| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — "A World Apart" |
| | World War II Memorial
Honoring all veterans of
Chatham County who gave
their lives to retain the freedom
of the United States of America
and saved the world from tyranny — Map (db m53069) WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — "Jingle Bells" |
| | James L. Pierpont (1822-1893), composer of "Jingle Bells", served as music director of this church in the 1850s when it was a Unitarian Church located on Oglethorpe Square. Son of the noted Boston reformer, Rev. John Pierpont, he was the brother of Rev. John Pierpont, Jr. minister of this church, and uncle of financier John Pierpont Morgan. He married Eliza Jane Purse, daughter of Savannah mayor Thomas Purse, and served with a Confederate cavalry regiment. He is buried in Laurel Grove Cemetery. . . . — Map (db m5817) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — "Tyrants Fall In Every Foe Liberty's In Every Blow" |
| | In the memory of our Scotish forebears, whose valor inspired these immortal lines by Robert Burns, this marker is gratefully dedicated by the Saint Andrew's Society of Savannah, Georgia on its 250th Anniversary.
(1737 - 1987) 3 May 1987 — Map (db m6265) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 105 East Oglethorpe Avenue |
| | 105 East Oglethorpe Avenue was the home of
General Joseph E. Johnston, C.S.A.
from 1868 to 1876. In April 1870 he was visited here by his fellow Confederate and old friend,
General Robert E. Lee — Map (db m5307) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 1812 Wesley Chapel |
| | Savannah Methodism's first church building was erected on this corner of Lincoln and South Broad (now Oglethorpe) streets in 1812 by its first pastor, Rev. James Russell. Bishop Francis Asbury preached twice in Wesley Chapel on November 21, 1813. In 1819-1820
under the preaching of William Capers the membership grew rapidly, and in 1821 John Howard enlarged the building to care for 100 new members. By 1848 this "good, neat house, sixty by forty feet", became too small; at a new location its . . . — Map (db m5447) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 1996 Olympic Yachting Cauldron |
| | This cauldron was lit with the original Olympic flame from Olympia, Greece at the Savannah Opening Ceremony, July 20, 1996, and burned throughout the Centennial Olympic Games in Savannah, Georgia, site of the Olympic Yachting
events. The five fluted columns on round bases represent the five Olympic rings and the fluted slice of a classic column symbolizes the Olympic Greek heritage. The six sails represent the Olympic yachting events and the copper flame replaces the billowing real flame. . . . — Map (db m5568) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — A Changing Landscape |
| | How old is this forest? Prior to the early 1800's Cockspur Island was primarily a grassy salt marsh interspersed with a few, small, forested hammocks. But things were about to change. In 1829 the army began installing drainage canals and a dike system to drain the arsh in order to support the massive weight of Fort Pulaski. In addition the scattered, forested areas were cut to give a clear field of view of any approaching ships or other enemy forces. The army continued to prevent trees from . . . — Map (db m63708) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — A. Douglass Strobhar |
| | This Chapel Is Dedicated To
A. Douglass Strobhar
As a mark of esteem and affection
by the Board of Managers
of the
Savannah Port Society
It is a tribute to his loyality and unfailing faithfulness since he became a member of the board of managers in 1920 and president in 1946.
His leadership alone has made
International Seamen's House
possible. — Map (db m6904) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — African American Monument |
| | 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. -Maya Angelou — Map (db m5278) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-33 — American Grand Prize Races — 1910 and 1911 Vanderbilt Cup Race, 1911 |
| | On each side of Waters Avenue at this site stood the grandstands built for the famous Savannah automobile races in 1910 and 1911. The starting and finishing line was located in front of the stands.
On November 12, 1910, David Bruce-Brown won the American Grand Prize Race of 415 miles by only one and a half seconds, averaging 70.55 miles per hour in a Benz car. The Grand Prize Race held on November 30, 1911, was also won by Bruce-Brown driving a Fiat, with an average speed of 74.45 miles . . . — Map (db m5953) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemansonry — Savannah, Georgia |
| | The Scottish rite of freemasonry was introduced into Georgia in 1792 by the brother Abraham Jacobs. The first degrees of the rite of perfection to be communicated in Savannah were on April 17,1796, when Jacobs conferred the degrees on James Clark, past master, Solomon’s lodge NO. 1. F. & A. M. At Charleston, S. C., On May 31, 1801, the supreme council. 33°, (mother council of the world) of the A. & A. S. R., S. J., U. S. A., was established. On December 4, 1802, the supreme council, at . . . — Map (db m5655) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-89 — Andrew Bryan |
| | Andrew Bryan was born at Goose Creek, S.C. about 1716. He came to Savannah as a slave and here he was baptized by the Negro missionary, the Reverend George Leile, in 1781. Leile evacuated with the British in 1782 at the close of the American Revolution and Bryan took up his work. He preached at Yamacraw and Brampton Plantation. On January 20, 1788, the Reverned Abraham Marshall (White) and the Reverned Jessie Peter (Colored) ordained Andrew Bryan and certified the congregation at a Brampton . . . — Map (db m15624) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-17B — Archibald Bulloch |
| | "This is no time to talk of moderation; in the
present instance it ceases to be a virtue."
Speech to Provincial Congress, JUNE ?, 1776 Foremost among Georgia's Revolutionary patriots stood Archibald Bulloch whose remains rest in this vault. An early and staunch advocate of American rights, Bulloch was among the patriots who issued the call in 1774 for the first province-wide meeting of the friends of Liberty in Georgia.
He served as President of the 1st and the 2nd Provincial . . . — Map (db m5335) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Armstrong Junior College |
| | Armstrong Junior College was founded on this site May 27, 1935 by the City of Savannah under the guidance of Mayor Thomas Gamble. The college was named for George Ferguson Armstrong (1868-1924), a native of Guyton, Georgia, who had this house constructed as his
residence. Armstrong was nationally recognized for his maritime ingenuity at Strachan Shipping Company. He held membership in the Cotton Exchange and the Oglethorpe Club. He was a member of the First Baptist Church and was respected . . . — Map (db m5472) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-10 — Attack on British Lines — October 9, 1779 |
| | Over this ground, hallowed by the valor and the sacrifice of the soldiery of America and of
France, was fought October 9, 1779, one of the bloodiest battles of the Revolution when
Savannah, which the British had possessed for several months, was attacked by the combined American and French forces. A short distance west of this marker stood the famous Spring Hill Redoubt and along here ran the line of entrenchments built by the British around Savannah. After a three weeks siege, the Allies . . . — Map (db m5448) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Augusta Road |
| | Northwest of this spot, on Liberty and
West Broad Streets began the Augusta road, one of the oldest in Georgia. — Map (db m6818) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Barnard House |
| | This federal style house was constructed in the late Eighteenth Century as the residence of William Barnard, nephew of Sir John Barnard who, while serving in the British Parliament distinguished himself as a patron of the Georgia Colony
The house was purchased in 1817 by the Methodist Movement in Savannah as its first parsonage. The Reverend James Russell, first occupant of the parsonage was responsible for the construction of Wesley Chapel, which stood just south of this property until . . . — Map (db m9166) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Battle of Savannah |
| | En l'honneur des valliants Français
qui se sont sacrifiés en cet endroit
pour notre liberté le 9 Octobre, 1779
In honor of the valiant Frenchmen
who gave their lives on this battlefield
for our freedom on 9 October, 1779
Les Sociétés Honoraires de Français
Eastwood High School Belair High School
El Paso, Texas — Map (db m18455) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-34 — Beach Institute |
| | The Beach Institute began in 1867 as
the first school in Savannah erected
specifically for the education of African
Americans. It was named for Alfred Ely
Beach, benefactor and editor of
Scientific American . Following the
Civil War, the Freedmen's Bureau,
American Missionary Society, and the
Savannah Educational Association
purchased land and with the labor of
newly freed slaves built this school
and a teachers' house on this site. The
Beach Institute, birthplace of . . . — Map (db m15681) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Beaulieu Plantation |
| |
Granted 1739 to William Stephens
Secretary
Colony Of Georgia
1737 - 1740
President
1743 - 1751
Here in 1779 under
Count D'Estaing the
French landed to join
the Americans under
General Lincoln in
the seige Of Savannah
W.P.A. 1936. D.A.R. S.R. — Map (db m9149) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Big Duke Fire Alarm Bell Memorial |
| | ( Front)
Chatham County Firefighters Memorial Last Alarm
Firefighters who have died in the line of duty
John Butler Fireman 1865 SFD Charles Schreck Fireman 1871 SFD George Puder Fireman 1873 SFD William L. Harroid Hoseman 1887 SFD John Weihrs Fireman 1889 SFD
Henry B. Goodman Fireman 1889 SFD
Frank McStay Hoseman 1896 SFD
Aug Williman Fireman 1898 SFD
William Michael Fireman 1898 SFD Michael F. Kain Tillerman 1904 SFD
Frank N. Harris Driver 1905 SFD
George . . . — Map (db m5641) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-86 — Birthplace of Eighth Air Force |
| | On 28 January 1942, the Eighth Air Force, was activated in the adjacent building, a National Guard Armory at the time. Having moved to England, the Eighth was ready on 17 August to test the theory that daylight bombing raids could be made with profitable results. Twelve B-17's participated in this mission, striking the railway marshalling yards at Rouen, France, and returning safely to their home base. This highly successful mission established the pattern for the strategic bombardment of Nazi . . . — Map (db m4396) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Birthplace of Girl Scouting |
| | Birthplace of Girl Scouting in the United States March 12, 1912
This building formerly the stable of Julliette Low ••Founder••
The meeting place of the first Girl Scout Troops in the United States
Dedicated October, 1937 — Map (db m8297) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-42 — Birthplace of John C. Frémont |
| | One of two native Georgians who served as generals in the U.S. Army during the Civil War, John C. Frémont was born nearby on January 21, 1813. As an army officer, his 1840s explorations of the American West gained him fame as the “Pathfinder.” During the U.S.-Mexican War, Frémont seized California for the U.S. and was elected one of its first Senators in 1850. Opposed to slavery’s expansion, he ran unsuccessfully in 1856 as the first Republican presidential candidate. During the . . . — Map (db m62765) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low |
| | . . . — Map (db m5582) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-34 — Birthplace of Juliette Low — (1860-1927) — Founder of the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. |
| | In the house that stands opposite this marker, Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America, was born, October 31, 1860. It was her girlhood home until her marriage there in 1886 to William Low, an Englishman, then residing in Savannah.
As a friend of Lord Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout Movement, Juliette Low became active in Girl Guide work in England and Scotland in 1911. It was at his suggestion that she started Girl Scouting in America. On March 12, . . . — Map (db m5581) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-46 — Birthplace of the University Of Georgia — Meeting Place of Legislature in 1785 |
| | Directly across Bay Street from this marker formerly stood the brick building. Built in late colonial days and known as the “Coffee House.” In which the Legislature of Georgia met in 1785. Owned by Thomas Stone, it was described in a newspaper advertisement in 1785 as having “ten large, cool, elegant rooms” and as “not equaled by any other house in the state” for “business, and convenience for a large family.”
While meeting in the house owned . . . — Map (db m6668) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Brick Pillar |
| | This brick pillar represents the remnants of the former Bethesda Arch that was erected in 1940 as part of Bethesda’s 200th anniversary celebration. The original arch, designed by Hugh Tallant and funded in part by the Trustee’s Garden Club, was badly damaged in July 2004 and ultimately demolished. The new adjacent archway into Bethesda was dedicated April 22, 2006. — Map (db m55165) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — British Evacuation |
| | Commemorative
of the
British Evacuation Of Savannah
1782
Presented to the
City of Savannah
By the
Lachlan McIntosh Chapter
Daughters Of
The American Revolution
1904
— Map (db m10356) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Button Gwinnett |
| | This Memorial to
Button Gwinnett
Born 1735 Died 1777
Georgia Signer of The Declaration of Independence
President of Georgia
Whose remains, buried in this cemetery, are believed to lie entombed hereunder. Was erected by the
Savannah - Chatham County Historic Site and Monument Commission with monies contributed by
The State of Georgia - The City of Savannah
and the Georgia Societies Of The
Sons Of The Revolution, Daughters Of The American Revolution
Society of . . . — Map (db m5424) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-3 — Candler Hospital |
| | Georgia's first hospital, Candler is the
second oldest continuously operating
hospital in the United States. Its history
began in the 1730s when Methodist
missionary George Whitfield brought
medicines to treat sick seamen and
the poor. Chartered in 1804 as a
seaman's hospital and poor house, it
was later incorporated in 1808 under
the name Savannah Poor House and
Hospital Society. In 1819, the hospital
moved to Gaston Street where it
remained for 160 years. After Union
forces . . . — Map (db m15928) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-55 — Capt. Denis N. Cottineau (1745-1808) |
| | This grave links Savannah with one of history's greatest naval dramas - the epic fight in 1779 between the "Bon Homme Richard" and "Serapis" in which John Paul Jones immortalized himself.
Denis Nicolas Cottineau de Kerloguen received a commission in the Continental Navy during the American Revolution. Commanding the slow sailing “Pallas” during the famous naval engagement of September 23, 1779, Capt. Cottineau, by skillful seamanship, forced
H.M.S. “Countess of . . . — Map (db m5339) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Captain Charles Floyd — 1747 - 1820 |
| | Captain Floyd was a member 1775-1777
of the South Carolina First Council
of Safety which raised a militia
company, the "St. Helena Guards"
affiliated with the "Liberty Boys"
whose motto was "Liberty or Death."
