Green-Meldrim House
Encyclopedia
The Green-Meldrim House is a historic house located in Savannah, Georgia
. It is located at 14 West Macon Street, on the northwest corner of Madison Square
and was designated as a National Historic Landmark
in 1976.
. The property's first owner was Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant and grandfather of the writer Julien Green
.
At this time, none of the original furniture is on display at the house. After the Union troops captured Savannah in 1864, Sherman occupied the house and used it as a headquarters until the end of the Civil War
. It was in this house in December 1864 that Sherman composed his famous telegram to President Lincoln
, 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. 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. Tours of the house are given during the day, and the church uses it for wedding receptions and after-church events.
style in the South
, and has a cast-iron porch, oriel windows, and an imposing front cast-iron fence.
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
. It is located at 14 West Macon Street, on the northwest corner of Madison Square
Squares of Savannah, Georgia
The city of Savannah, Georgia, United States, was laid out in 1769 around four open squares. The plan anticipated growth of the city and thus expansion of the grid; additional squares were added during the 18th and 19th centuries, and by 1851 there were twenty four squares in the city...
and was designated as a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 1976.
History
The house was designed and built between 1853 and 1861 at a cost of $93,000 by the architect John NorrisJohn S. Norris
John S. Norris was an American architect.He was born and raised in New York City, where he began his career as a mason. He advanced to being a builder and eventually listed himself in the telephone directory as an architect....
. The property's first owner was Charles Green, a wealthy cotton merchant and grandfather of the writer Julien Green
Julien Green
Julien Green , was an American writer, who authored several novels, including Léviathan and Each in His Own Darkness...
.
At this time, none of the original furniture is on display at the house. After the Union troops captured Savannah in 1864, Sherman occupied the house and used it as a headquarters until the end of the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. It was in this house in December 1864 that Sherman composed his famous telegram to President Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
, 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. In 1892, local politician and judge Peter Meldrim
Peter Meldrim
Peter Wiltberger Meldrim was a politician, a judge and an army officer from Georgia, USA.He was born in Savannah, Georgia on December 4, 1848. He had Irish heritage and was President of the local Hibernian Society from 1887 to 1912. He attended University of Georgia, Class of 1868, where he was a...
purchased the property and lived in it a number of decades. In 1943, his heirs sold the house to St John's Church
St. John's Church, Savannah
St. John's Church in Savannah is a parish of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.The church was formed in 1840 from the growing Christ Church, Savannah, as part of a plan to increase Episcopal presence in Georgia and to provide for a first bishop of the diocese. In addition to his Episcopal duties,...
, which is located next door. Tours of the house are given during the day, and the church uses it for wedding receptions and after-church events.
Architectural style
It is among the best-known examples of the Gothic RevivalGothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style in the South
Southern United States
The Southern United States—commonly referred to as the American South, Dixie, or simply the South—constitutes a large distinctive area in the southeastern and south-central United States...
, and has a cast-iron porch, oriel windows, and an imposing front cast-iron fence.