The Wetter House was a residence in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Originally built in 1822, it was expanded and remodeled in 1857 for Augustus Wetter, a Savannah architect and businessman. Its demolition in 1950 was an impetus for the formation of the Historic Savannah Foundation in 1955.
House
The house was at 425 West Oglethorpe Avenue, at its junction with Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard;''Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society'', Luciana M. Spracher (2003), pp. 32–34 ''Savannah, 1733 to 2000: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society'' – Susan E. Dick, Mandi D. Johnson, Georgia Historical Society (2001), p. 50 its original address was 215 South Broad Street. It was originally built as a three-storey stucco building for Anthony Barclay, next door to a mansion owned by
Mary Magdalene Marshall
Mary Magdalene Marshall (September 7, 1783 – January 26, 1877) was an American real-estate investor and philanthropist. She established The Marshall House hotel in Savannah, Georgia, and had erected in the city several notable buildings that ...
. Marshall's adopted daughter, Margaret, married Anthony's son, Adalbert in 1855. From 1837, the property was owned by Margaret Telfair. Augustus Wetter, who acquired it in 1857 on his marriage to Alberta Telfair, had it remodeled and added cast iron balconies by Wood & Perot of Philadelphia, which included 50 medallions portraying poets, artists, and statesmen. The ironwork cost $100,000 and had been created for the
Georgia state capitol
The Georgia State Capitol is an architecturally and historically significant building in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. The building has been named a National Historic Landmark which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As t ...
at Milledgeville, but was reportedly rejected as too expensive. In 1862, during the Civil War, the house was briefly the headquarters of
Confederate Army
The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighting ...
general
Robert E. Lee
Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a Confederate general during the American Civil War, towards the end of which he was appointed the overall commander of the Confederate States Army. He led the Army of Nort ...
, and
Confederate President
The president of the Confederate States was the head of state and head of government of the Confederate States. The president was the chief executive of the federal government and was the commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army and the Confe ...
Jefferson Davis
Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the United States Senate and the House of Representatives as a ...
was a friend of Wetter's and a frequent visitor.
The final use of the building was by the Savannah Female Asylum and Orphanage. In 1950, a
Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
dealership built a new showroom across the street from the house, bought it, and demolished it to make use of the site. Some interior decoration, such as mantlepieces, was sold, and the decorative ironwork was donated to the orphanage to sell for fundraising.
Only a section of wall survives from the Wetter House.''Stories Set in Stone: Savannah and Her Unique Architecture'' – '' Savannah Morning News'' special publication Its demolition, along with that of the City Market, sparked the formation of the Historic Savannah Foundation in 1955. The site is now within the Savannah Historic District, which was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1966.James Dillon (1977) , National Park ServiceSavannah Historic District National Historic Landmark summary listing, National Park Service
Augustus Wetter
Augustus Peter Wetter was born in Mentz, Germany, in 1829."Augustus Peter Wetter " – Patrick Walsh, Georgia Southern University, Fall 1990 He emigrated to the United States, arriving in Savannah before the Civil War. He worked as a
civil engineer
A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering – the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructure while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing ...
under General
Jeremy Francis Gilmer
Jeremy Francis Gilmer (February 23, 1818 – December 1, 1883) was an American soldier, mapmaker, and civil engineer most noted for his service as the Chief Engineer of the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War. As a Major general ( ...
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each class ...
– 1866),''Mary Telfair to Mary Few:Selected Letters, 1802–1844, Mary Telfair (2011) daughter of Pierce Cobb and Mary Eliza Telfair."Mary Telfair's 'madness' leaves positive mark on Savannah history" – The George-Anne Media Group She had previously, while a minor, married Charles S. Arnold, and the couple had divorced after a few years.
In 1859, Wetter purchased the
Sharon Plantation
Sharon Plantation was a plantation originally founded in colonial Savannah, Province of Georgia. It covered around , on land bounded by Old Louisville Road and the Ogeechee CanalEugene Kelly and six others, he was a founding member of the Southern Bank of the State of Georgia.
Augustus and Alberta Wetter had four children, sons Edward and Conrad and daughters Mary ("Meta") Martha and Louisa Alberta. Alberta Wetter died on July 28, 1866, aged around 32. Her great-auntMary Telfair died in 1875, bequeathing $21,000 to the Wetters' daughters via a trust."Mary Telfair's Will" – Telfair Museums, July 27, 2018 Wetter challenged the will in court, claiming that she was "mentally incompetent" and suffering from monomania to the detriment of others, and demanding $10 million for his children from the estate. His case reached the
Supreme Court
A supreme court is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts in most legal jurisdictions. Other descriptions for such courts include court of last resort, apex court, and high (or final) court of appeal. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...
but failed.
In the mid-to-late 1870s, Wetter's financial situation declined; his mortgage was foreclosed in December 1877. On September 30, 1878, his daughter Meta died at the age of 17. He died on September 8, 1882, in
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in Pe ...
, at the home of one of his children. He was aged around 53. His funeral took place on September 12 at Savannah's Independent Presbyterian Church, and he was interred at the Sharon Plantation.
1934 photographs
Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Photographer March 1934 NORTHWEST VIEW - Wetter House, 425 Oglethorpe Street, Savannah, Chatham County, GA HABS GA,26-SAV,44-2.tif
Wetter House, 425 Oglethorpe Avenue, West, Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia.jpg
Historic American Buildings Survey Branan Sanders, Photographer March 1934 SOUTHWEST VIEW - Wetter House, 425 Oglethorpe Street, Savannah, Chatham County, GA HABS GA,26-SAV,44-1.tif