. 

His grave was forgotten, but he was
not. Jasper, believed to be of Irish decent, became an inspiration to Irish immigrants
in Savannah before the Civil War. These men formed the
Irish Jasper Greens Militia in 1842 and fought in the Mexican-American War in
1846. The militia also fought in the Civil War. After the Civil War, the statue to commemorate Jasper was erected in 1888, and was created by Alexander Doyle.&nbsp;The Savannah St. Patrick’s Day
Parade Committee has a Sgt. William Jasper Memorial Ceremony every year the day
before the St. Patrick’s Day Parade. They march from Johnson Square up to Bull
street then to Madison square where his Monument is located. They hold this
ceremony to remind all in attendance that “the efforts of common men shape our
history.”

The fifteen-and-a-half foot monument, sculpted by prominent artist Alexander Doyle, was unveiled in 1888 to honor Continental Army Sergeant William Jasper. The monument itself is thought to be placed only a few hundred yards from where Jasper died during the siege of Savannah in 1779, facing against the British who controlled Savannah at the time. The monument depicts Jasper raising the flag of the Second Regiment of South Carolina in one hand, with his saber in the other covering a bullet wound. At his feet is his hat, full of bullet holes. There are three panels on the base of the statue that depict what were thought to be highlights of his life: replacing the flag at Fort Sullivan while under fire, liberating Patriot War prisoners on their march to be hanged, and his death, which occurred shortly after the siege on Savannah.   



Sergeant William Jasper Monument 

Sherman finally succeeded in his plan to capture
Atlanta in late July 1864. However, his goal was not complete. Sherman’s
mission was to cut all the Confederate supply lines to and from the city,
thereby preventing any aid – supplies, medical, reinforcements – from easily
reaching the Confederate forces in Tennessee and Virginia. His proposal to
remedy this: march with part of his own forces to the port city, Savannah,
nearly 300 miles away to capture it as well. 
 Moving deeper still beyond Atlanta and further into
the heart of enemy territory, Sherman and his men left nothing to chance. They
lived mostly off the land for this campaign, allowing them to destroy any extra
food or supplies they came across in one of the towns in their path. To prevent
the transportation of goods by rail, the men burned the wooden ties, and heated
the metal rails until they were pliable enough to be bent around trees. Though Sherman
only targeted things that might be useful for as Confederate military effort,
that didn’t leave much safe – corn and cotton crops, livestock, telegraph
lines, private homes, and feed granaries were all targeted equally and were
equally wiped out by the invading Union forces. Upon reaching Savannah
in December 1864, the decision to ransack the city, as Atlanta and other cities
and towns along the campaign trail had been ransacked, was up in the air. Lt.
General Hardee, who had been left with a small army to defend the city elected
to flee with his men to South Carolina, leaving Mayor Richard Arnold to
surrender the city into Sherman’s hands. On the 22nd of December,
Sherman set up his headquarters at the Green-Meldrim House, overlooking Madison
Square. &nbsp; While no further damage was done to the city (other than Sherman melting down the clappers of the church bells at the neighboring St. John's Cathedral) the citizens of Savannah and indeed the entire South were terrified and psychologically incapable of maintaining morale for the Confederate Army. The South felt the impact of Sherman's March, even after the war came to an end. Left without a great deal of income due to the complete destruction of crops and livestock, paired with an almost complete overture of the former system Southerners struggled for years to allow their economy to bounce back, which can occasionally&nbsp;still be seen and felt to this day.

Erected in 2014, this historic marker outside the Green-Meldrim House in Savannah, Georgia indicates the city as the final stop on Major General William T. Sherman’s March to the Sea. In 1864, Sherman, who served under Union General Ulysses S. Grant, was given the objective to move against General Johnston’s Confederate forces in Tennessee, which protected the South’s center of industry - Atlanta. Upon his victory in Tennessee, Sherman and his men marched to Atlanta, leaving a wide path of destruction behind them. Though Atlanta had been their original target, Sherman moved his men onward from November to December 1864 to capture Savannah, a major Confederate port city in order to gain full control of the South’s chain of production. This is one of many public markers denoting the impact Sherman’s presence and tactics had both on the city and the South.

