Oglethorpe Barracks facts for kids

Oglethorpe Barracks was a military base for the United States Army in the city of Savannah, Georgia. It was built in the 1800s. Sometimes, people also used the name "Fort Oglethorpe" for other forts nearby, like Fort James Jackson or Fort Wayne (Georgia). Today, a hotel stands where the old barracks used to be.

Building the Barracks: How it Started

In 1823, the city of Savannah, Georgia asked the U.S. government to build a military base. They wanted it right inside the city. The city even offered to buy the land needed for the base.

The War Department, which was in charge of the army, agreed. They provided all the materials to build the barracks. Soldiers arrived in the mid-1820s to start construction. The new base was named after James Oglethorpe. He was the person who founded the Georgia colony and the city of Savannah.

Life Before the Civil War

Construction of Oglethorpe Barracks finished around 1834. Even before it was fully built, army doctors at the base started observing the weather. They probably began taking notes on the weather as early as 1827. By 1836, they were even using a rain gauge to measure rainfall.

These weather observations continued until December 1850. The American soldiers likely left the base at the end of that year. In 1852, the city of Savannah wanted to buy the land from the War Department. The city officially bought the property in 1853.

Oglethorpe Barracks During the Civil War

During the American Civil War, local soldiers from the Confederate army used Oglethorpe Barracks. They stayed there throughout the war. This continued until Union General William Tecumseh Sherman captured Savannah in 1864.

After the War: The Reconstruction Era

After the Civil War ended, United States Army troops returned to Fort Oglethorpe. They continued to use the base. Weather observations also started again around September 1866.

By 1875, a tall brick wall surrounded the barracks. This wall was about 10 feet (3.0 m) high. It connected the buildings that faced the city streets. Inside the base, the buildings were arranged around a central open space. This area was used as a parade ground for the soldiers.

The army doctors took weather notes at the barracks hospital. This hospital was a wooden building. It had a brick foundation that was about 11-foot (3.4 m) tall. The building itself was about 19 feet (5.8 m) above its foundation. It was also supported by brick pillars on each end. There was also a two-story guard house nearby.

During the hot summer of 1876, the soldiers moved to Camp Oglethorpe. This camp was located near Oliver, Georgia.

The End of the Barracks

The Army left Oglethorpe Barracks for good after March 1879. This is when the weather observations at the site stopped. The War Department then sold the land to the Savannah Hotel Corporation for $75,000. In 1883, Congress officially told the Secretary of War, