Super Museum Sunday Savannah, Georgia - Part 2

After the Davenport House, I went to the Owens-Thomas House - #2 on my list.  The construction started in November 1816 and was completed in 1819 by Richard Richardson.  But he only owned the house three years.  The bank owned the house by 1830.  Owens bought the house at auction for $10,000 which was valued at $26,000.  It was the first house to have indoor plumbing, even before the White House. They put electrical in the house in 1901.  The social season was from October to May and they would host people two or three times per week.  They would have 8-10 dinner guests in addition to the family.  This house was meant to show off the unique features of the home to flaunt their wealth. There were dinners and dancing held.  The Waltz was considered scandalous during this time but may have been performed.  Most impressive house.

The 3^rd stop was the Green-Meldrim House.  

  It was built in 1853 but was bought by St. John’s Parish in 1946.  The plasterwork in the house is AMAZING.  The chandeliers are original to the house and were gas lit.  What a house!  It’s stunning!  It's other claim to fame was that it was the headquarters of General William Sherman from December 21, 1864, through February 1, 1865.  General Sherman was invited to stay in the house by Mr. Green and he hosted the Christmas meal in 1864.  He penned the letter he wrote to Abraham Lincoln presenting Savannah as a Christmas gift to him in this house. WOW!  (Christmas in Savannah photo.) I was in the room that General Sherman ate Christmas dinner! That was most impressive.  The Green family sold the house but retained all the furniture.  It has been in storage in Paris all these years but recently the museum was able to get most of the furniture back and are in the process of restoring it and adding it to the house.  I’m putting this on my list to go back to.

I pop into St. John’s Church next door - stop #4. Built in 1853 and is Gothic Revival.  It was beautiful!  I quickly sat in a back pew to read the brochure, take a photo and map out my next location. Time is of the essence now.

Next stop #5 is the Georgia Historical Society.  This is probably one of the most beautiful historical societies EVER. Hodgson Hall was built in 1876 and one of the oldest library buildings in the United States.  I’ve been there before to research but I’ve never been able to take a photo inside before.  I asked them to do so and they told me that today I’m allowed - without the flash but I'm allowed to do it today.   Oh heck yes!    Beautiful!  Wish you were here….  

Stop # 6 is the final stop, my time is out.  It’s the Harper Fowlkes House.   I’m there at 3:55 pm.  Everything ends at 4 pm.  I’m the last person in the last tour.  This house was built in 1842 and is a Greek Rival mansion.  Another stunning home.  I’m most impressed that a young woman named Alida Harper bought the house in 1939 when she was only 31.  She had a vision and she was an entrepreneur.  She played a huge role in Savannah historic preservation.  She had a love “for old things”. OMG Alida is totally #mypeople.

The other impressive aspect to the house (there are many) is the dining room.  When they renovated the house under layers and layer of wallpaper and paint they found intact faux bois-grained walls and ceiling.  It’s the only fully intact room in all the US.  It’s truly beautiful.  They did an amazing job restoring it.  The chandeliers in the house are stunning too.  They still have the keys in them for lighting them by gas.  We are finally escorted to the courtyard.  It’s gorgeous and you can rent the space!   I wish I knew this when I got married.  I would have had my wedding here.  It’s SO beautiful.  What a lovely tour.

After my busy afternoon, I head to Broughton Street to grab a bite to eat.  While I’m sitting down enjoying my wine a couple comes in and sits at the table next to me.  It’s the Curator and her husband from the Harper Fowlkes House!  I tell them how much I enjoyed my tour.   We chat during dinner.  I tell Donna that I did some research work on a location next door but is now an empty lot.   We exchange business cards and enjoy our meal chatting throughout.  Lovely people! 

I’m so lucky to live in another place that has such rich history and is so beautiful.  It was a wonderful afternoon.  I thoroughly enjoyed myself.