Sherman's March in Savannah Historic Marker

Samuel Pugh Hamilton was born July 2, 1837. He served in&nbsp;the U.S Navy until he gave up the position to join the Confederate army at Ft. Pulaski under Colonel Lawton of the Georgia Battalion where he served until the Civil War ended. In 1862, he started his jewelry business called “Hamilton’s Fine Watches and Jewelry”. He sold the business in 1889 so that he could spend more time working in the Brush Electric Light and Power Company. During his time in the Navy, he married Emma Sprigg, and they had two children before her death in 1862. On June 10, 1866, he married his brother’s widow Sarah Virginia StillingsHamilton’s fame grew in the 1880s. He became an alderman and continued his jewelry career. He was the Grand Recorder and Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Solomons Lodge, Masons. He also worked with the Savannah Cotton Mills, the Tybee and Savannah Rail lines, and the Tybee Beach company. Hamilton was also an optician. At this time, he was elected President and Treasurer of the Savannah Ice Manufacturers and Artesian Ice and Storage Company. He hosted many formal dinners, cotillions, costume parties, and visiting dignitaries at his home. Due to his elite standing and hosting of parties, he became known as “The Lord of Lafayette Square”. Electricity was implemented in the parlor of the Hamilton house in 1883. It was the first residence to have electricity in Savannah. In 1886, the whole house had electricity installed and Hamilton became president of the Brush Electric Light and Power Company.In 1898, the home was almost destroyed by the Great Savannah fire, thought to only have been saved by the tin roof. In 1915, osteopathic doctor Francis Turner, the man who owned Savannah’s first electric car, bought the house. He and his family lived there until 1926. In 1928, the home was used for boarding Marine hospital nurses until the Turner family moved back into the house in the 1940s. During that time, Turner turned the courtyard level into an office space for his medical practice. The Turners sold the home in 1964 to officials of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. They wanted to destroy the home and turn it into a playground for their school, but The Historic Savannah Foundation saved the house after years of negotiations.

Many people owned the house over the next thirty years. In 1991, Nancy Hill and her husband bought the house and used it as an apartment building. Nancy continued to live there after her divorce and after she sold it in 1997. She lived in the basement and managed the Inn for many years. Nancy is known as “Mandy” in the popular Savannah book “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” written by Jon Berendt. The novel also mentions parties thrown by a manager of the home at one time, Joe Odom. The current owners are part of the Historic Savannah Foundation that saved the home in the 60's. The house, now an inn, is very popular among those that stay there and is considered to be a must-see historical site.&nbsp;

Commissioned by Samuel Pugh Hamilton, this home was built in 1873 by J.S Hall. He was influenced by the style of the Second Empire. The house has a central hall with Italian characteristics: a mansard roof, large windows with heavy moldings around them, and cast iron balconies. The building and carriage house are made out of Savannah brick that is covered in stucco. The house also had pipes to have conversations through the four floors of the home and was the first home in Savannah to have electricity installed. Francis Turner was the second owner of the home. The home turned inn is also known as the Grand Victorian Lady. 

Hamilton-Turner House (Inn)

In September of 1779, Major General Benjamin Lincoln intended to retake the city of Savannah from the British, who had claimed it as their own the previous year under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell.&nbsp;Campbell remained in Savannah, joined by Brigadier General Augustine Prevost. &nbsp;At this time, Lincoln was in Charleston, South Carolina, and knew that his only hope in retaking the city was in persuading the French Navy to&nbsp;join his cause. French Vice-Admiral Comte d'Estaing, who had been fighting in the Caribbean, agreed to bring his fleet north to meet Lincoln and his men.On September 11, 1779, Campbell departed Charleston and headed toward Savannah with 2,000 men. Also moving towards Savannah was the French Comte d'Estaing with his fleet, surprising Prevost who was not expecting them, and hurriedly ordered British Captain James Moncrief to further build up Savannah's fortifications. The following day, the French fleet landed at Beaulieu's Plantation, and from there marched toward the city, where he was joined four days later by&nbsp;Lincoln and his men. Quickly, a demand was made to Campbell to surrender the city. Campbell stalled, as he was awaiting reinforcements from Beaufort, South Carolina; Colonel John Maitland's troops were on their way. Due to a misunderstanding between the French and the Americans, neither side blocked the arrival of the extra British troops. With more men behind him, Prevost declined to surrender the city.On September 23, 1779, the French and the American forces began landing their artillery and preparing for the siege. On October 3 bombardment began but is largely ineffective against British fortifications and actually&nbsp;caused more damage to the city itself. D'Estaing, who is growing impatient due to disease among his fleet and the threat of hurricanes refuses to practice standard siege procedures, which most likely would have ultimately been effective, and instead suggests an assault on the British lines. Lincoln, who knew he could not win without the French, agrees to d'Estaing's wishes.The French-American assault on the British began the morning of October 9. The battle, which should have gotten underway before dawn, was delayed due to thick fog and men getting lost in the swamps. The objective was to focus on the Spring Hill Redoubt, or fortification. It was believed the redoubt was manned by loyalist militia&nbsp;and easy to capture. However, a deserter tipped Prevost who decided to move his veteran forces into the area. Early on, a diversion planned by d'Estaing failed, followed by an incident where an entire line got stuck in the swamp near the redoubt was forced to turn back. Upon reaching the Spring Hill Redoubt, the first wave of men met with heavy fire. They suffered heavy losses; d'Estaing himself was hit twice. While the second wave found more success, with some French and Americans reaching the top of the wall, they were still unsuccessful in breaking through the British lines and were eventually driven back. Lincoln desired to mount one last attack but Comte d'Estaing quickly overruled his wishes.The&nbsp;French and American forces suffered losses far greater than those of the British. Of the Allies, 244 were killed, 584 were wounded, and 120 were captured. Of Prevost's men, 40 were killed, 63 were wounded, and 52 were missing. On October 18, the Siege of Savannah was abandoned, and Lincoln and his army retreated back to Charleston. This battle, as one of the bloodiest of the war, was also demoralizing for the new French-American alliance.Today, those who fought and died in the Siege of Savannah are memorialized at Battlefield Park in Savannah. In 2003, the city of Savannah purchased the land where the battle took place. Two years later, in 2005, archaeologists found what was left of the Spring Hill Redoubt, and the fortification itself has been rebuilt to show what it would have been like at the time of the siege. Visitors today can visit the park and see the 800 granite stones placed there to remember those who died or were wounded in the Siege of Savannah.&nbsp;