In 1781 he served with "The Bloody
Legion" of Hilton Head. — Map (db m64310) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Captain Denis Cottineau De Kerloguen |
| | In Honor and Grateful Memory of
Captain Denis Cottineau De Kerloguen
who was born in Nantes, France and died in Savannah Ga., November 20, 1808, aged 63 Years. In the war for American Independence he fought with John Paul Jones in the famous battle between the Bon Homme Richard and the Serapis, on September 23, 1779, in which he commanded the Pallas, a ship of war of the United States, and rendered noble service to the American cause. For his part in this engagement he was praised by . . . — Map (db m6452) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-8 — Capture of Savannah December 29, 1778 |
| | When the British attacked Savannah on December 29, 1778, the defending Continental forces, numbering about 650 men under command of Maj. Gen. Robert Howe, were posted across Sea Island Road (now Wheaton street) approximately 100 yards east of this marker.
The British army, 2500 strong, landed near Brewton Hill at daybreak on Dec. 29. It consisted of part of the 71st Highland Regt., New York Loyalists, and
Hessians, and was commanded by Lt. Col. Archibald Campbell. The British promptly . . . — Map (db m6580) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-51 — Capture of the USS "Water Witch" |
| | In May, 1864, the USS "Water Witch" (80 officers and men and 4 guns), Lt. Comdr. Austin Pendergrast, USN, was on patrol duty in Ossabaw Sound. On the 31st, Flag Officer Wm. W. Hunter, CSN, assigned Lt. Thos. P. Pelot, CSN, to command a boat expedition designed to surprise and capture the vessel. This expedition -- 15 officers and 117 men, in 7 boats -- arrived at Beaulieu Battery via Skidaway Narrows late on June 1st, only to find that "Water Witch" was cruising in St. Catherine's Sound. She . . . — Map (db m5945) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-25 — Casimir Pulaski |
| | The great Polish patriot to whose memory this monument is erected was mortally wounded approximately one-half mile northwest of this spot during the assault by the French and American forces on the British lines around Savannah, October 9, 1779. General Pulaski was struck by a grapeshot as he rode forward, with customary ardor, from where his cavalry was stationed to rally the disorganized Allied columns. The fatal ball which was removed from his thigh by Dr. James Lynah of South Carolina is in . . . — Map (db m5483) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-28 — Cathedral of St. John the Baptist |
| | The congregation of St. John the Baptist formed in the late eighteenth century when French émigrés fleeing revolutions in France and Haiti found refuge in Savannah. The Church of St. John the Baptist became a cathedral in 1850 when the Diocese of Savannah was established with the Right Reverend Francis X. Gartland as its first bishop. The Cathedral was dedicated at this site on April 30, 1876. A fire in 1898 destroyed much of the structure. It was quickly rebuilt and opened again in 1900. . . . — Map (db m6021) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Central of Georgia — Depot and Train Shed |
| | Has been designated a
National
Historic Landmark
This site possesses national signifance
in commemorating the history of the
United States
1977
National Park Service
United States Department of Interior — Map (db m11603) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Central of Georgia |
| | Welcome to the Central of Georgia railroad
repair shops of Savannah
You are entering the heart of the Central of
Georgia railroad complex in Savannah. This
" miniature city " produced much of what was
needed for the construction and repair of
locomotives and train cars. It handled
administration, passenger and freight activities.
Most of these buildings were constructed in the
1850's or 1920's. The Central of Georgia was a
major employer and a driving economic force
in the . . . — Map (db m18459) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Central Of Georgia Railroad — Shops & Terminal |
| | Has been designated a
——
National Historic Landmark
——
This site possesses National signifcance
in commemorating the history of the
United States of America
1976 — Map (db m18392) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Central Railroad & Bank Bldg. |
| | Georgia Historical Society records
show that this building, built in 1853
for the Central Railroad & Bank was
confiscated by Gen. Wm. T. Sherman's
Union Army Forces as the military
hdqrs. of the Post Commandant, Gen.
J.W. Geary during the occupation of
Savannah.
Dec. 1864 - Dec. 1865 — Map (db m6477) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-14 — Charity Hospital and Training School for Nurses |
| | This was the site of the first hospital in Savannah to train African-American doctors and nurses. Named for Doctors Cornelius and Alice McKane, it began on June 1, 1896, when a small group of African Americans received a charter to operate the McKane Hospital for Women and Children and Training School for Nurses. The original hospital was a five-room wooden building. Charity Hospital completed this brick structure in 1931 and continued here until 1964. The building was used as a nursing home until 1976 and was rehabilitated for housing in 2002. — Map (db m11703) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Charles Pidcock — 1756 - 1836 |
| |
3rd Regiment of Hunterdon
County, New Jersey Militia.
Fought in the Battles of Millstone
and Monmouth. In his youth,
he evaded the British
by hiding under the boulder
upon which his pursuers stood. — Map (db m64599) WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-54 — Chatham Artillery — "Washington Guns" |
| | These cannon, which were captured when Lord Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in the American Revolution, were a gift to the Chatham Artillery by President George Washington - a mark of his appreciation for the part the local military company played in the celebration of his visit to Savannah in May, 1791.
Washington commended the Chatham Artillery in “warmest terms” and at one of the functions in his honor (which took place on the river bluff east of this spot) proposed a toast . . . — Map (db m5517) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-53 — Chatham Artillery — "Washington Guns" |
| | These bronze cannon were presented to the Chatham Artillery by President Washington after his visit to Savannah in 1791. Of English and French make, respectively, they are excellent examples of the art of ordnance manufacture in the 18th century. An inscription on the British 6 pounder states that it was “surrendered by the capitulation of York Town Oct. 19, 1781.” The English cannon was cast in 1758 during the reign of George II and the royal insignia and motto of the Order of the . . . — Map (db m5519) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-5 — Christ Church — The Mother Church of Georgia |
| | This Episcopal Church was the first house of
worship established with the founding of Georgia in 1733. Early rectors included the Rev. John Wesley (1736-37), who began the earliest form of Sunday school and published the first English hymnal in the colonies, and the Rev. George Whitefield (1738-40), founder of Bethesda Orphanage. The cornerstone for the first building on this site was laid in 1744.
James Hamilton Couper designed the current and third structure in 1838. The 1819 Revere & Son . . . — Map (db m5304) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Christ Church |
| | †
I.H.S.
Christ Church
Founded A.D. 1733. Chartered 1789.
Destroyed by Fire 1796. Rebuilt & enlarged 1803.
Injured by a hurricane 1804. Constructed anew 1810.
Taken down, and
This Edifice Erected
1838. Partially destroyed by fire, rebuilt and improved 1897 — Map (db m13665) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Christ Church Parish House |
| | (upper marker): Christ Church Parish House
(lower marker): The
hand wrought weather vane
atop this building
is from the 12th century church of
Cranham, Essex, England
where Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe
is buried. It was presented in 1967 by
Lester Karow
1885-1968 — Map (db m6115) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 7 — Christmas in Savannah 1864 |
| | For, Savannah, Christmas 1864 was anything but a time
for merriment. Almost four years of war had taken the
lives of thousands of Georgians, destroyed millions of
dollars in property and left the state in chaos. As the
holiday approached, so did the relentless Union Army
led by William Tecumseh Sherman. For Union soldiers,
it was a time for jubilant celebration as Gen. Sherman
telegraphed President Lincoln, "Sir: I beg to present
to you as a Christmas gift, the City of Savannah . . . — Map (db m19422) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-32 — Col. James S. McIntosh (1784-1847) |
| | James S. McIntosh achieved an immortal record of gallantry in the War of 1812 and in the War with Mexico. In 1814 he saw considerable action on the Canadian border, he was severely wounded at Buffalo. In the Mexican War, Col. McIntosh was desperately wounded by bayonets at Resaca de ka Palma in 1846. When a fellow officer, who found him on the field, asked if he might be of any service. McIntosh replied, “Yes, give me some water and show me my regiment.” Returning to combat the . . . — Map (db m5403) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Col. John Jones |
| | 1759-1852 Colonel Jones was a
North Carolina Partisan
Ranger in the Continental
Army. Jones was wounded
at Pacolett River, NC
on July 14, 1780. — Map (db m6517) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Col. John White |
| | A former British Naval surgeon
who settled in America, he
commanded the 4th Georgia Continental
Battalion which marched from
New York to Georgia. Called the
"Hero of the Ogeechee," he and only
six men captured a force of 152 British
soldiers. Stricken by illness during
the Storm of Savannah, he died in 1780. — Map (db m64377) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Colonel Mordecai Sheftall |
| | 1735 - 1797
As Deputy Commissary General of Issues for Georgia
and South Carolina, Colonel Sheftall was the highest
ranking Jewish officer in the Revolutionary War.
Captured by the British in the Battle of Savannah,
Dec. 29, 1778, Sheftall was imprisoned for two years
at Antigua and later released in an exchange of
prisoners. — Map (db m6571) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Colonial Dames House — 1928 — (The Andrew Low House) |
| | Georgia Society of the
Colonial Dames of America
This house was built by Andrew Low about 1848
Among the distinguished guests who visited
here were
William Makepeace Thackeray in 1853 and 1856
General Robert E. Lee in 1870
Home of Juliette Low
1886 to 1927
Founder
Girl Scouts in the United States
Organized Savannah March, 1912 — Map (db m13550) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-20 — Colonial Park |
| | This cemetery, the second in colonial Savannah, was the burying ground for the city from about 1750 until it was closed against burials in 1853. Among the distinguished dead who rest here are Archibald Bulloch, first President of Georgia; James Habersham, acting royal Governor of the Province, 1771-'73; Joseph Habersham, Postmaster General under three Presidents; Lachlan McIntosh, Major General, Continental Army; Samuel Elbert, Revolutionary soldier and Governor of Georgia; Capt. Denis L. . . . — Map (db m5313) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-75 — Colonial Town Gate — Davenport House |
| | In 1757, during the administration of royal Governor Henry Ellis, a line of earthwork defenses, including a palisade, was erected around Savannah. Immediately west of this marker was located Bethesda Gate, one of the six entrances into the town. Through Bethesda Gate passed the Sea Island Road connecting Savannah and the tidewater settlements to the east and southeast.
This square, Known as Columbia Square, was laid out in 1799. Facing it on the north is the “Davenport House,” . . . — Map (db m5356) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-40 — Comer House — Jefferson Davis |
| | Jefferson Davis, former President of the Confederate States of America, was a guest in 1886 in the house on the northeast corner of Bull and Taylor Streets. The residence (built about 1880) was at that time the home of Hugh M. Comer, President of the Central of Georgia Railway. Accompanied by his daughter, Winnie Davis, "the Daughter of the Confederacy." Mr. Davis arrived in Savannah, May 3, 1886. He was escorted from Atlanta by a committee of Savannahians consisting of Hugh M. Comer, J. H. . . . — Map (db m5983) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 5 — Confederate Savannah |
| | The election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 brought years of festering political differences between Southern and Northern states to a head. In mid-January 1861 Georgia delegates voted to secede from the Union. The April 1861 bombardment and surrender of the Union Garrison at Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor made it clear that the citizens of Savannah should prepare for war.
A Short Blanket
( Picture included )
A December 1861 Harper's Weekly cartoon suggests that Confederate . . . — Map (db m19676) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-77 — Congregation Mickve Israel — (Founded 1733) |
| | The oldest Congregation now practicing Reform Judism in the United States. Mickve Israel was founded by a group of Jews, mainly of Spanish-Portuguese extraction, which landed at Savannah, July 11, 1733, five months after the establishment of the Colony of Georgia.
The Congregation was incorporated in perpetuity by a special Act of Georgia Legislature on November 20, 1790. After having worshipped in various temporary quarters for almost a century, in 1820, the congregation built its own . . . — Map (db m5298) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Conrad Aiken |
| | Conrad Aiken, Poet and Man of Letters, was born in Savannah on August 5, 1889, and lived at No. 228 (opposite) until 1901. After the tragic deaths of his parents, he was moved to New England. Most of his writing career was divided between Cape Cod, Massachusetts and Rye, England. In 1962 he returned to Savannah to live and write in the adjoining house, No. 230 until his death August 17, 1973. Of his home here he wrote: "Born in that most magical of cities, Savannah, I was allowed to run wild in . . . — Map (db m5310) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Construction of Fort Jackson |
| | (Panel one)
In the early years of the 19th century, the
United States was a fledgling nation with
a population of 7,700,000, a standing army
of 6,700, and a navy of only 12 ships. The
Americans were vastly outnumbered by
the major powers of the time, France with
an army of well over 600,000 and Great
Britain with a navy of nearly 600 ships.
Presidents Washington, Adams, and
Jefferson had pursued neutral policies
making every effort to avoid becoming
embroiled in the world . . . — Map (db m25014) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 11 — Crossing the Savannah |
| | Although the Savannah River provided an avenue to the sea, it also presented a barrier to overland travel and transportation. Rochester Ferry, later named Screven's Ferry, was established in 1762 and connected Savannah with a roadway in South Carolina. This location was the main river crossing site in Savannah for over 160 years. Ferries provided a method of transporting goods from South Carolina to the shipping center of Savannah. They also provided regular service for employees who worked the . . . — Map (db m19450) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — De Lyon - De La Motta Cemetery |
| | Family Burial Ground of
Levi Sheftall
commonly known as the
De Lyon - De La Motta
Cemetery
Dedicated 1773
used about 80 years — Map (db m13322) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Dr. Noble Jones — 1723 -1805 |
| | He was a physician and planter
who also served as Speaker of the
Georgia Assembly during the
Royal and Revolutionary Period.
