Walking tour #3 --Squares of Luxury

After blueberry picking, we drove to downtown Savannah to go on our self guided walking tour #3 of the Squares of luxury.    However, in route a thunder and lightning storm descended and we found ourselves talking a rest for about thirty minutes in the car.    The storm passed after dumping a ton of water everywhere and really giving quite a show.    The streets of Savannah were drying out but still large puddles could be found on every street corner.   Sabrina found these right away and soaked her shoes!   The Old Sorrel-Weed House was a social hotspot during the 1840s-50 and many prominent people were entertains here including Robert E. Lee.   Today it is a stop on the haunted tours of Savannah as one of the wives took her life here and is rumored to haunt it to this day.   

Green- Meldrim House was the original home of a wealthy English cotton merchant.   It was offered to General Sherman to use as headquarters while in Savannah.   This is the famed house where Sherman telegraphed Lincoln with the message that Savannah was being given as a Christmas gift.  Later the Meldrim family occupied the home who in turn sold it in 1943 to St. John's Episcopal Church to used as a parish house.  The church is right next door.

The Gryphon Tea Room- now operated by SCAD as a tea room on the ground floor.   This building once was occupied by Solomon's Drug Store, one of the oldest pharmacies in the country.  

SCAD- Poetter hall (c. 1893)  Constructed as the Savannah Volunteer Guards Armory, this is the first building purchased and renovated by the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)   Now is is the offices of the current president of the school.   SCAD has been a huge contributor of preservation of historic Savannah and now occupies over 60 buildings in the area.

Julia Gordon Lowell used the carriage house at the back of the Andrew Low House as the first headquarters for the Girl Scouts of America.  

Lousia Porter Home-  Location of the first Girl Scout Meeting.   This house is diagonal from the Andrew Low Carriage House- Headquarters.

From the outside, the Cathredral of ST. John the Baptist did not look open as the building is covered in scaffolding.   Once inside we were dazzled by the windows and intricate painting which reminded us of a European Cathedral.

Originally, Catholics were not allowed in Savannah out of fear that they would be sympathizers with the Spanish in Florida.   However, the ban faded away shortly after the Revolutionary War and this congregation was formed around 1796.   The cathedral construction started in 1873 and ended in 1896.   In the fire of 1898 it was almost totally destroyed but was rebuilt in 1899.

The organ and Rose Window!

In all the squares are either monuments or statues.   LaFayette Square had a nice fountain.

Monterey Square features Pulaski Monument-  Casimir Pulaski   was a skilled Polish soldier who was given the title " the Father of American cavalry".   Pulaski's cavalry is credited for saving George Washington's life in the Battle of Brandywine.   Pulaski died of infection from a grapeshot wound suffered during the Siege of Savannah in 1779.

Forsyth Fountain-  Although the tour continued around the fountain and the park, due to the wetness of the grounds, we opted not to continue around the park.   Sabrina would have loved to play at her favorite park but after the major storm that occurred before we arrived, we decided it would have been a soggy option.  We will take in this part of the tour on a later dry date.