This memorial park consists of reconstructed earthworks and numerous signs and programs that allow visitors to experience the history of the American Revolution in the South. On December 29, 1778, British forces, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell, captured Savannah as part of a strategy to regain control of Georgia with the support of the loyalists who lived there. The following year in 1779, French and American forces combined to attempt to take back the city in a battle called the Siege of Savannah, which is also known as the Second Battle of Savannah. Due to poor planning, miscommunication, and a lack of patience, the siege failed, leaving Savannah in British control until July of 1782. An interesting feature of the battle was the contingent of 500 men from what was once a French colony and now the country of Haiti. Some of these soldiers were men of color and some were former slaves. The contingent was one of the largest foreign forces to participate in the war.

Battlefield Park and the Siege of Savannah

Late in 1778 the British began to turn their main effort to the south. The King’s ministers hoped to bring the southern states into the fold one by one. From bases there, they would strangle the recalcitrant north. A small British force operating from Florida cooperated with the first reinforcements sent by General Sir Henry Clinton and quickly overran thinly populated Georgia in the winter of 1778–79. Alarmed by this development, Congress sent Maj. Gen. Benjamin Lincoln south to Charleston in December 1778 to command the Southern Army and organize the southern effort. It hoped that he could repeat his performance during the Saratoga campaign as a leader who could mix Continental regulars and militiamen. Lincoln gathered 3,500 continentals and militiamen; but in May 1779, while he maneuvered along the Georgia border, Prévost slipped around him.

<h2>16 September 1779</h2><h2>British Victory</h2>Early in September 1779, the British learned that a French fleet had arrived at Tybee Island, Georgia. It generated a sizeable recruiting effort by British Maj. Gen. Augustine Prévost to bolster his defensive positions and garner Loyalist supporters. On 10 September 1779, a 1,500-man detachment of the Continental forces in the south and a French fleet with 5,000 soldiers attacked 3,200 Crown soldiers at Savannah, Georgia. The combined American and French armies sent multiple demands that the British surrender the city and its fortifications. French V. Adm. Comte d’Estaing feared leaving his ships exposed to a possible British fleet action and was concerned about the rising cases of disease among his sailors. Consequently, he insisted on a premature attack, which failed in a bloody shambles on 9 October—d’Estaing himself was twice wounded and Continental cavalry commander Brig. Gen. Casimir Pulaski was killed. Neither the Americans nor the French were happy with their ally’s performance as they lifted the siege. The British remained in control of the city until July 1782.