Imprisoned by the British, he later
held a seat in the Continental
Congress and Ga's Constitutional
Conventions. He was mourned as
the last Founder of Georgia
and was a Revolutionary leader. — Map (db m64444) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-31 — Dr. Wm. A. Caruthers (1802-46) — Early American Novelist |
| | One block west of this marker -- at the northwest corner of Hull and Whitaker Streets -- stood,
formerly, the residence of William Alexander Caruthers, Virginia's earliest significant novelist. He resided in Savannah for several years before his death in 1846. Dr. Caruthers, who married Louisa
Catherine Gibson of Whitemarsh Island, Chatham County, moved in 1837 to this city where he successfully practiced medicine. He took a prominent part in affairs in Savannah as a realtor; was one of the . . . — Map (db m5920) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-22 — Duellist's Grave |
| | The epitaph to James Wilde on the nearby tomb is a melancholy reminder of the days of duelling and, particularly, of a tragic affair of honor fought January 16, 1815, on the Carolina side of the river near Savannah. Lieutenant Wilde was shot through the heart in a fourth exchange of fire by Captain Roswell P. Johnson, referred to in the epitaph, in bitterness, as “a man who a short time before would have been friendless but for him.” The duellists were officers in the 8th Regt. U.S. . . . — Map (db m5376) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-21 — Edward Green Malbone (1777-1807) |
| | Beneath this modest slab rest the remains of America's foremost painter of miniatures. Malbone, a native of Rhode Island, began his career in Providence at the age of seventeen. He pursued his calling in Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Charleston and in London, England. Exacting and unceasing work undermined his constitution. Having sought in vain to recover his health in the island of Jamaica, he came to Savannah in fore-knowledge of death and died here in the home of his cousin, Robert . . . — Map (db m5369) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-52 — Evacuation of Savannah |
| | On Dec. 14, 1864, Fort McAllister (CS) having fallen the day before, opening the Great Ogeechee River to Union shipping and rendering Savannah untenable, Lt. Gen. W. J. Hardee, CSA, decided to evacuate the city to save it from a destructive bombardment and to extricate his besieged army. River craft being unequal to the task and no pontoon bridging being available, an engineering expedient was adopted. Directed by Lt. Col. B. W. Frobel, CSA, pontoon type bridges were laid by sailors of the CS . . . — Map (db m5574) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 74000663 — Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse |
| | Entered on the National Register
of Historic Places
June 7, 1974
Federal Building
U.S. Courthouse
Wright Square Postal Station
Savannah, Georgia
Jeremiah O'Rourke
Architect 1899
This Property Significantly Contributes To The
Nation's Cultural Heritage
Commemorated June 1976
Gerald R. Ford Jack Eckerd
President of the Administrator of
United States General Services — Map (db m19824) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-11 — First Baptist Church |
| | First Baptist Church, Savannah’s oldest standing house of worship, was designed by Elias Carter and completed in 1833. The congregation dates to 1800. In 1922 the front of the building was extended, and cupola removed, and the edifice covered with limestone. Under the leadership of Sylvanus Landrum, First Baptist Church was one of the few southern churches to remain open throughout the Civil War. Notable pastors include W.L. Pickard, later president of Mercer University; Norman Cox, executive . . . — Map (db m13608) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — First Baptist Church — 1800 Sesquicentennial 1950 — Savannah, Georgia |
| | On November 26, 1800 the Reverend Henry Holcombe
and fifteen other Baptists organized the Savannah
Baptist Church. As early as 1795 a group of interested
Baptists had erected a house of worship on Franklin
Square where the congregation worshipped for
thirty-three years. The Sunday School was organized
there on April 29, 1827.
During the Pastorate of the Reverend Henry O. Wyer
the cornerstone of the present church on Chippewa
Square was laid on February 2, 1831 and the building
was . . . — Map (db m13663) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 027-87 — First Girl Scout Headquarters in America |
| | The house adjacent to this building was the home of Juliette Gordon Low at the time she founded Girl Scouting in the United States, March 12, 1912. Formerly the carriage-house and stable of the Low mansion, this building became that year the first Girl Scout headquarters in America.
At the death of Mrs. Low in 1927 the Founder of Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. willed the original headquarters to the Girl Scouts of Savannah (now The Girl Scout Council of Savannah, Georgia, Inc.). This building . . . — Map (db m5583) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — First Synagogue in Georgia |
| |
At this location on July 21, 1820
Congregation Mickve Israel consecrated
the first synagogue to be erected
in the State of Georgia —
This tablet authorized by the Savannah-Chatham County
Historic Site and Monument Commission — Map (db m41485) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Flame of Freedom / Relighting the Flame |
| | (Right Marker):
Flame of Freedom
1919 - 1969
Dedicated to the
Glory of God
A fitting reminder of this precious heritage,
a tribute to all who offered their lives to
preserve it. A gift to our Community by the
American Legion to celebrate its founding
and Fifty years of One Hundred per cent
Americanism for God and Country
Chatham Post 36 · Cherokee Post 154 · Savannah Post 135 · Geo. K. Gannam Post 184 · W.P. Jordon Post 500
(List of . . . — Map (db m7311) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-101 — Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home |
| | Mary Flannery O`Connor, novelist and short story writer,was born in Savannah March 25, 1925. She grew up in this house and in later years she referred to it simply as " the house I was raised in." She lived here until 1938, attending church at the Cathedral across Lafayette Square and school at St. Vincent`s Grammer School, then facing the square between Harris and Macon Streets. Flannery O`Connor thrice won the O. Henry award for best shirt story of the year. Her
collected stories won the . . . — Map (db m9490) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-15 — Florance Street School |
| | Florance Street School was designed by the firm Levy and Clarke and built in 1929 as one of the early public schools in Savannah built specifically for African-American students. It contributed greatly to Savannah’s Cuyler-Brownville community by offering quality education and leadership development to its students. The school’s construction was a direct result of efforts by Savannah’s African-American community in 1928 to remedy inequities in segregated schools. These efforts brought about a . . . — Map (db m12088) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-19 — Former Home of Henry R. Jackson — Union Army Headquarters 1865 |
| | This building, now the quarters of a private Club, was erected in 1857 for Edmund Molyneux, British consul at Savannah, and served as his residence and as the Consulate until Molyneux's return to England in 1863. In 1865 the Molyneux house was appropriated by the Union Army as Headquarters for General O.O. Howard and his successor, General William F. Barry. Representatives of the family claimed that furnishings valued at more than $10,000, including part of the famous Molyneux wine cellar, were . . . — Map (db m5625) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-10 — Forsyth Park |
| | In the 1840s, William Brown Hodgson (1801-1871) conceived the idea of setting aside ten acres of wooded land at this site for development of Savannah's first recreational park. It was named for former Georgia Governor John Forsyth (1780-1841). William Bischoff created the original landscape design. In the early 1850s improvements to the park included removal of some pines for walkways and ornamental plantings, benches, and iron fencing around the perimeter. In 1854 the fountain and radiating . . . — Map (db m6092) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Francis Bartow |
| | Francis S. Bartow
Colonel 8th, Regt.
Georgia Volunteers
Confederate States Army
Born Savannah Ga.
September 6th, 1816.
Fell at Manassas
July 21 st, 1861. — Map (db m11363) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Garrison of Fort Jackson |
| | Starting in the Summer of 1812, Fort
Jackson was garrisoned by various
units of the United States Army and
Georgia Militia. These troops included
the 8th U.S. Infantry, 4th U.S. Artillery,
and the Chatham Artillery. — Map (db m24999) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Gen. James Jackson Home Site |
| | Site of the Home
Presented By The State Of Georgia
— To —
Major General James Jackson
Born 1757 - Died 1806
Revolutionary Hero, Statesman,
And Governor Of Georgia
Placed By
The Savannah Chapter Of The
Daughters Of The American Revolution
1949 — Map (db m15082) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Gen. Oglethorpe's Landing |
| | ( Compass ↑ Emblem )
On February 12, 1733 Gen. James Edward Oglethorpe Landed On This Spot — Map (db m19894) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-29 — Gen. Samuel Elbert (1740-1788) |
| | Samuel Elbert, who became brigadier general in the Continental Army and governor of Georgia, migrated to this province from South Carolina as an orphan youth during the Colonial period. He prospered in mercantile pursuits and as an Indian trader; became a member of the Commons House of Assembly from Ebenezer, and was captain of a grenadier company prior to the Revolution.
A staunch patriot, Elbert served on the Council of Safety and in the first Provincial Congress of Georgia in 1775. He was . . . — Map (db m5340) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-7 — General Casimir Pulaski • Sergeant William Jasper |
| | Near this spot two notable heroes of the American Revolution were mortally wounded in the ill-fated assault by the American and French forces upon the British lines here on October 9, 1779.
Brig. Gen. Casimir Pulaski, the famous Polish patriot, was fatally wounded by a grapeshot as he rode forward into the heavy fire from the British defenses located in this area.
Sergeant William Jasper fell a short distance west of this marker while attempting to plant the colors of the 2nd Regiment of . . . — Map (db m6698) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-30 — General Lachlan McIntosh (1727-1806) |
| | Lachlan McIntosh, Georgia's ranking Continental officer in the American Revolution, was the son of John Mor Mackintosh who settled with a group of Highlanders on the Altamaha in 1736. Lachlan served as a cadet in Oglethorpe’s Regiment and received part of his schooling at Bethesda. During the Colonial era he became a leading planter at Darien, accumulating a considerable property which he lost in the Revolution.
A firm supporter of American rights, McIntosh was commissioned Colonel of the . . . — Map (db m5400) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — George Clymer — 1739 - 1813 |
| | An orphan, he apprenticed in his
uncle's mercantile firm. As a
successful businessman he was an
early and forceful advocate of
independence. He used his
knowledge and wealth to help
finance the Revolution. From
1774 until 1776 he held public
offices. He signed both the
Declaration and the Constitution. — Map (db m63908) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-13 — Georgia Historical Society |
| | Founded 1839
The Georgia Historical Society, founded May 24, 1839, is one of the oldest historical societies in the country. Among it founders were L.K. Tefft, the noted autograph collector; William Bacon Stevens, historian, physician and prelate, and Dr. Richard D. Arnold, who as Mayor of Savannah, formally surrendered the City to General Sherman in 1864.
The Presidents of the Society have included John Macpherson Berrien, Attorney General under President Jackson and United States . . . — Map (db m6139) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-9 — Georgia Infirmary — First African-American Hospital in the United States |
| |
Chartered by the Georgia General Assembly in 1832, the Infirmary was established "for the relief and protection of afflicted and aged Africans" under the provisions of the last will and testament of Savannah merchant and minister Thomas F. Williams (1774-1816). Originally located south of the city, it was moved here in 1838. Its fourteen acres included several single-story buildings and small farm tracts for vegetable gardens. In 1904, the Infirmary became one of the earliest training schools . . . — Map (db m6407) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — German Memorial Fountain |
| | This Fountain Commemorates The Religious,
Social, Agricultural, Economic, And Political
Contributions Of Early German Immigrants
To The Establishment And Growth
Of The Colony Of Georgia.
erected And Dedicated in 1989
By Their Descendants
Members Of
German Heritage Society
German Friendly Society
Georgia Salzburger Society — Map (db m5474) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Great Indian Warrior / Trading Path |
| | (The Great Philadelphia Wagon Road) The most heavily traveled road in Colonial America passed through here, linking areas from The Great Lakes to Georgia. Laid on animal trails and Native American Trading/Warrior Paths. treaties among the Governors of New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia and nineteen chiefs of the Iroquois League of Five Nations in 1685 and 1722, opened the colonial backcountry for peaceful settlement and colonization in Georgia. The Path had two branches from Carolina, . . . — Map (db m5648) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Great Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1820 |
| | In this cemetery many victims of the Great Yellow Fever Epidemic
of 1820 were buried.
Nearly 700 Savannahians died that year, including two local physicians who lost their lives caring for the stricken.
Several epidemics followed. In 1854 The Savannah Benevolent Association was organized to aid the families of the fever victims. — Map (db m5330) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Haitian Monument |
| | (West face)
In its fourth year, the American Revolution had become an international conflict. Rebelling American Colonies and their
French allies attempted to capture Savannah from the British in 1779. Haitian soldiers of African descent were part of the
allied forces. Following the battle, many of these Haitians were diverted to other military duties, returning to their homes
years later, if at all. Several veterans of the campaign became leaders of the movement that made . . . — Map (db m22345) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-36 — Haven Home Industrial Training School |
| | Named for respected Methodist Bishop Gilbert Haven of Massachusetts, Haven Home School was established in 1885 with the support of the Women’s Home Missionary Society, to provide local African-American girls with a quality education. In 1917, after relocating several times, a building was constructed at this location to serve as a permanent facility. The new facility served local female students until its closure in 1932. In 1933 the Chatham County School Board purchased the property and it . . . — Map (db m34670) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-37 — History Of Emancipation: Special Field Orders No. 15 |
| | On January 12, 1865, U.S. Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and General Wm. T. Sherman met here at the home of Charles Green with 20 leaders from Savannah’s African-American churches, including Garrison Frazier, Ulysses L. Houston, and William Campbell. The meeting resulted in Sherman’s issue of Special Field Orders No. 15, which encouraged the enlistment of freedmen and also reserved coastal land from Charleston south to Florida’s St. Johns River for settlement by freed families in 40-acre . . . — Map (db m40696) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Home Of Genl Lachlan MacIntosh — 1782-1806 |
| |
First Constitutional Session
of the Georgia Legislature
held in the "Long Room"
Jany 1783
Headquarters
Genl George Washington
May 1791 — Map (db m6470) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Houstoun Street/York Street |
| | Houstoun Street
Named in honor of
John Houstoun
Governor of Georgia, 1778
First Mayor of Savannah. 1790
York Street
Laid out in 1733
Named in honor of
Duke Of York — Map (db m16799) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-24 — Hugh McCall (1767-1823) — Early Georgian Historian |
| | Hugh McCall who is buried here was the author of the first history of Georgia.
