The Green–Meldrim House is a historic house at 14 West Macon Street, on the northwest corner of

Madison Square Madison Square is a public square formed by the intersection of Fifth Avenue and Broadway at 23rd Street in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The square was named for Founding Father James Madison, fourth President of the United States. ...

, in

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

. Built in 1853,Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District
– Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 49 it was designated as a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...

in 1976 as one of the

American South The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, or simply the South) is a geographic and cultural region of the United States of America. It is between the Atlantic Ocean ...

's finest and most lavish examples of

Gothic Revival architecture Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

. The house is owned by the adjacent St. John's Episcopal Church, which offers tours and uses it as a meeting and reception space.

Description

The Green–Meldrim House is located on the west side of

in central Savannah, at the southwest corner of West Harris and

Bull Street Bull Street is a major street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Named for Colonel William Bull (1683–1755), it runs from Bay Street in the north to Derenne Avenue (part of State Route 21) in the south. It is around 3.40 miles in length, ...

s. West Macon Street, the house's address, is a spur street off Whitaker Street, which runs behind the property. The house's principal facade faces south, with a porch and garden facing the square. The house is among the best-known examples of the

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

, with a stuccoed brick exterior, cast-iron porch, oriel windows, and an imposing front cast-iron fence. The main entrance has an iron portico believed to be unique in the United States, with octagonal posts supported a pair of arches. A crenellated parapet rings the roof. The interior of the house, following a center-hall plan, retains original woodwork, plaster, and ironwork, the latter featuring a freestanding staircase.

History

The house was designed and built in 1853 at a cost of $93,000 by the architect John Norris. The property's first owner was Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant and grandfather of the writer

Julien Green Julien Green (September 6, 1900 – August 13, 1998) was an American writer who authored several novels (''The Dark Journey'', ''The Closed Garden'', ''Moira'', ''Each Man in His Darkness'', the ''Dixie'' trilogy, etc.), a four-volume autobiog ...

. After the Union troops captured Savannah in 1864,

Gen. The Book of Genesis (from Greek language, Greek ; Hebrew language, Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁית ''Bəreʾšīt'', "In hebeginning") is the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian Old Testament. Its Hebrew name is the same as its i ...

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), a surname and given name (and list of persons with the name) ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a tank Sherman may also refer to: Places United St ...

occupied the house and used it as a headquarters until the end of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

. It was in this house in December 1864 that Sherman composed his famous telegram to

President Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...

, in which he communicated his desire to present to the President "as a Christmas Gift the City of Savannah, with one hundred and fifty heavy guns and plenty of ammunition, and also about twenty-five thousand bales of cotton"; the cotton belonged to Charles Green, the owner of the House. On January 12, 1865 Sherman and

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

Edwin Stanton Edwin McMasters Stanton (December 19, 1814December 24, 1869) was an American lawyer and politician who served as U.S. Secretary of War under the Lincoln Administration during most of the American Civil War. Stanton's management helped organize t ...

met with 20 Black

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

and

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

ministers—including Garrison Frazier, Ulysses L. Houston, and

William Gaines William Maxwell Gaines (; March 1, 1922 – June 3, 1992), was an American publisher and co-editor of EC Comics. Following a shift in EC's direction in 1950, Gaines presided over what became an artistically influential and historically import ...

—in what would later be called the "Savannah Colloquy" at the house. Their discussion directly led to Sherman's

Special Field Orders No. 15 Special Field Orders, No. 15 (series 1865) were military orders issued during the American Civil War, on January 16, 1865, by General William Tecumseh Sherman, commander of the Military Division of the Mississippi of the United States Army. They p ...

, which included the famous

Forty acres and a mule Forty acres and a mule was part of Special Field Orders No. 15, a wartime order proclaimed by Union General William Tecumseh Sherman on January 16, 1865, during the American Civil War, to allot land to some freed families, in plots of land no la ...

land allotment. In 1892, local politician and judge Peter Meldrim purchased the property and lived in it a number of decades. In 1943, his heirs sold the house to St John's Church, which is located next door. In the 1950s, Savannah Landscape Architect

Clermont Huger Lee Clermont Huger Lee (March 4, 1914 – June 14, 2006) was a landscape architect from Savannah, Georgia, most known for her work designing gardens and parks for historical landmarks in the state. Specifically, Lee is known for her designs such as th ...

provided period appropriate designs and planting plans for the garden. Tours of the house are given during the day, and the church uses it for wedding receptions and after-church events. At this time, none of the original furniture is on display at the house.

Photos

File:GA Savannah Green-Meldrim House01.jpg, Green–Meldrim house in 2011 File:Green-Meldrim House Library.JPG, The library of the Green–Meldrim House File:GA Savannah Green-Meldrim House04.jpg, Side view File:Green-Meldrim house historical marker, Savannah, GA, US.JPG, Historical marker

References

External links

The History of the Green–Meldrim House

Sherman's Headquarters historical marker
at Digital Library of Georgia {{DEFAULTSORT:Green-Meldrim House Houses completed in 1853 National Historic Landmarks in Savannah, Georgia Museums in Savannah, Georgia Historic house museums in Georgia (U.S. state) Houses in Savannah, Georgia 1861 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) National Register of Historic Places in Savannah, Georgia Madison Square (Savannah) buildings Savannah Historic District

Description

History

Photos

See also

References

External links