Siege of Savannah

It wasn't until 1820 that the congregation built its first synagogue, which was small wooden structure. This building was also the first synagogue to be constructed in Georgia. Before this, the congregation worshipped and gathered in homes or rented spaces. There was also a period beginning in 1742 and ending in 1774 that most of the congregation fled from the Spanish, who invaded the colony as part of a war with Spain. The Jews feared the Spanish would persecute them. Many returned in 1774 and reestablished the congregation.&nbsp; A fire destroyed the&nbsp;wooden synagogue in 1829. A&nbsp;larger brick one was built in 1841. Germans began to arrive in American in the 1840s and among them were many Jews. The increased population of Jews prompted the construction of the current synagogue. The congregation began a gradual shift towards Reform Judaism in 1868 and eventually joined the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. The addition was built in 1957 and later expanded in 2002-2003.&nbsp;

This handsome building is home to Congregation Mickve Israel, the third oldest Jewish congregation in the country. It follows the Reform tradition. A group of 42 Jewish immigrants from England arrived in Savannah in 1733 and founded the congregation in 1735. Most of the group were Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews of Spanish or Portuguese origin; all were generally poor and looking for a new beginning in the colony of Georgia, which had just been founded a few months before their arrival. The synagogue itself was built in 1878 in the Gothic Revival style and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places (the nomination form for this designation does not appear to be available at this time). The synagogue includes the sanctuary and an attached modern museum, administration, and school building. The museum features many historic artifacts on display. The congregation, to which 350 families belong, is still in possession of the Torah the group of immigrants brought over and continues to be used today. 

Congregation Mickve Israel

On December 29, 1778,&nbsp;British forces captured Savannah. The British were focusing on capturing the leading cities as well as crushing the small army of American commander Robert Howe. Archibald Campbell led British troops and their capture of the city was only the first of many parts of the empire's southern strategy. The British were trying to regain control of the Southern colonies by appealing to the Loyalist sentiment, but most Southerners were lukewarm in their support for either side. While some British commanders mobilized enslaved persons as soldiers and laborers by promising freedom, this strategy turned white colonists against the Crown and was not a prominent feature of the war in this region.&nbsp;&nbsp;The British force that entered Savannah consisted of about 2,500-3,600 troops while the American rebels near Savannah only commanded 650-900 men. General Henry Clinton, sent Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell and his troops from New York to attack Savannah. In addition, the commander&nbsp;of British forces in Florida, General Augustine Prevost, was sent to Georgia to help with the larger mission of controlling the Southern colonies.&nbsp;Britain's troops from New York on December 23rd and Campbell quickly recognized his substantial numerical advantage. Campbell was able to capture a large group of the American army and took them as prisoners. The British also captured Sunbury and Robert Howe retreated with only&nbsp;around 340 soldiers. With&nbsp;about half of his&nbsp;force captured, killed, or deserting, General Howe was discredited in the eyes of many American military leaders and later removed from his independent command.&nbsp;

This historical marker commemorates the capture of Savannah by British forces on December 29, 1778. The British occupation of the city was part of a larger operation to secure control and quash pro-American sentiment in this part of the South in 1778. As part of that mission, British General Sir Henry Clinton sent troops south with Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Campbell. The British had more sympathizers in the South than New England and the Chesapeake, but their hopes of gaining control of the Southern colonies fell short of their goal. American troops were greatly outnumbered and the British regained control of Savannah and took many captives, but few American colonists actively supported the British as the war continued and Britain failed to make a compelling case for remaining a colony of the empire.

Capture of Savannah Historical Marker 

The building is named after Scottish-born Peter Massie, who donated seed money that would eventually be used to build the school. At the time education was given by private teachers and as a result many poor families, especially those in the countryside, could not afford this type of schooling. Massie therefore decided to give funds—$5,000—for the school which he wanted to be free of charge. It operated as a school until 1974 after which point it became the heritage center.

Built in 1856 as a free public school for poor children, the Massie Heritage Center serves as a museum preserving Savannah's history and a gathering space for various community and cultural events. The building, which is the only surviving building of the city's first public school system, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The center features several exhibits exploring the city's maritime history, its growth and development, its historic buildings and the preservation efforts to save and renovate these structures, Native American culture and history, and the classic architecture exhibited throughout the city. There is also an authentic early 1900s classroom with old desks. Outside the building are two garden areas, which used to be separate recess areas for boys and girls.  

Massie Heritage Center

The research center's collection is impressive. It contains 4 million manuscripts, 100,000 photographs, 30,000 architectural drawings, 15,000 rare books, and thousands of other items including maps, portraits, diaries, and artifacts. There many notable items including the compass and snuff box of Georgia founder James Oglethorpe; records of the Cherokee Removal on the Trail of Tears; correspondence of Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Robert E. Lee, and Girl Scout founder Juliette G. Low. Unfortunately, Mary died before Hodgson Hall before her plans to build it could be put into action. Her sister took up the effort, however, and oversaw its construction and completion.