Forced by ill health into retirement, McCall, who was a Brevet Major, U.S. Infantry, became interested in the history of his adopted State. In spite of severe handicaps, he wrote a much needed history of Georgia. The first volume, which was published at Savannah, in 1811. The second volume, which appeared five years later, carried his “History of Georgia” through
the Revolutionary period. Time has . . . — Map (db m5372) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-35 — Independent Presbyterian Church |
| | The Independent Presbyterian Church was organized in 1755. The first meeting house stood facing Market Square in Savannah, between what are now St. Julian and Bryan Streets, on property granted by King George II for the use and benefit of those dissenters who were professors of the doctrine of the Church of Scotland agreeable to the Westminster Confession of Faith. The original church building erected on the present site was designed by John H. Greene, a gifted Rhode Island architect. In 1819 . . . — Map (db m5515) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Independent Presbyterian Church — Savannah, Georgia |
| | Minister ~ Terry L. Johnson
Founded 1755
Present Sanctuary
Erected 1891
For more than 200 years
holding aloft the torch of truth — Map (db m9177) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 10 — Ironclads and Gunboats of the Savannah River Squadron |
| | During the Civil War, the Savannah River Squadron protected the City of Savannah from Union attack by river. The
squadron usually consisted of small coastal and river steamers. In November 1861, the British-built blockade-runner Fingal arrived in Savannah and was quickly converted into a powerful ironclad by 1862. Two local ironclads were under construction at the time. The "Ladies Gunboat" CSS Georgia was commissioned in November 1862 and the CSS Savannah was . . . — Map (db m19773) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Isidore De Lynch |
| | 1755 - 1841
Born in London, Isidore was educated
in France. As a young volunteer he
fought in India, returning to France in
1771. In the Battle of Savannah he
carried orders, exposing himself to the
deadly crossfire in front of the Spring
Hill Redoubt. His bravery was praised.
He continued as an officer in the
French "Irish" regiments and fought at
Waterloo as a Division Commander. — Map (db m63722) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Italians in Georgia's Genesis |
| | When James Oglethorpe left England to begin the new colony of Georgia, in 1732, one of the passengers was Paul Amatis, an Italian artisan, skilled in producing silk. He was later placed in charge of Trustees Garden. Later, more Italian familes came to pursue the task of producing silk. Joseph Ottolenghe is responsible for erecting a public filature in Savannah, on what is now Reynolds Square. It was at this filature that a record number of 15,212 pounds of cocoons were delivered for processing . . . — Map (db m9390) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-45 — James Edward Oglethorpe — (1696-1785) |
| | The monument in this Square to James Edward Oglethorpe - the great soldier-philanthropist who founded the colony of Georgia - was erected by the State of Georgia, the City of Savannah and various Patriotic Societies. Impressive ceremonies marked its unveiling in 1910. The 9 foot bronze statue of Oglethorpe is the work of one of America's foremost sculptors, the celebrated Daniel Chester French. He has depicted the Founder of Georgia in the full dress of a British general of the period. . . . — Map (db m5308) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-15 — James Habersham |
| | Here rests James Habersham -- associate of George Whitefield and a leading merchant, planter, and public servant during Georgia's colonial era. Mr. Habersham came to the colony in 1738 as a youthful follower of the Rev. Whitefield and collaborated with that eminent divine in the founding of Bethesda orphanage. he successfully administered the affairs of that institution during its early years. He established, in 1744, what developed into the most important commercial house in the Province, and . . . — Map (db m5357) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-37 — James Johnston — Georgia's First Newspaper Publisher & Printer |
| | Here repose the remains of James Johnston (1738-1808) - - editor of Georgia's first newspaper. A native of Scotland, Johnston settled at Savannah in 1761. "Recommended as a person regularly bred and well skilled in the Art and mystery of Printing," he was appointed public printer of the Province by legislative Act during the following year. The first issue of the GEORGIA GAZETTE appeared at Savannah on April 7, 1763, and with some interruptions publication continued until . . . — Map (db m5388) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-6 — James Moore Wayne, 1790-1867 — For 32 Years Associate Of The U.S. Supreme Court |
| | The residence opposite this site, known as the Gordon House, was built between 1819-1821. A fine example of Regency architecture, it was designed by the eminent architect, William Jay. The third story and side porch were later added.
The house was originally owned by James M. Wayne, one of Georgia's most illustrious public men. After service as Mayor of Savannah, Judge of the Eastern Circuit, and as Congressman, he was appointed to the Supreme Court of the United States by President . . . — Map (db m5575) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Jane Cuyler |
| | Jane Cuyler (born Jeanne de la Touche) came to Savannah with her husband Teleman in 1768. After his
death in 1772, Cuyler took in lodgers, first at her home on the corner of Bull and Broughton Streets,
then at an undetermined location on Bay Street. It was at her home on Bay Street that she hosted meetings of Savannah’s Liberty Boys, among them her son Henry Cuyler. After the capture of Savannah by the British, Jane Cuyler’s role in supporting the efforts of the revolutionaries resulted in . . . — Map (db m6159) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Jasper Spring |
| | At this spring
close by the entrenchments of
the British who held Savannah
Sargent
William Jasper
and Sargent
John Newton
in 1779, effected their heroic rescue of a
number of American Patriots who were
being taken to Savannah for military trial.
These prisoners were under a guard of ten
British soldiers. Sargents Jasper and Newton
had followed them for many miles almost within
sight of the British fortifications, the escort here
stacked arms. Two soldiers . . . — Map (db m9274) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-48 — Jasper Spring |
| | On this spot, according to long and persistent tradition, occurred one of Sergeant William Jasper's most famous exploits during the American Revolution. Here, in 1779, at the spring then located along the road to Augusta. Sergeant Jasper and Sergeant John Newton ambushed a detachment of ten British soldiers and liberated several Patriot prisoners who were being taken to Savannah.
While no contemporary confirmation of Jasper's feat exists (it was first publicized by Parson Weems in 1809 in . . . — Map (db m9300) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Jewish Colonists |
| | Near this site on July 11, 1733, five months
after Oglethorpe founded Georgia, 42 Jewish
colonists, having sailed from London,
disembarked from the William and Sarah.
It was the largest group of Jews ever to sail
on one vessel from North America in Colonial
Times.
All of the families, with the exception of three,
were Sephardic Jews, originally from Portugal
or Spain; the other three families were Germanic.
Congregation Mickve Israel July 11, 1983. — Map (db m26707) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-15 — Joel Chandler Harris in Savannah 1870-1876 |
| | Joel Chandler Harris (1845-1908), New South journalist and author of Uncle Remus tales,
Free Joe, and many other works, was associate editor of the Savannah Morning News
from 1870 until 1876, under William Tappan Thompson, an established writer of southern
humor. He published comic stories in his Affairs of Georgia column, which was often
reprinted around the state. Rooming at the Florida House, which merged in 1880 with the
Marshall House on East . . . — Map (db m25357) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Joel Lane — 1740 - 1795 |
| | A well-born NC planter,
Lane was a sheriff, assemblyman
and Lt. Col. in the militia.
He held public offices during and
after the war including
State Senator and Constitutional
Commission member. — Map (db m64778) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — John B. Hohenstein, Sr. |
| | Dedicated in memory of
John B. Hohenstein, Sr.
Partner of Hohenstein Shipping Company,
Secretary and Treasurer of Savannah Pilotage
Commission, who prominently served the
maritime industry of Savannah from 1919
until his death, April 20, 1961 — Map (db m16770) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — John Herndon Mercer 1909 - 1976 — Savannah's Native Son |
| | ( Caricature )
Johnny Mercer
Lyricist Songwriter
Co-founder of Capitol Records Winner of 4 Academy Awards
Front Rim reads;
Ac-cent-tchu-ates The Positive - Autumn Leaves - Blues In The Night - Charade - Jeepers Creepers -
Laura - Moon River - My Shining Hour - On The Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe
Back Rim reads;
Come Rain Or Come Shine - The Days Of Wine and Roses - Hooray For Hollywood - In The Cool, Cool, Cool Of The Evening - One For My Baby - . . . — Map (db m13683) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — John Ryan's Excelsior Bottle Works |
| | On this site in 1852 stood the Excelsior Bottle Works operated by John Ryan for the manufacture of soda water and other carbonated beverages. Ryan's soda, in colorful bottles embossed with his name and location, was known throughout Georgia. His operations expanded to Augusta, Columbus and Atlanta. Today Ryan's bottles are prized by collectors nationwide. John Ryan with his contemporaries, Thomas Maher and James Ray, is commemorated for his pioneer contribution to the soda water industry in . . . — Map (db m14495) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — John Wesley |
| | Preached in the Court House
erected by Oglethorpe
on this lot,
from May 9, 1736
to November 27, 1737 (OS)
–•–
This tablet is here placed
on the bi-centenary of his birth
June 28, 1903 — Map (db m5936) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — John Wesley |
| | On this spot, where stood the
first public building erected in
Georgia, John Wesley preached
his first sermon on American soil.
March 7, 1736 (OS)
Text- 1 Corinthians XIII
— • —
This tablet commemorates the Bi-Centenary
of his birth, June 28,1903 — Map (db m14128) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — John Wesley |
| | (South Face)
Founder of Methodism
Minister
Of The
Church of England
In Savannah
1736-1737
(East Face)
My hearts desire
for this place
is not that it be
a famous or rich
but that it may be
a religous colony
and then I am sure
it cannot faile [sic]
of the
blessing of God
John Wesley
(North Face)
Wesley lived, loved,
and labored here
as God led him torward
higher dedication and
a larger ministry. . . . — Map (db m15622) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-88 — John Wesley, 1703- 1791 |
| | Founder of Methodism On the "trust lot" south of President Street and immediately west of this square stood in 1736- 37 the parsonage in which John Wesley resided. In the adjoining garden he read, prayed and meditated. Weekly meetings of members of his Christ Church congregation were held in the small wooden dwelling. According to Wesley, "The first rise of Methodism was in 1729 when four of us met together at Oxford. The second was at Savannah in 1736 when twenty or thirty persons met at . . . — Map (db m5275) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-26 — Johnny Mercer — 1909 - 1976 |
| | World-renowned songwriter John Herndon Mercer was born in Savannah and spent much of his youth in this house at 226 East Gwinnett Street. His lyrics reflected the sounds of Southern conversation, influenced by the African-American music and the natural world he experienced. During his career Mercer wrote more than one thousand songs, and nearly four hundred were used in motion pictures. Of these, eighteen were nominated for Academy Awards® ; four of which ("On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa . . . — Map (db m8702) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-38A — Johnson Square |
| | Johnson Square is named for Governor Robert Johnson of South Carolina who befriended the colonists when Georgia was first settled. It was laid out by Oglethorpe and by Colonel William Bull in 1733, and was the first of Savannah's squares. In early colonial days the public stores, the house for strangers, the church, and the public bake oven stood on the trust lots around it.
Events of historic interest are associated with Johnson Square: Here in 1735, head Chief of the Creek Nation, recited . . . — Map (db m5494) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Johnson Square |
| | Johnson Square
1733
Named for His Excellency, Robert Johnson, Governor
of South Carolina.
First square designated and named by Oglethorpe.
Intended to serve as model for all other squares.
A sundial was placed here for General use. — Map (db m5497) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-38 — Jonathan Bryan — (1708 – 1788) |
| | Born in Pocotaligo, SC, Jonathan Bryan accompanied James Oglethorpe on his initial visit to Yamacraw Bluff in 1733. One of Georgia’s largest landholders, Bryan was a supporter of evangelist George Whitefield and encouraged religious services for his slaves, including minister Andrew Bryan. Jonathan Bryan supported independence during the Revolutionary War, serving on the Council of Safety and personally financing Continental troops in Georgia. In 1779 he was captured and held for two years on . . . — Map (db m41816) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Joseph Brandt — 1743 - 1807 |
| | He was an educated, christian,
frontier-raised farmer, diplomat,
soldier, leader, related to barons
and generals. He received his
Masonic Orders from George III.
