Savannah - Cool houses

There are a bunch of cool houses in the historic district. 

These are across the street from the bed and breakfast where we stayed.  Many of the streets are paved in bricks.

 

The Wilkes House was about a block west of where we stayed.  A former boarding house built in the late 1800's, it is now home to the popular restaurant, Mrs. Wilkes' Restaurant, and rooms can be rented.  Debbie and I ate there the first day we spent in Savannah.  The restaurant opens at 11 a.m.  We arrived at 10 a.m. and there was already a line forming.  The guy in the gray t-shirt is from Wyoming.  He and his family were travelling around the US visiting various states.  On that day, they were in Georgia and heard about Mrs. Wilkes.  They decided to try it out.  Nice folks.  Sweating like crazy in the humidity, which was almost 100% at the time.  They were not the only ones.

 

 

 

  

The photo above shows the line all the way to the corner of the block just before they started letting people inside for lunch at 11.  We were in the second group of about 10 people. 

 

 

 

The guy from Wyoming took our photo after we took his family's photo.

 A guy came to the door from inside the restaurant and told us to sit at a large round table near the corner of the dining room.  We did not sit with the Wyoming family.  Debbie and I sat with three college aged guys with huge appetites and two other couples.  We were the oldest people at the table.  There were several bowls of various side dishes and a huge platter of fried chicken. Everyone kinda looked at each other, looked at the bowls, then each of us grabbed a bowl and started spooning food onto our plates.  We passed the bowls to the right and took another bowl from the person on our left.  That happened until our plates were full.  Not much talking except for, "This is good," which was repeated often.  The tea was sweet.  There were several women milling around asking if we were doing ok.  Every few minutes they would bring another bowl of something or replace a bowl that was either empty or almost empty.  One woman brought a huge plate of cornbread.  I did not try everything but everything I tried was very good.  I double dipped in the beef stew and blackeyed peas.  Not sure we got our money's worth, but we did not go away hungry.  Great place to eat.

  

 

 I don't know the story about this house.  Just one of the many cool ones that we saw.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 The red brick house above is the Kehoe House, which is currently a bed and breakfast.  It was constructed in 1892 by William Kehoe who owned a foundry.  All of the white elements above the windows, the railing along the balcony and the columns on the porch are cast iron.  Debbie and I took a trolley tour of the historic district to hear about the "hauntings" in Savannah.  The tour guide told us this house is haunted by two children who died playing hide and seek.  They hid in a fireplace and somehow suffocated.  Apparently, the Kehoes sealed up all of the fireplaces in the house.  Guests of the bed and breakfast tell about hearing children laughing and running in the second floor hallways but when they check there are never any children to be found.  A guest reported being awakened by someone caressing her face that she thought was her husband but it was a child who disappeared just as she awoke. 

 

 

It seems that if something sits for any length of time in Savannah it gets covered in vegetation.  We saw several homes where vines covered the steps, walls or entry.

 

 

 

There are a couple of streets where the houses have these really cool curved steps leading to the front door.  Every house on the block has the same or very similar steps and wrought iron railings.  The photos do not do it justice.  Love it.

 

 

 

 

The Mercer House.  The great-grandfather of songwriter Johnny Mercer started building the house in 1860.  It was finished in 1868.  The house was purchased and renovated in 1969 by Jim Williams, who allegedly shot and killed his assistant (or gay lover depending on who is telling the story).  The movie Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is based on the story.  After the trial, Mr. Williams died leaving the home to his mother.  He apparently did not like his sister and left her $10.  She inherited the house from her mother and lives there now.

  

 

The Sorrel Weed House was constructed in 1839.  The basement of this house is reportedly haunted.  Tours are given almost every night after dark.  It was a few blocks away from where we stayed.  Debbie and I walked over there after dark one night and tried to get photos with orbs.  We didn't get anything outside. Should have taken the tour.  The TAPS Ghost Hunters (SyFy channel) explored the house and apparently experienced spirits. 

 

 

Davenport House was completed in 1820.  It is now a museum.  And reportedly haunted. 

 

 

This home was formerly an orphanage for girls.  The house caught fire and two girls were trapped in the attic.  The home was restored and since the fire, the various residents have reported hearing children laughing in the attic.  It is across the street from Greene Square.  Residents in the area often report seeing two girls playing alone in the square.  When police are called, the police never find the girls. The upper window in the photo is reportedly the location where a small child's handprint cannot be washed off.  Well, that's what the ghost tour guide told us. 

 

 

One two story house.  And one very small, one story house.

 

 

 

This house in the photo above has a problem worse than ghosts.

 

 

I thought the house above was the front of the Juliette Gordon Low house.  They are similar.  Not sure what the house is, but I like it.  Sorry for the mixup.

 

 

Juliette Gordon Low established the first Girl Scout troop here.  The main house is in the photo above.  The carriage house is below, where the troop was formed.

 

 

 We had a great time looking at all of the great houses in the historic district.  Well, maybe I did more than Debbie.  More photos later.  Have a good evening.