With its moss-draped trees, quaint public squares, and colorful heritage, Savannah is a destination that has a lot to offer. The city on Georgia’s southeastern coast is home to two historical attractions that harken back to the mid-19th century: the Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters Museum and the Massie School.
Considered to be one of the finest examples of Regency architecture in America, the Owens-Thomas House recently underwent a major renovation project on its auxiliary areas. The refreshed house museum details the lives of the enslaved people who lived and worked there and describes their interactions with both the plantation owners and their family members. The slave quarters, one of the last remaining examples demonstrating how enslaved people in cities lived and worked, contain one of the only original examples of “haint blue” paint on the ceiling.
Opened in 1856 as the area’s first free public school, the Massie School offered education to the children of Savannah’s poor and underprivileged. It was absorbed into the public-school system a decade later, and the school’s eight grades served the city for another 120 years. Today, the Massie Heritage Center offers a look into what school was like for children of the past, with interpretive programs and interactive exhibits.
To learn more, email Visit Savannah’s Mindy Shea or go to visitsavannah.com.
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Top photo: Student program at the Massie Heritage Center
Photo by Visit Savannah