His skillful attacks on the frontier
made him one of the most known
and feared Native Americans of
his era. To his people he was
Thayendanegea of the Mohawks. — Map (db m64598) WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-50 — Joseph Clay, Patriot |
| | A native of Yorkshire, Joseph Clay (1741-1804) settled at Savannah at the age of nineteen. His uncle, James Habersham, declared that his "industry" was "highly commendable" and "his Abilities for Trade unquestionable." Fulfilling his early promise, Clay prospered in Georgia as a merchant and rice planter. He was a staunch supporter of American right, served on the Council of Safety and in the Provincial Congress, and took part in the celebrated raid on the Royal Powder magazine at Savannah in . . . — Map (db m5364) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-14 — Joseph Habersham (1751-1815) — John Habersham (1754-1799) James Habersham, Jr. (1745-1799) |
| | The three Habersham brothers - who here rest beside their distinguished father, James Habersham - were prominent patriots in the American Revolution and outstanding public men during the early years of the republic. JOSEPH HABERSHAM, ardent Son of Liberty and a member of the Council of Safety, took part in the raid on the King's powder magazine in 1775, and in 1776 personally accomplished the dramatic arrest of the Royal Governor, Sir James Wright. He served in the Revolution . . . — Map (db m5361) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-85 — Joseph Vallence Bevan (1798-1830) |
| | Georgia's First Official Historian There was "None, No None!" reads the epitaph on this tomb.
"Against Whose Name the Recording Angel Would More Reluctantly Have Written Down Condemnation."
Born at Dublin, Ireland.son of a Georgia planter, Joseph V. Bevan attended the Univ. of Georgia for two years and graduated in 1816 from the College of S.C. after which he enlarged his education in England. There he became the friend of the celebrated William Godwin who wrote the young Georgian a . . . — Map (db m5551) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Juliette Low |
| | Founder in the United States
of the Girl Scouts ---- 1912
"She gave the lead — she is not dead if we
but keep alive the spirit that was hers
— Robert Baden Powell — Map (db m8305) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 15 — King Cotton |
| | Georgia colonists were quick to experiment with
plants that could be cultivated to supply income.
While growing mulberry to produce silk, grapes to
produce wine and indigo to produce dye were
marginally sucessful, those early enterprises
proved economically unsound. Rice cultivation
was profitable but was restricted to coastal marshes.
As settlers migrated into the Georgia backcountry
they farmed tobacco. However, it was sea island
cotton that introduced Georgians to the cash
crop . . . — Map (db m19369) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-43 — King's Bridge |
| | Dec. 1864. After a 300 mile march which had left a wide belt of destruction from "Atlanta to the Sea," Gen. Sherman's army (USA) of about 60,000 men was nearing Savannah. During he first weeks of his campaign, his four widely-spread columns had found adequate supplies on the rich farms and plantations of central and eastern Georgia; but in Chatham County he found little but rice and rice straw upon which to subsist his men and animals. He needed all classes of supplies, as well as heavy guns . . . — Map (db m9115) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-1 — Landing of Oglethorpe and the Colonists |
| | James Edward Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, landed with the original colonists, about 114 in number, at the foot of this bluff on February 1 (February 12, new style), 1733. The site where he pitched his tent is marked by the stone bench located about 100 feet west of this marker. Savannah was for more than 100 years built according to Oglethorpe's unique city plan. Bull Street, the principal street of the city, is named in honor of colonel William Bull of Charleston, S.C., who assisted . . . — Map (db m5263) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-29 — Largest Slave Sale in Georgia History — The Weeping Time |
| | One of the largest sales of enslaved persons in U.S. history took place on March 2-3, 1859, at the Ten Broeck Race Course ¼ mile southwest of here. To satisfy his creditors, Pierce M. Butler sold 436 men, women, and children from his Butler Island and Hampton plantations near Darien, Georgia. The breakup of families and the loss of home became part of African-American heritage remembered as "the weeping time." The event was reported extensively in the northern press and reaction to the sale . . . — Map (db m15838) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Laurel Grove South Cemetery |
| | In 1853, the city reserved 4 acres in the new Laurel Grove Cemetery for Savannah’s African American community. This new burial ground replaced an older black cemetery located near Whitefield Square. Pastors Andrew Bryan (First Colored Baptist Church) and Henry Cunningham (Second Baptist Church) were among those whose bodies were moved to the new location. Here are buried many of Savannah’s prominent black leaders -educators, civic/community leaders, Masons, politicians, entrepreneurs, and . . . — Map (db m8498) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-6 — Lawton Memorial — St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church |
| | This building was constructed in 1897-98 as a memorial to General Alexander R. Lawton (1818-96)and his daughter, Corinne (1844-77). It was used as a public space for cultural, educational and civic purposes until the 1930s. After serving in the Georgia House of Representatives and as president of Georgia and Atlantic Railroad, Lawton served as Brigadier General and Quartermaster-General of the Confederacy, as ambassador to Austria- Hungary, and as fifth president of the American Bar . . . — Map (db m6002) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-36 — Lowell Mason 1792- 1872 |
| | Lowell Mason, noted composer of sacred music, was organist of the Independent Presbyterian Church (1820- 1827), and Superintendent of its Sunday School (1815- 1827). A native of New England, Mason moved to Savannah at the age of twenty. He resided in this city for approximately fifteen years until his return to Massachusetts in 1827. He was active in the civic an religious life of his adopted city. He served as Secretary of the Savannah Missionary Society; was an active organizer of a school . . . — Map (db m5635) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Lt Joseph Lawton — 1753 -1815 |
| |
Served as a Lieutenant in Colonel
Bull's Granville County, SC Regiment.
Lt. Lawton was a Justice Of The Peace
in St. Peter's Parish.
He owned land in St. Peter's Parish,
St. Helena Parish, and Granville County, SC — Map (db m6502) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Lt. Ambrose Gordon |
| | A New Jersey man, Gordon joined
the Continental Cavalry serving in
the hard fought southern
campaign under Capt. William
Washington. He was wounded in
the ferocious Battle of Eureka
Springs. At war's end he settled
in Georgia. His great grand
daughter was Juliette Gordon Low,
founder of the Girl Scouts. — Map (db m64496) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Lt. Col John Harris Cruger |
| | Born to wealth and power, he was
forced to hide in the swamps of Long
Island until British forces landed.
He led the 1st Battalion of Delancey's
Loyalists and fought in both battles
of Savannah and many other engage-
ments. At war's end his property
seized, he emigrated to England where
he spent the rest of his days. — Map (db m64440) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Lucas Theatre |
| | Has been placed on the
National Register
of Historic Places
by the United States
Department of the Interior
Circa 1921 — Map (db m6183) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-76 — Lutheran Church Of The Ascension — (Founded, 1741) |
| | On April 14, 1741, John Martin Bolzius, who as Pastor of the Salzburgers at Ebenezer was in charge of Lutheran work in the colony of Georgia, founded the congregation now known as the Lutheran Church of the Ascension. In 1756 members of the congregation purchased for one hundred and fifty pound the lot upon which the present church building stands, directly East of this marker. Around 1772 a nearby building which had formerly served as a court house was acquired at a cost of seventeen pounds . . . — Map (db m6601) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-71 — Madison Square |
| | Madison Square was laid out in 1839 and is named for the fourth President of the United States. Around the Square stand notable examples of Greek Revival, Gothic, and Romanesque architecture characteristic of nineteenth century Savannah.
To the west are St. John's Church (Episcopal), 1853, and Green-Meldrim mansion, 1861, (General W. T. Sherman’s headquarters). To the north is the Francis Sorrel residence, 1840, which was visited by General Robert E. Lee in 1862 when he commanded the . . . — Map (db m6377) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Madison Square, British Southern Line of Defenses |
| | Through this square ran the southern line of defenses of the British who held Savannah from December 29, 1778 to July 11, 1782. After a seige of 22 days, at dawn of October 9, 1779, the strong western defenses on the line of the present West Broad Street, were assulted by 3,500 French troops under Charles Hector, Count D'Estaing,
who had come to Savannah flushed with his recent victories at St. Vincent and Grenada, and 1,500 Georgia, South Carolina and Continential troops under Major . . . — Map (db m6349) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Major General Anthony Wayne — 1745 - 1796 |
| | Wayne was the commander of
Continental troops in many
battles of the war including
Brandywine, Paoli, Monmouth,
Germantown and the daring night
attack at Stony Point. After
Yorktown he served on the Ga
frontier and became the U.S.
Representative of Ga before
returning to military service. — Map (db m64359) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Major General Israel Putnam — 1718 - 1790 |
| | A Connecticut Farmer turned
soldier in the French and Indian
War, his service included Roger's
Rangers, Indian captivity,
shipwreck and Pontiac's War. A
staunch "Liberty Boy," he was to
lead men on many Revolutionary
battlefields, most notably Bunker
Hill. A paralyzing stroke ended his
military service in 1779. — Map (db m64222) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-49 — Major John Berrien (1759-1815) |
| | In 1775 John Berrien of New Jersey came to the province of Georgia, where one of his mother's kin had previously settled. His father, John Berrien (1711-1772), was a judge of the supreme court of New Jersey and a trustee of Princeton College. From the Berrien home at Rock Hill, N.J., General Washington issued his farewell address to the army in 1783.
At the age of 17 John Berrien was commissioned 2nd lieutenant in the first Georgia Continental brigade (1776). A few months later he was . . . — Map (db m5341) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Marist Place |
| | Site of
Marist School for Boys
1919 - 1939
——
Grammer School Operated by
Marist Brothers of the Schools
——
Last Graduating Class June 9, 1939
Rev. Bro. Eugene Bergeron, F.M.S.
Teacher
Rev. Bro, Nicdoias Whiteside, F.M.S.
Principal
? Rev. Msgr. T. James McNamara P ?
Pastor
Most Rev. Archbishop Gerald P. O'Hara D.D., J.U.D.
Bishop of Savannah - Atlanta
——
Erected June 9, 1989 By
Col. Joseph B. Bergen
Class . . . — Map (db m18424) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Massie Common School House — Savannah's Cradle Of Public Education |
| | Massie School is the only remaining building of Georgia's oldest chartered school system. Constructed in 1855-56 and opened for classes on October 15, 1856, the Greek Revival building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Peter Massie, a Scottish planter in Glynn county, Georgia, in 1841 bequeathed $5,000 "for the education of the poor children of Savannah." This donation was invested "until a large enough sum could be accumulated to build a school." In 1855, the City . . . — Map (db m5503) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-23 — McKelvey-Powell Building |
| | The McKelvey-Powell Building was originally constructed in 1926. The building was a hub of African-American business and social life in Savannah during the era of segregation in the first half of the twentieth century. Throughout the 1930s the McKelvey-Powell Building was a popular venue for both local music talent and nationally recognized performers. During World War II the building housed a USO center for black soldiers. Afterward, the West Broad Street YMCA operated in the building until . . . — Map (db m11751) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Memorial To The American Revolution — Battlefield Memorial Park |
| | To Arms !
The 800 stones before you have three meanings:
› They represent the approximate number of
soldiers killed or wounded in Savannah on the
foggy morning of October 9, 1779.
› The stones are arranged as a column, with ten
soldiers across. The French and American allies
formed five such columns of men to attack the
fortified British.
› Inscribed on the stones are the names and
stories of people throughout the entire
Revolutionary struggle . . . — Map (db m17362) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-103 — Mercer Auto Camp |
| | In 1910 and 1911 the Mercer Automobile Company of Trenton, New Jersey made entries in the Great Savannah races. Washington Roebling II , the only company owner who drove in the races, and driver Hughie Hughes led teams in several light car and grand prix events. Hughes won the 222.82 mile 1911 Savannah Challenge Race, running at an average speed of 70 mph. The camp,built on this site along the race course, provided housing for team members; garage space; and storage space for spare parts, fuel . . . — Map (db m5976) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Michael Dennison — 1743 - 1840 |
| | From New York, Michael joined
Delancey's Loyalist Regiment in
1776. After two years of campaigning
in the north he participated in the
capture of Savannah, the Sieges of
Savannah and Ninety Six, and Battles
of Eutaw Springs and Musgrove's
Mill. At war's end he settled in
Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
and died at the age of 97. — Map (db m64013) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Mills Murphree — 1756-1815 |
| | Reared in Burke County, Georgia.
Mills, like his Dublin-born father
John, fought for independence.
John served in Collier's Regt. of
N.C. Militia and Mills served in his
local militia company. After the
bitter hostilities of the back
country of Georgia were over,
Mills raised a large family in
Burke County and he is buried there. — Map (db m64127) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Moravian Colonists In Savannah |
| | In memory of
the Moravian Colonists
in Savannah
1735-1740
who maintained a mission
to the Indians
This memorial is presented
to the City of Savannah
by the
Wachovia Historical Society
of
Winston-Salem N.C. — Map (db m5699) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-104 — Mother Mathilda Beasley, O.S.F. — Georgia's First Black Nun |
| | Mathilda Taylor was born in 1834 in New Orleans, and came to Savannah as a young woman. She taught black children in her home before the Civil War, when it was still illegal. She married Abraham Beasley, a successful black businessman, in 1869. After the death of her husband in 1877, Mrs. Beasley journeyed to York England around 1885 to study as a nun, a Poor Clare, a branch of the Franciscan sisters. She returned to Savannah and established an orphanage in 1886 which became the St. Francis . . . — Map (db m6009) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-12 — Nathanael Greene Monument |
| | Beneath the monument in this Square repose the remains of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, of Rhode Island, who died near Savannah on June 19, 1786, at Mulberry Grove Plantation which had been granted to him by this State in appreciation of his services in the Revolution. The 50 foot, white marble obelisk, designed by the well-known architect, William Strickland, was completed in 1830. The original cornerstone was laid here on March 21, 1825, by Greene's old friend, the Marquis de LaFayette. At . . . — Map (db m5442) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-11 — Nathanael Greene, Maj. Gen., Continental Army — John Maitland, Lt. Col., 71st Regt. of Scotch Foot |
| | This tomb, known as the Graham vault, possesses the distinction of having been the burial place of two heroes of the Revolutionary War, one American and the other British.
