The Herb House is a historic building located in downtown
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 ...
, United States. Some sources claim it to be built in the 18th century (1733 or 1734), which would have made it the oldest extant building in the state of Georgia; however, its construction in local handmade
brick
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...
puts this in doubt. Other sources give a construction year of 1853, which is the first year it appears on a map. The building is now part of the restaurant
Pirates' House
Pirates' House is a historic restaurant and tavern established in 1794 located in downtown Savannah, Georgia, United States. A portion of the structure, known as the Herb House, was built in 1853.Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District – Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 116
History
The Herb House was built on a ten-acre plot of land located on the east side of
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...
's original plan of the city of Savannah. The plot was assigned to become a botanical garden that modeled the
Chelsea Botanical Garden
The Chelsea Physic Garden was established as the Apothecaries' Garden in London, England, in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to grow plants to be used as medicines. This four acre physic garden, the term here referring to the sc ...
in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, England. The garden, which was located beyond the bounds of today's buildings, was dedicated to Oglethorpe's trustees, becoming known as the Trustees' Garden. Oglethorpe recruited botanists from around the world to acquire plants for the project, such as
cotton
Cotton is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus ''Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure cellulose, and can contain minor perce ...
indigo
Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', m ...
and
medicinal herbs
Medicinal plants, also called medicinal herbs, have been discovered and used in traditional medicine practices since prehistoric times. Plants synthesize hundreds of chemical compounds for various functions, including defense and protection a ...
. The garden was hoped to bring success in the wine and silk industries and was centered on growing mulberry trees. The soil and weather conditions of Georgia were not compatible with the mulberry trees and it was not successful with wine or silk; however, it ''did'' distribute
peach tree
The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fuz ...
s, for which Georgia is now renowned. The garden was also highly successful in growing cotton, which later became a staple of Georgia's economy.
The Herb House was built on the plot of land around 1853 to house the gardener who worked there. This building was deemed the Herb House. A
hay loft
A hayloft is a space above a barn, stable or cow-shed, traditionally used for storage of hay or other fodder for the animals below. Haylofts were used mainly before the widespread use of very large hay bales, which allow simpler handling of bulk ...
, where the gardener slept, was on the second floor of the building. The front of the first floor was used for tools and gardening supplies,"The Herb House is the oldest house, and home to the oldest Ghost in Savannah" – WTOC while the rear was stables.''Savannah in History: A Guide to More Than 75 Sites in Historical Context'', Rodney Carlisle and Loretta Carlisle (
Globe Pequot
Globe Pequot is a book publisher and distributor of outdoor recreation and leisure titles that publishes 500 new titles. Globe Pequot was acquired by Morris Communications in 1997. Lyons Press was acquired in 2001. It was sold to Rowman & Littlef ...
, 2019), p. 7
Renovation and ownership
In 1948, Pirates' House and the surrounding land was acquired by The Savannah Gas Company. The building soon caught the interest of Mrs. Hansell Hilyer, wife of the president of the company. She renewed the house museum into the restaurant of the present day.