The Georgia Historical Society is one of the oldest, continuously operating state historical societies in the South. It was founded in 1839 and has its headquarters and research center here in Savannah but also has an office in Atlanta. The research center is located in the historic Hodgson Hall, which was built in 1876 and named after William Hodgson, an eminent 19th-century scholar and diplomat who could speak thirteen languages. He was also a member of the historical society and served as curator for many years. He married Mary Telfair, the daughter of Georgia Governor Edward Telfair, who made plans for the building's construction after William passed away. Hodgson Hall is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was designed by architect Detlef Lienau, who introduced 



Georgia Historical Society

Organizers who developed this monument went to great lengths to avoid using any material or labor from the states that supported the Union in the Civil War. The monument was created in Nova Scotia and shipped directly to the city and oriented towards the North as a symbolic&nbsp;gesture of defiance. The monument is flanked by sculptures of Major General Lafayette Mclaws and Brigadier General Francis S. Bartow. It also includes a portrayal of a weeping widow surrounded by angels.&nbsp;The “Savannah’s Ladies Memorial Association” initiated and led the effort to create the monument. They raised funds from donors and used their strict rules against Northern material or labor to help garner enthusiasm&nbsp;from white Southerners who were eager to celebrate their&nbsp;rejection of Black suffrage and other laws that had been imposed upon the South following the Civil War. The monument was not allowed to be made from any northern materials, nor could it touch the ground of the north. Northern men were also not allowed to be in the process of making the monument.&nbsp;The original design for the monument consisted of two Victorian statues that represented judgment and silence. That design was not highly favored and the two sculptures representing silence and judgment were placed at other locations in Savannah. The statue representing silence is now at the Laurel Grove Cemetery in the section dedicated remember the soldiers from Savannah killed in Gettysburg. Judgment went to a different cemetery in Thomasville, Georgia.Although the monument still carries a controversial message, the soldier continues to look towards his enemy and efforts to remove the sculpture from Forsyth Park has not received the kind of support that has occurred in other Southern cities that dedicated Confederate monuments in a spirit of defiance between the end of Reconstruction and the early 1900s. The park is full of beautiful monuments that pay tribute to more positive aspects of Southern history, including the generosity of many civic leaders. There are also monuments to local Marines who lost their lives in World War II and a monument honoring veterans of the Spanish-American War. The center of the park holds a fountain which has become one of the most popular places in the city for photographs.&nbsp;

Residing in Forsyth Park of Savannah, Georgia is a Confederate monument with a soldier “facing his enemies” in the North. The cornerstone of the monument was dedicated in 1874 and the monument was dedicated in 1879. The monument is emblematic of both the racial and regional animosity that white Southerners expressed in the Civil War and Reconstruction eras. The monument is controversial today because unlike many Confederate monuments that were dedicated at cemeteries, this statue was created as a celebration of the white South's rejection of the goals of Reconstruction. The park is named in honor of John Forsyth, the 33rd governor of Georgia who served as Secretary of State under Andrew Jackson and Martin Van Buren. 

 Forsyth Park Confederate War Monument

In 1728, when he was 25, John Wesley was a student at Lincoln College in Oxford, England. John and his brother Charles would constantly try to remain true to their faith. After witnessing this, their peers teased them by calling them “Methodists.” This originally derogatory term is now the name of the Methodist Church. By 1735, John and Charles were established men of faith and wanted to spread the Gospel in Georgia, which was a colony at the time.&nbsp;

The brothers traveled the Atlantic with James Oglethorpe, who was responsible for establishing the colony of Georgia. They came to the Savannah River on February 5, 1736, and stepped on Cockspur Island the following morning. This was also the day that John Wesley gave an unprecedented sermon in America. Wesley and his fellow travelers then journeyed the river again to go to Savannah.

Before long, however, Wesley began to have disagreements with people in Savannah. The disagreements became so bad that he eventually had to stand in court. Eventually, after the situation did not improve, Wesley departed on December 22, 1737. Even though he departed from Georgia in the midst of trouble, Wesley was known to have said that something important occurred there to help establish the Methodist Church. This important event is when several people gathered at Wesley’s home. There is a memorial to Wesley in Reynolds Square in Savannah that is close to where the house was.

The Wesley Monument at the Fort Pulaski National Monument marks the site that John Wesley, the father of the Methodist Church, landed and delivered his first speech in the New World. It can be viewed along a sidewalk close to Fort Pulaski. Wesley was a well-known man of faith when he landed in Georgia in 1736. As a youth, Wesley’s parents, Rev. Samuel and Susannah Wesley, emphasized the need to learn about their religion and to stay faithful to it. At the time of John’s birth, Samuel was even a clergyman at the Anglican Church in Epworth, England.

2nd honeymoon

Colonial Park Cemetery

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information