Lt. Col. John Maitland of Lauder, Scotland, son of the 6th Earl of Lauderdale, won wide acclaim for his feat in bringing 800 Highlanders and Hessian troops by water from Beaufort to Savannah in Sept. 1779, under the eyes of the French fleet. The timely arrival of these reinforcements enabled Gen. Prevost to defend Savannah . . . — Map (db m5342) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 12 — Native Americans on the Georgia Coast |
| | Long before Europeans arrived in the New World,
the Savannah area was occupied by Native Americans.
The earliest Paleoindian groups migrated into coastal
Georgia as early as 10,000 B.C. The hunter-gathers
took advantage of rich estuarine resources as well as
upland plants and animals. During the period identified
as Woodland by archaeologists, a more sedentary
lifestyle was adopted. Villages became more permanent
and crop cultivation contributed to subsistence
along with hunting and . . . — Map (db m19379) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — New World Medical Plants |
| | On this site
During the 1730's the Trustees of the Georgia Colony, aided by funds from the Worshipful Society Of Apothecaries of London sought to grow new world medical plants both for their therapeutic value and for the enrichment of empire. The Society's participation is recognized as the first activity of organized pharmacy in America. — Map (db m6185) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Nina Anderson Pape — (1869 - 1944) |
| | A pioneer in women’s education, Nina Anderson Pape completed her studies at Columbia University. She founded the Froebel Circle, which educated the poor children of Savannah’s Yamacraw Village; and Tybee Island’s Fresh Air Home for disadvantaged youth. At this location in 1905, she established the Pape School, which became one of the premier schools for girls in the Southeast. Miss Pape was instrumental in bringing kindergartens to Georgia and included one in her school’s curriculum in 1911. . . . — Map (db m8659) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-100 — Noble Jones’ “Wormslow” — 1736–1775 |
| | This 1½ mile oak avenue leads to the tabby ruins of Noble Jones’ colonial fortified plantation. Jones and his family were original settlers in Georgia, arriving in Savannah with founder James E. Oglethorpe on February 1, 1733. As a middle-class carpenter from England, Jones would perform a variety of roles in the new colony of Georgia including: constable, physician, surveyor, Indian agent, soldier, member of the royal
council, treasurer, and senior justice of the province. In 1736, . . . — Map (db m10960) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-41 — Nuclear Ship Savannah |
| | The N.S. Savannah, the first nuclear-powered cargo/passenger ship, built by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation,
was launched on July 21, 1959 and commenced her maiden voyage at sea on Friday March 23, 1962. Before
embarking on a world tour, the ship called at the Port of Savannah on August 22, 1962. Named in honor of the S.S.
Savannah, the first steam-powered ship to cross the Atlantic, the N.S. Savannah was part of President Eisenhower's
"Atoms for . . . — Map (db m58595) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Ogeechee Road |
| | Here, in 1735, was the beginning of the road to Darien, now called the Ogeechee Road, probably the first road laid out in Georgia, with the assistance of Tomochichi. — Map (db m6318) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Oglethorpe Bench |
| | On this spot one hundred and seventy three years ago James Oglethorpe the founder of the colony pitched his tent and here rested at the close of the day from which Georgia was settled. Erected by the Georgia Society of the Colonial Dames of America on 12th of February A.D. - 1906 — Map (db m16064) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Oglethorpe's House |
| | 1736-1740
On this site stood the house
occupied by James Edward Oglethorpe
when in Savannah.
His home he made in Frederica
the better to protect
the young colony — Map (db m6499) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-41 — Old City Exchange Bell |
| | This bell, which is believed to be the oldest in Georgia, bears the date 1802. Imported from Amsterdam, it hung in the cupola of the City Exchange from 1804 until a short time before that building was razed to make way for the present City Hall.
In its day, the bell signaled the closing time for shops and was rung by a watchman when fire broke out. Its rich tones were heard in celebration of American victories during the War of 1812.
It pealed a welcome to such distinguished visitors to . . . — Map (db m4913) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-58 — Old Harbor Light |
| | This beacon light was erected by the Federal government in 1858 as an aid to navigation of the Savannah River. Standing 77 feet above the river level and illuminated by gas, it served for several years as a guide to vessels passing over the hulls of ships that the British scuttled in 1779 to close the harbor to the French naval forces. During the Siege of Savannah that year by the French and Americans, the warship Truite, commanded by the Count de Chastenet de Puysegur,
shelled this area of . . . — Map (db m5476) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Old Jewish Burial Ground |
| | Established by Mordecai Sheftall on August 2, 1773 from lands granted him in 1762 by King George III as a parcel of land that "shall be, and "forever remain, to and for the use and purpose of a Place of Burial for all persons whatever professing the Jewish Religion. During the ill fated attempt of the French forces under Admiral Charles Henri, Comte d'Estaing, and the American forces under General Benjamin Lincoln, to recapture Savannah from the British, General Lincoln's Orders of the Day of . . . — Map (db m14471) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-56 — Old Savannah Cotton Exchange |
| | The Savannah Cotton Exchange building was completed in 1887 during the era when Savannah ranked first as a cotton seaport on the Atlantic and second in the world. In its heyday as a cotton port over two million bales a year moved through Savannah. The Cotton Exchange was the center of activity in the staple which dominated this city's economic life before its evolution into a leading industrial seaport.
The Exchange was designed by the nationally-known Boston architect, William Gibbons . . . — Map (db m4904) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-27 — Old Sorrel–Weed House |
| | A fine example of Greek Revival style, this building (completed in 1840 from the plans of Charles B. Cluskey, a well-known Georgia architect) shows the distinguished trend of Savannah architecture during the first half of the 19th century. The Mediterranean villa influence reflects the French background of the original owner, Francis Sorrel (1793- 1870), a shipping merchant of Savannah who as a child was saved by a faithful slave from the massacre of the white colonists in St. Domingo. The . . . — Map (db m5628) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Original 1733 Burial Plot |
| | Original 1733 burial plot allotted by
James Edward Oglethorpe
to the Savannah Jewish Community. — Map (db m9388) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Original Presbyterian Meeting House |
| | This wall is an adaptation of what is believed to be, after through archaeological research sponsored by Historic Savannah Foundation, the original Presbyterian Meeting House, now the Independent Presbyterian Church, housed on the land granted by King George II. These stones have been reassembled in approximation of the original facade of the church constructed in 1759, damaged by the British during the Revolution, and later restored. The stone is believed to have been quarried, cut and carved . . . — Map (db m5510) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-26 — Owens-Thomas House — Marquis de Lafayette |
| | This residence is the outstanding monument to the architectural genius of William Jay who completed his designs for its construction prior to his twenty-first birthday. Supervision of the work brought Jay to America in 1817. Its period is English Regency. Its style is known as Greek Revival. Its interiors are particularly notable and, in many features, unique. Of its style and period it is Savannah`s finest and among the nation`s best.
The mansion was built 1816-1819 for Richard Richardson, . . . — Map (db m5772) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 76000611 — Owens-Thomas House |
| | Has been designated a National Historic Landmark
This site possesses National significance
in commemorating the history of the
United States of America 1976
National Park Service
United States Department of the Interior — Map (db m19632) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Peter Tondee — 1723 - 1775 |
| | Born in London, Peter came to
Savannah in 1733. Orphaned, he
was apprenticed and rose to
master in the carpentry trade
and leader of the artisans of
Savannah. His tavern was the
site of many of the banned
meetings that organized
resistance to and independence
from Royal rule. — Map (db m63810) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-40 — Pin Point Community |
| | Pin Point was settled in 1896 by former slaves from Ossabaw, Green, and Skidaway Islands. Sweetfield of Eden Baptist Church, founded in Pin Point in 1897, was a successor to Ossabaw’s Hinder Me Not Church and also served as the community's school until a Rosenwald School opened in 1926. Construction of the Pin Point Hall followed, and it remains a focal point of the community. Pin Point was the site of several coastal industries including: shrimping, crabbing, and oyster harvesting operations. . . . — Map (db m54183) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Poetter Hall |
| | Paula and Richard Rowe, along with May and Paul Poetter, founded the Savannah College
of Art and Design in 1978. In March 1979, the college purchased its first building, this former
Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, built in 1892. The college named the building Preston Hall after its architect, William Gibbons Preston, and it has become the flagship building of an expanding campus throughout the Historic and Victorian districts of Savannah. The college`s restoration, rehabilitation and . . . — Map (db m5770) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Police Officers Monument |
| | (Front):
Above and Beyond
"Lest We Forget"
Dedicated to the Memory
of police officers
who gave their lives
in the line of duty
(Reverse):
Above And Beyond
"Lest We Forget"
Savannah Police Officers
Samuel Bryson 1868 •
Robert E. Read 1868 •
John Dan Sullivan 1869 •
Habersham W. Harvey 1881 •
Patrick McMurray 1888 •
J.C. Neve 1894 •
Walter H. Marlow 1921 •
Phillip E. Steeves 1922 •
William F. Godges 1924 •
Albert Lamb 1926 •
William C. . . . — Map (db m5315) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Police Station Steps |
| | These Steps are a
Monument to the
Savannah Police Officers
Who Have Trod Them In
Line Of Duty
1870-1949 — Map (db m6461) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Printing Office of James Johnson |
| | On this site stood the
Printing Office of James Johnson
Official Printer of Laws and
Paper Currency of the province.
He was the founder of
" The Georgia Gazette"
the only newspaper
in the colony. The first issue
appearing April 7,1763 — Map (db m6488) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 026-23 — Pulaski Monument |
| | The monument erected in this Square to the memory of General Casimir Pulaski, who fell at Savannah in the cause of American Independence, was completed in 1854. The corner-stone was laid, with impressive ceremonies, October 11, 1853 - the 74th anniversary of the traditional date of the death of the famous Polish patriot. Dr. Richard D. Arnold was chairman of the Commissioners in charge of the erection of the
memorial for which $20,000 was collected by public subscription. The Designer of . . . — Map (db m5482) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Republican Blues |
| | During the early months of the Civil War,
Fort Jackson's Garrison was composed
of local militia units which served rotating
tours of duty at the fort. One of these
units was the Republican Blues commanded
by John Wayne Anderson.
The Blues were first organized in 1808 and
had previously served at Fort Jackson
during the War of 1812. The Blues, typical
of Savannah's old military units, were a
fraternal social organization as well as a
well trained military unit. Their Civil War . . . — Map (db m25097) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Rev’d A. Dale Umbreit |
| | This bell is dedicated to the memory of the Rev’d A. Dale Umbreit
Port Chaplain 1975–1988
Given by the Propeller Club
Port of Savannah and the Savannah Port Society — Map (db m6874) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Richard Wall — 1754 - 1842 |
| | Born in County Limerick, Ireland, he
served as a Cadet of Marines under
Captain John Paul Jones on the
'Bonhomme Richard' in 1779. While
pursuing deserters near Ireland he was
captured and sent to England's Forton
Prison and was released after three
years. As a Midshipman on the frigate
'South Carolina' he was again captured
and later exchanged. — Map (db m64187) HM WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Richardson-Owens-Thomas House — Marquis De Lafayette |
| |
In this house
designed by the
Architect
William Jay
in early 1800
Marquis De
Lafayette
was the guest of
the City of Savannah
March 19-21, 1825.
A friend of
Washington and a
defender of
American liberty
" Until now,sir,
you have only seen my ardor
in your cause; and that
may not, perhaps, be useless.
I shall purchase a ship which
will carry out your officers.
It is necessary to show
confidence in the future, and
it is in the . . . — Map (db m19823) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Robert Morris — 1734 - 1806 |
| | A self-made man, Morris was
America's most recognized business
figure and was given charge of the
Revolution's finances. Often using
personal credit or funds he was a
key factor in achieving victory. He
formed the National Bank and
secured the new country's
currency. He died impoverished. — Map (db m64149) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Roll of Honor |
| | Roll of Honor 1914-1918 These Palmetto trees were planted and this tablet erected by
the Savannah Women's Federation
in loving honor of the Soldiers, Sailors, and Marines
of Chatham County
who died in the Great War
for the cause of world liberty"
Followed by a list of 84, names.
Negro Soldiers with 38 names
"They do not die who serve humanity".
(Backside)
The base for this tablet was
given by Chatham Post 36
American Legion
April 26, 1929 in . . . — Map (db m55093) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Roundhouse |
| | The roundhouse served as a garage for locomotives,
where they could be serviced or repaired.
Incoming locomotives traveled on rail through the
building to arrive at the Turntable in the center.
Operators aligned the rotating table with one of
the individual Roundhouse bays where the locomotive
was then parked. Locomotives parked in the
eastern portion of the Roundhouse underwent
minor repairs. Major repairs occurred in the
western side where the Drop Table was . . . — Map (db m53759) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-17A — Sailors' Burial Ground |
| | In this burial ground, hallowed to the "men who go down to the sea in ships and occupy their business in great waters," are interred ship captains and seamen from many lands - America, Norway, Sweden, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Germany.
