Savannah in Chatham County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)
The Montmollin Building and Bryan School
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
1. The Montmollin Building and Bryan School Marker
Inscription.
The Montmollin Building and Bryan School. . Banker and slave trader John S. Montmollin commissioned this building (c.1856) for his business. After Montmollin's death, Alexander Bryan continued using the building to hold and sell enslaved people. When US General William T. Sherman captured Savannah in December 1864, the US government, implementing emancipation, confiscated the building and provided it to Savannah's African-American community, which formed the Savannah Educational Association (SEA) to fund and establish schools. This building became the site of Bryan School. On January 10, 1865, at the school's opening hundreds of Black children marched here from First African Baptist Church. SEA schoolchildren publicly showcased their knowledge of grammar, history, geography, arithmetic, and other subjects in July 1865. The American Missionary Association, a northern benevolence organization, absorbed SEA and founded the Beach Institute in 1867, consolidating several schools, including Bryan School.
Banker and slave trader John S. Montmollin commissioned this building (c.1856) for his business. After Montmollin's death, Alexander Bryan continued using the building to hold and sell enslaved people. When US General William T. Sherman captured Savannah in December 1864, the US government, implementing emancipation, confiscated the building and provided it to Savannah's African-American community, which formed the Savannah Educational Association (SEA) to fund and establish schools. This building became the site of Bryan School. On January 10, 1865, at the school's opening hundreds of Black children marched here from First African Baptist Church. SEA schoolchildren publicly showcased their knowledge of grammar, history, geography, arithmetic, and other subjects in July 1865. The American Missionary Association, a northern benevolence organization, absorbed SEA and founded the Beach Institute in 1867, consolidating several schools, including Bryan School.
Erected 2024 by Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and the Mayor and Alderman of the City of Savannah. (Marker Number 25-71.)
Location. 32° 4.848′ N, 81° 5.654′ W. Marker is in Savannah, Georgia, in Chatham County. It is at the intersection of Barnard Street and West Bryan Street, on the right when traveling south on Barnard Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 23 Barnard Street, Savannah GA 31401, 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: John Herndon Johnny Mercer (within shouting distance
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
2. The Montmollin Building and Bryan School Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on July 19, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 234 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
