Savannah - Day Three, Part One

Today we stayed in Savannah and did quite a lot of sight-seeing and did three home tours.  Our first tour was the birth place of Juliet Gordon Low.  The Gordon family made an indelible impact on United States history over the years. From William Washington I, founder of the Central of Georgia Railroad, to his world-famous granddaughter, Juliette Gordon Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the USA in 1912, they were influential leaders in industry, government, the military and humanitarian organizations.  This house was my favorite second house to tour.  The furniture reminded me a lot of the antiques that Grandmother and Granddaddy had. It was also had a welcoming homey feel.

Front view of the home

Back view from their enclosed garden

Carriage House which is now used for Girl Scout activities 

The square just north of the Low House is Wright Square.  There is a boulder that marks the grave of Tomochichi.  During a 1700's, he was the head chief of a Yamacraw town where present day Savannah sits.  Savannah sits where it does today because he gave his land to James Oglethorpe to build the town.  Tomochichi was friends with the people of Savannah and in return became a leader in the town. He worked with Charles and John Wesley to create an Indian school that opened in 1736.

Turn around and keep walking south and you will walk into Chippewa Square.  This square has a statue dedicated to General James Oglethorpe and is where the opening shot of Forrest Gump was filmed.  I did learn that the bench Tom Hanks sat on doesn't exist in the square.  It was put on the street just for that one particular scene.

Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, and the founder of the colony of Georgia.  His goal in founding Georgia was the resettle Britain's poor (mainly those in debtor's prison) and give them a new start.  I remember learning that there were several things that Oglethorpe did not allow in his colony - two of them were lawyers and alcohol.  When he went back to England those rules were thrown out immediately. We did notice that there were lawyers on just about every street corner in this town.

Green-Meldrim House: It's one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in Savannah.  It was constructed in the 1850's and cost $93,000 to build.  That was a HUGE amount of money for that time. This home was used by General Sherman as his headquarters when the Federal army occupied Savannah during the Civil War.  During the tour we learned: Sherman didn't want to stay here, but Mr. Green keep pressuring him so he finally said yes, Sherman didn't burn down Savannah because the Confederate Army had already fled and some influential people talked him out of it, and due to the owners not being smart with their money St. John's Church was able to purchase in the 40's for $34,000. Talk about a good deal on a house that is is centuries old and at least 10,000 square feet.

Side view facing Madison Square

Front of house