The lot was purchased in 1860 by John Cunningham, a public-spirited citizen of Savannah, as a burial place for seafarers "who may die in this Port." It was presented by Major Cunningham in 1897 to the Savannah Port Society which was incorporated by the . . . — Map (db m8672) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-91 — Saint Phillips Monumental A.M.E. Church |
| | The first African Methodist Church in Georgia was organized by the Rev. A. L. Stanford on June 16, 1865, at Savannah, Georgia and was given the name Saint Phillip African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Two months and fifteen days later, the Sunday School had its beginning. Many great preachers have pastored this historic church. One was Bishop
Henry M. Turner, a member of the state legislature during Reconstruction and a leader of the Back-to-Africa movement in Georgia, who pastored this . . . — Map (db m9392) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Salzburger Monument of Reconciliation |
| | The nearby Salzburger Monument of Reconciliation was dedicated to The Georgia Salzburger Society and given to the City of Savannah in 1994 by the State of Salzburg, Austria, in memory of the Lutheran Protestants of Salzburg who were denied religious freedom and expelled from their homeland.
The first thirty-seven Salzburgers to come to Georgia landed at this site on March 12, 1734. They were welcomed by James Edward Oglethorpe, founder of the Georgia Colony and given temporary shelter before . . . — Map (db m6116) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Samuel Elbert |
| | 1740 - 1788
Savannah Merchant, oraganized and
commanded Grenadier Company
1772; Member Council of Safty;
Fought several battles as Continential
Colonel; Captured twice; After release
commanded stores at Yorktown;
Promoted to Militia Major General, 1782;
Brevetted Continential Brigadier
General, 1783; Governor of Georgia
1785 - 1786. — Map (db m6440) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 3 — Savannah and the Slave Trade |
| | Although slavery was illegal when the colony of Georgia was founded, it was a well established institution in other American colonies. Settlers were confronted with the economics to compete with slave labor. Carolinians produced cash crops with slave labor that significantly undersold commodities produced in Georgia by freedmen. South Carolina planters provided the first slaves that arrived in Georgia. Other Georgia settlers soon requested permission to own slaves. By 1748, some 350 slaves . . . — Map (db m19587) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-24 — Savannah City Hall |
| | City Hall is the first building constructed by the citizens of Savannah expressly and exclusively to serve as the seat of municipal government. Opened on January 2, 1906 it has served continuously in this role since that date. City Hall was preceded on this site by the City Exchange, built in 1799 and razed in 1904. Along with municipal offices, the City Exchange housed the Custom House, a post office, and newspaper offices. City Hall was designed by Savannah architect Hyman W. Witcover and . . . — Map (db m5569) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-11 — Savannah High School |
| | Savannah High School evolved as the senior division of Chatham Academy, chartered by the Georgia Legislature in 1788. In 1935, due to overcrowding in schools, the Board of Education collaborated with the Public Works Administration to erect this structure, the largest construction in the state at that time. In 1963 twelve African-American students selected by the NAACP integrated Savannah High School, one of the first two schools in Chatham County to integrate. Savannah High School moved to . . . — Map (db m9291) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Savannah Historic District |
| | has been designated a
REGISTERED NATIONAL
HISTORICAL LANDMARK
Under the provisions of the Historic Sites Act of August 21, 1935 this site possesses exceptional value in commemorating or illustrating the history of the United States. — Map (db m5537) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 4 — Savannah in the American Revolution |
| | When political dissent evolved into armed
revolution in America, Oglethorpe's colony
had only been in existence for four decades.
Georgians confronted the same political and
economic issues associated with British
taxation as the more established colonies. A
general deterioration of Royal authority
intensified when news of armed resistance
at Lexington and Concord (Massachusetts)
reached Savannah in May 1775. On July 4,
1775, Georgia's second provincial congress
convened to . . . — Map (db m19323) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-90 — Savannah State College |
| | This state college was established in 1891 as the Georgia Industrial College for Colored Youths as an outgrowth of the Second Morrill Act of 1890 and an Act of the Georgia General Assembly, November 26, 1890, creating this institution as one of the original Negro land-grant colleges.
The initial session was held at the Baxter Street School in Athens from June to August, 1891. In October of the same year, the school sessions began on the present site. Its initial educational program was . . . — Map (db m21059) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Savannah Theatre |
| |
This theatre is the oldest in active use
in the United States.
Built by the eminent architect Jay
Opened Dec.4, 1818 with the Comedy
"Soldier's Daughter"
and a Farce
"Raising The Wind"
Within these walls have played
the greatest dramatic and operatic stars
of the world
[D.A.R. Emblem]
[Lower Plaque]:
Savannah Theatre was re-modeled
and re-opened October 21, 1950 — Map (db m15135) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Savannah Volunteer Guards |
| | Organized 1802 As infantry the Corps fought in the War of 1812, Indian Wars and as a battalion in 1861, serving with distinction in defense of Savannah and Charleston. In the spring of 1864 joined Lee's Army at Petersburg. On April 3, 1865 serving in the rear guard on the retreat to Appomattox having been reduced to 85 men, 23 were killed, 35 wounded and remainder captured. Reorganized in 1872. Served as infantry battalion in the Spanish-American War, as a battalion of the 61 C.A.C in . . . — Map (db m5767) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-7 — Savannah Waterfront |
| | The colony of Georgia began on Savannah's waterfront in 1733. The riverfront has always played an important role in Georgia, whether as a colonial port, exporter of cotton, or tourist destination. The first commercial house below the bluff opened in 1744. Cotton dominated Savannah's exports throughout the nineteenth century. Construction began in early 1800s for the multi-storied warehouses and "Factor's Walk," named for the cotton brokes whose offices were in the upper floors. River Street, . . . — Map (db m4900) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Savannah, Birthplace of Prince Hall Masonry in Georgia |
| | Georgia's first and second Prince Hall lodges, Eureka Lodge No. 1, and Hilton Lodge No. 2, F. & A.M. were organized at Savannah on February 4, 1866 by Rev. J. M. Simms, having received their warrants from the Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Massachusetts. On June 24, 1870 these two lodges, with Bannaker Lodge No. 3, F. & A.M. (Augusta), were organized as the Grand Lodge of Georgia with Rev. Simms serving as first Grand Master.
In 1776, Prince Hall, an immigrant from Barbados, British West Indies, . . . — Map (db m6133) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-13 — Savannah: Colonial Capital and Birthplace of — Representative Government in Georgia |
| | In March 1750, the Georgia Trustees in London resolved to allow colonists to elect a representative assembly to meet in Savannah, Georgia's colonial capitol. Sixteen delegates met on January 15,1751, for a twenty-four day session. Representative government continued in 1755 in the Commons House of Assembly, which by 1770 began meeting in a building on the southeast lot of Reynolds Square. In 1777, the new state constitution provided for an elected House Assembly. The Georgia constitution of . . . — Map (db m5794) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-31 — Savannah’s African-American Medical Pioneers |
| | African-American physician Cornelius McKane (1862-1912) was born in British Guiana and began medical practice in Savannah in 1892. Alice Woodby McKane (1865-1948) came to Georgia that same year – the only black female physician in the state at that time. After marrying in 1893, the couple established McKane Training School for Nurses at this location – one of the first such schools in the region. In 1895 they moved to Monrovia, Liberia, where they helped organize several healthcare . . . — Map (db m11727) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 6 — Savannah's Cobblestones |
| | The earliest streets were little more than sandy avenues and virtually all residential, commercial, and public structures were wood. As sailing vessels arrived to discharge and take on cargos, the cobblestones they carried as ballast were often deposited along the Savannah River shoreline. For the city, cobble ballast became an inexpensive, durable, and fireproof building material. Cobble ballast also provided excellent material for paving Savannah's sandy streets. Today, cobblestones used for . . . — Map (db m19499) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 13 — Savannah's Early Economy |
| | A critical priority for the first Georgia colonists was to identify and develop economic enterprises that could support the colony. Trade with native Americans was established and exports included hides that could be shipped to England and sold in European markets. Bountiful natural resources offered opportunities to harvest timber and produce navel stores. Long-term opportunities were found in the cultivation of crops like rice, tobacco and indigo. To supplement their diet, settlers planted . . . — Map (db m19500) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Savannah's First Burying Ground |
| | When Savannah was laid out in 1733, the two lots on which this building stands were set aside as a burying ground. William Cox, surgeon, who came on the "Ann," was the first of the colonists to die and was buried here with appropriate ceremonies. This burying ground continued in use until a larger cemetery was established which is now known as Colonial Park. — Map (db m18259) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-14 — Savannah's Irish and Robert Emmet Park |
| | Once known as the Strand and later as Irish Green because of its proximity to the Irish residents of Savannah's Old Fort neighborhood, this park was renamed in 1902 for the Irish patriot Robert Emmet (1778-1803) to commemorate the centennial of his death. Emmet, who led an unsuccessful Dublin uprising for Irish Independence and was executed for treason, was a hero to Savannah’s Irish community. Emmet is best known for the speech in which he asked that his epitaph not be written until “my . . . — Map (db m6321) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 14 — Savannah's Liberty Ships and the Atlantic Bridge |
| | Before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought the United States into World War II, President Roosevelt and Congress authorized a ship building program to construct a fleet of transport vessels that could carry American supplies to England. The design for "Liberty Ships" could be rapidly produced using welded component construction and assembly line production techniques. During peak construction in 1943, a Liberty ship could be completed in 40 days. The Savannah firm of Southeastern . . . — Map (db m19625) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Savannah's Marine Corps Memorial |
| | ( North face )
[ Left Plaque ]
Erected 1947
By
The Savannah Detachment
Marine Corps League
—
Commandant - E.S. Dufour, Jr.
Vice Commandants -
Sol H. Passink and H.B. Acker
Adjutant - F.W. Hughes
Judge Advocate - L.C. Johnston
Chaplin - L. J. McEwen
Sargent-At-Arms - D.F. Knight
—
Chairman Of Monument Committee
William C. Harris
{ Marine Corps Emblem Globe and Anchor }
Semper Fidelis
[ Right Plaque ]
Dedicated
. . . — Map (db m13543) WM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 8 — Savannah's Wharves |
| | One of the first problems facing Savannah settlers was the lack of adequate facilities to dock vessels. While river depths along the bluff Oglethorpe selected for the town provided excellent anchorage, the swift currents and steep bank made construction of wharves very difficult. A popular solution was to construct a crib that could be sunk with ballast, brick rubble or other material. When technology developed to screw in or drive piles into the river bottom, wharf construction became . . . — Map (db m19608) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Second Baptist Church |
| |
On Green Square
Was founded December 26, 1802
by Rev. Henry Cunningham and
Twenty-five other Baptists.
General William T. Sherman and
Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton
met with the Negroes of this city
and the newly freed slaves at
Second Baptist Church when Savannah
surrendered to General Sherman in
December 1864
This Marker Erected in Commemoration
of the Bicentennial of our Country
1976 — Map (db m14559) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-47 — Sergeant Jasper |
| | Sergeant William Jasper, the famed Revolutionary hero, was mortally wounded a few hundred yards northwest of this spot on October 9, 1779, in the ill-fated attack of the American and French forces on the British defenses around Savannah. The monument to Jasper in this Square was unveiled in 1888 with great ceremony. The 15½ foot bronze statue of Jasper was designed by the distinguished sculptor, Alexander Doyle of New York. The sculptor has depicted the heroic Sergeant bearing the colors . . . — Map (db m5455) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 2 — Settlement of Savannah |
| | On January 18,1733, the British galley Anne arrived in Charleston, South Carolina with James Oglethorpe, 144 "sober, moral, and industrious" colonists and provisions to build a new colony south of the Savannah River in Georgia. While the colonists rested in Beaufort, South Carolina, Oglethorpe took a small boat to the Savannah River. He selected the first high bluff on the south side of the river for the Georgia settlement.
General James Oglethorpe
[Picture included] . . . — Map (db m19545) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-5 — Sherman's Headquarters — Green-Meldrim Mansion |
| | General William Tecumseh Sherman used this house as headquarters from Dec. 22, 1864, until Feb. 1, 1865. Charles Green offered the use of his home to General Sherman and his staff. Sherman's chaplain conducted the Christmas services in St. John's Church. The house was built for Green, a British subject residing in Savannah prior to 1854. The architect was John S. Norris of New York.The house is notable as one of the country's finest examples of residential Gothic Revival architecture, the . . . — Map (db m8881) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-19 — Sherman's March To The Sea : — Battle of Shaw's Bridge and Shaw's Dam |
| | Beginning on December 10, 1864, Union and Confederate soldiers fought near here at Shaw’s Bridge and Shaw’s Dam, as Union General William T. Sherman’s army moved toward Savannah. During bloody fighting, Confederates twice repulsed Union attempts to overwhelm the Confederate earthworks covering the causeway across the Savannah-Ogeechee Canal. On December 20, 1864, after the fall of Fort McAllister due south of here, the Confederates abandoned their defensive positions and retreated into the . . . — Map (db m4949) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 9 — Shipping in the Port of Savannah |
| | Savannah's port is one of the busiest in the United States. The terminals that serve the port are only surpassed in East
Coast trade volume by the combined ports of New York and New Jersey. Some of the world's largest merchant vessels
bring in cargos from Asia, Europe, South America, the South Pacific, and Africa and return with American commodities.
Much of this freight is handled as containerized cargo. The Port of Savannah welcomes over 3,000 vessels per year.
Hapag- Lloyd . . . — Map (db m19469) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 1 — Ships That Carried the Name Savannah |
| | A number of ships carried the name "Savannah." They included warships and merchant vessels. One of the most important was the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. Near the turn of the 20th century two steamers named the City of Savannah connected Savannah merchants and travelers with the ports of New York and Boston. In March 1938, the U.S. Navy commissioned a light cruiser christened USS Savannah. In honor of the first steamship Savannah, . . . — Map (db m19558) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Silence |
| | . . . — Map (db m20442) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Site Of Filature — Erected 1753 |
| | Where colony's production of silk was reeled until 1771. Building then used for public purposes. President Washington attended a ball here in 1791.
