West Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
Moses J. Jackson
October 24, 1894-September 11, 1956
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, July 18, 2020
1. Moses J. Jackson Marker
Moses J. Jackson was the founder of the first public elementary school for African American students in West Savannah. He was a highly admired and respected community leader who championed many significant initiatives in the decades before and after the annexation of the West Savannah and Hudson Hill neighborhoods into the City of Savannah in 1939. An early advocate for a public school for African American students, he was instrumental in securing teachers and a building on Love Street called York Hall. Residents petitioned the Board of Education to incorporate York Hall into the public school system and it became the West Savannah School in 1935. Jackson was directly involved in efforts to bring paved streets, additional street lights, a greater police presence, and a community center to the neighborhood, and he worked closely with Dr. Ralph Mark Gilbert to increase African American voter registration in Savannah in the 1940s. After his passing, the school was renamed Moses J. Jackson Elementary School, and it remained in the school system until 1993. The building was transferred to the City of Savannah in 1996 and continues to serve the community as the Moses Jackson Community Center.
Information from Low Land and the High Road: Life and Community in the Hudson Hill, West Savannah, and Woodville Neighborhoods
this page online
Erected by Marker erected through the cooperation of the Federal Highway Administration, the Georgia Department of Transportation, the Historic Preservation Division of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Chatham County and the City of Savannah.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education. A significant historical date for this entry is October 24, 1894.
Location. 32° 5.334′ N, 81° 7.3′ W. Marker is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is in West Savannah. It is at the intersection of West Bay Street (Georgia Route 25 Conn) and Jenks Street, on the right when traveling east on West Bay Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Savannah GA 31415, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Coastal Plain and on the Georgia Coast and the Golden Isles. It is also in the American South and specifically in the Deep South. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Hudson Hill (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); First Schools in West Savannah (about 600 feet away); Commercial Development of Western Savannah (approx. 0.2 miles away); Largest Slave Sale in Georgia History (approx. Ό mile away); Jasper Spring (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Jasper Spring (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Great Dane Dog (approx. 0.6 miles away); Robert Sengstacke Abbott Boyhood Home (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Savannah.
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, July 18, 2020
2. Moses J. Jackson Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on August 5, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 4, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,513 times since then and 101 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 4, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