Building destroyed by fire in 1859. — Map (db m9391) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Solomon's Lodge No. 1 F. & A.M Savannah, Georgia |
| | Organized as a Masonic Lodge, February 21, 1734. Its first worshipful Master was General James Edward Oglethorpe, English Soldier, Statesman, Humanitarian, and founder of Georgia, who raised the flag of England at Savannah on February 12, 1733.
Chartered by the Grand Lodge of England in 1735 as "the Lodge at Savannah in ye province of Georgia," Solomon's is the oldest continuously operating English constituted Lodge in the Western Hemisphere. In 1786 the Independent Grand Lodge of Georgia, . . . — Map (db m6584) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Solomon's Lodge No. 1 F.& A.M. |
| |
Organized Feb. 21, 1734
Oldest Continuously
Operating English
Constituted Lodge in
The Western Hemisphere
[Masonic Emblem]
Building dedicated for
Masonic purposes
Sept. 13, 1975
Grand Lodge, F. & A.M., Georgia
Harris Bullock, Grand Master — Map (db m26711) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Spring Hill Redoubt |
| | ** Upon this spot stood the Spring Hill Redoubt.**
Here on October 9, 1779 one of the bloodiest engagements of the Revolution was fought when repeated assaults
were made by the allied troops of Georgia, South Carolina and France in an effort to retake Savannah from the British. — Map (db m5475) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-3 — SS Savannah and SS John Randolph |
| | The first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean, the SS SAVANNAH, sailed from this harbor on May 22, 1819 and reached Liverpool 27 days later. The anniversary of her sailing, May 22, is celebrated as National Maritime Day. Captain Moses Rogers was her master. James Monroe, President of the United States, inspected the vessel here and was taken on a trial excursion on May 12. The Savannah Steamship Company (of which William Scarbrough was principal promoter,) fitter her with a 90 H.P. engine and . . . — Map (db m4934) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-30 — St. Benedict the Moor Catholic Church — Mother Church of Black Catholics in Georgia |
| | In May 1874 two Benedictine priests arrived
in Savannah to work with the city's African-
American community, and constructed a
church four blocks north of here. In 1889
a new building was constructed at this site.
The Society of African Missions staffed
the parish from 1907 to 1968. Staffed by
Franciscan Sisters, St. Benedict's day
school operated from 1907 until closure in
1969 due to integration. The school's alumni
include U.S. Supreme Court Justice
Clarence Thomas. The sisters . . . — Map (db m15721) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-94 — St. Joseph's Hospital |
| | In 1841, under the inspiration of Sister Catherine McAuley of Dublin, Ireland, a group of Sisters of Mercy came to the United States to establish infirmaries and schools to minister to the poor and sick immigrants. In 1845, the Sisters of Mercy came to Savannah and established St. Vincent's Academy, a private secondary school for girls. During the Civil War, the Sisters were involved in the fight against yellow fever, a disease that took the lives of many residents. In 1875, five sisters . . . — Map (db m34948) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-93 — St. Vincent`s Academy |
| | The Convent and Academy of Saint Vincent dePaul was opened in June, 1845. Sisters of Mercy from Charleston, S.C., under the leadership of Mother Vincent Mahoney, began a boarding school, orphanage, day school and free school. St. Vincent`s Convent became an independent Motherhouse within two years, and from here over 20 schools, hospitals, and orphanages were founded throughout Georgia. Early foundations continuing to give service include: St. Joseph`s Hospital and St. Mary`s Home, Savannah . . . — Map (db m5757) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — Telfair Academy |
| | Site of home or Royal Governor Sir James Wright,
Where, in 1776, By Authority of Councle of safety, Governor Wright was Arrested by Joseph Habersham. — Map (db m63711) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-38B — Telfair Academy of Arts & Sciences |
| | Open to the Public ~~~ Created under the Will of Miss Mary Telfair (c. 1789-1875), the Telfair Academy of Arts & Sciences opened as the first public art museum in the Southeast with a preliminary private showing February 12, 1885. After extensive remodeling and additions, with Detlef Lienau of New York as architect, the building was formally dedicated May 3, 1886. Among the prominent persons who attended the dedication were: Jefferson Davis and his daughter, Winnie Davis; Charles C. Jones, . . . — Map (db m5523) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 025-28 — Telfair Family Mansion — (1818 - William Jay, Architect) |
| | This building is one of the City's outstanding examples of Regency architecture. The main floor and basement kitchens are maintained as a historic house museum. The rotunda and west wing are later additions. It was left by Savannah's outstanding philanthropist, Mary Telfair, (1789-1875), relative of William Gibbons, friend of Peter Cooper, last surviving child of Edward Telfair (Revolutionary patriot and early Governor of Georgia) to house the Telfair Academy of Arts & Sciences which was . . . — Map (db m5524) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — 25-27 — Telfair Hospital for Females |
| | In her will, Mary Telfair (1791-1875) provided for the establishment of a women’s hospital and also named the first president (Louise Gilmer) and six directresses to manage it. Originally located at the southwest corner of Drayton and New Houston (now Park Avenue) Streets, the Telfair Hospital for Females opened in 1886 as the first hospital in Georgia dedicated exclusively to the care of women. The hospital opened a children’s ward in 1896 and started one of the state’s first nursing schools . . . — Map (db m15927) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The "John Randolph" |
| | 1834 1919
This tablet commerates
The "John Randolph"
the first iron vessel seen in
American waters
Riveted together and launched here in 1834,
the plates having been made by John Laird
of Birkenhead, England, and shipped to this
port in sections
Built for Gazaway B. Lamar, Banker and Cotton
Merchant of Savannah
The same great iron shipbuilder
John Laird
built in 1862 the Confederate Cruiser
"ALABAMA" — Map (db m8300) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Battle of Savannah |
| | The 1779 Battle of Savannah was one of
the deadliest of the entire American Revolution.
The overwhelming defeat of French and
American forces resulted in an allied
withdrawal and in approximately 800 wounded
or killed, with British losses totaling 55
wounded or dead.
•
The British victory in Savannah rekindled
England's spirit for the war, in part because
the victory defeated troops of the regular
army of France as well as American rebels.
The battle marked the first time . . . — Map (db m18214) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Chatham Artillery — 1786 |
| | On thefront,south side is inscribed:
Dedicate May 4, 1986
To honor the members of the
Chatham Artillery
Servants of God, Country,
State and Community
—
Soldiers in War
Patriots in Peace
On the east side is inscribed:
Chatham History 1786-1886
Organized May 1, 1786. Captain Edward Lloyd, former Sergeant Major at battle of Savannah was first commander. First duty in June 1786, was funeral honors for General Nathanael Greene.
Participated in . . . — Map (db m13371) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The First African Baptist Church — of North America |
| | The oldest Black Congregation in North America began in 1773. May 20, 1775 the church was born with Rev. George Leile as its pastor; and constituted January 20, 1788 with Rev. Andrew Bryan, Pastor.
( Plaque 2 )
To The Glory Of God This building was erected in 1859 by the members of the congregation doing the work themselves. It is rated excellent in architecture and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This is the first building constructed of brick in the State of Georgia owned by blacks. — Map (db m22473) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Georgia Hussars — Organized 13 February 1736 |
| |
This troop of Mounted Rangers was raised by General Oglethorpe to patrol and protect the Colony of
Georgia from the Spaniards and Indians. It fought at Bloody Marsh in 1742 and at the Siege of Savannah
in 1779. Its record during The War 1861-1865 is unsurpassed as was its service in Mexico, World War I,
World War II and Korea. It remained Horse Cavalry until October 1940. From Colonial times to Vietnam,
Hussars have represented Savannah in all our Wars. It is still an active unit in the Georgia Army
National Guard. — Map (db m6163) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Georgia Medical Society |
| | (West face) The Georgia Medical Society 1804-2004
Dr. Noble Wimberly Jones
Physician and resident of Savannah Georgia
American Revolutionary War veteran and patriot
Georgia Delegate to Continental Congress
First Georgia Medical Society 1804
"The Morning Star of the Revolution"
The Georgia Medical Society of Savannah
Georgia is the oldest Local Medical Society
in the United States
Bicentennial Celebration 1808-2004
(North face)
Georgia Medical Society . . . — Map (db m5829) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Georgia Medical Society |
| | The first Medical Society in Georgia, sixth oldest in America, was organized June 28, 1804, and continues to be active in Savannah today. Dr. Noble Wimberly Jones, first President, was the son of a member of General Oglethorpe's first settlers of 1733.
Dr. Samuel Roberio Nunez, first practicing physician, arrived July 10, 1733, with the second expedition to the new colony. He arrived in time to treat successfully a raging epidemic of dysentery.
In 1740, the first clinic for the poor opened . . . — Map (db m12082) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Georgia Volunteer — Spanish American Monument |
| | [South Face (front)]:
To those
Georgians who
volunteered and
served their
country in the
Spanish American
War
[North Face (back)]:
Spanish * War * Veterans
1898 - 1902
Philippine Islands, Cuba, Porto Rico, U.S.A.
[West Face, added in 1946]:
A Tribute to that
Soldier · Comrade · Citizen
William L. Grayson
1870 1941
1st. Lieut. Co. "M" 1st Regt. Ga. Vols.
Spanish American War
Commander Department of Georgia U.S.W.V.
1925 - . . . — Map (db m10589) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Great Dane Dog |
| | The symbol of our company since 1931,
the Great Dane dog is the most elegant
and distinguished of the giant type dog.
A true Great Dane breed is spirited and
courageous, yet always friendly and
dependable. These special attributes
coupled with majestic, powerful strides
make the Great Dane an exceptionally
unique breed.
Originally bred in Germany for hunting
and demanding work in European coal
mines, the Great Dane possesses an
integral heroic quality, and we are proud
to have . . . — Map (db m13335) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Invention of the Cotton Gin |
| | This creative development which was responsible for the survival of the cotton industry in the United States occurred on General Nathaniel Greene's plantation near Savannah, 10 miles northeast of this marker. Separation by hand labor of the lint from the seed of the desired upland variety of cotton produced only one pound per day per person.
Eli Whitney, a native of Massachusetts and Yale Law Graduate, came to Georgia to teach school in late 1792, at age 27. Mrs. Catherine Greene, widow of . . . — Map (db m13521) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Liberty |
| | The armed schooner "Liberty", the first American Naval vessel officially commissioned early in July 1775 by a Provincial Congress, sailed from this port. She was commanded by Oliver Bowen and Joseph Habersham and carried ten carriage guns and fifty men. She flew the Liberty Flag, a white banner with a red border and the motto " American Liberty " imprinted on the field in large red letters. The "Liberty " made the first ordered capture in Southern waters of the
Revolution on July 9, 1775 when . . . — Map (db m20314) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Lions Club of Savannah |
| | Chartered May, 1922
has continuously served this Community,
Nation and the Free World through
Lions International.
This flagpole is erected as a symbol
of our great love and respect for the
flags of our State and Nation
and to honor all who served in the
founding, defense and preservation
of our great country.
Dedicated this 14th. day of June, 1981
"We Serve" — Map (db m20385) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Napoleon 12-Pounder Field Gun Model 1857 |
| | (Left panel)
The twelve-pound Napoleon smoothbore cannon
was developed in France in 1853 and was named
for the Emperor Napoleon III. It was adopted and
manufactured in the United States in 1857.
It was the mainstay of artillery for both the Union
and Confederate armies during the American
Civil War.
Napoleon cannons were maneuverable, rugged and
dependable and were effective in long range fire
as well as close range action. The tube is made of
bronze, which is a mixture . . . — Map (db m25066) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Old Pirates House |
| | Associated with Savannah's
maritime history and Robert Louis
Stevenson's "Treasure Island".
Built in 1754. Visitors Welcome. — Map (db m55927) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Oliver Sturges House |
| | This house, built in 1813 by Oliver Sturges,
successful Savannah merchant, occupies the site of the
parsonage of John Wesley, minister of the
Church of England in Georgia 1736-37 and
founder of Methodism. Mr. Sturges was a two-fifths owner of the Steam Ship Savannah, first steamship ever built and first to cross the Atlantic. The Savannah's historic voyage was planned in the Sturges House, which was one of a pair
of brick Federal- style residences located on
Trust Lot T, . . . — Map (db m5440) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Propeller Club of the Port of Savannah |
| | Has erected this fountain on the high bluff of the Savannah River as a tribute to maritime Savannah and to the ships, both merchant and naval, that have proudly carried its name to the world around. — Map (db m19974) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Public Oven and Home for Strangers |
| | On this site
March 29, 1734 when Savannah was an English colony
stood the public oven and next door 22-24 Congress St. The house for strangers — Map (db m22300) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Public Store |
| | On this site
stood in Colonial days
March 29, 1734
the public store, the first
store of the
English colonists — Map (db m22299) HM |
| Georgia (Chatham County), Savannah — The Savannah |
| | 1819 1919
This tablet
commemorates the centenary of
The "Savannah"
The first steamship to cross the ocean
The idea of this enterprise originiated with
William Scarborough
and his associates
citizens of Savannah
and was financed by them
The Savannah steamed out of this port
on this great adventure for Liverpool
on May 22, 1819 and arrived June 20, 1819
Francis Fickett, Builder, Moses Rogers, Captain — Map (db m8301) HM |
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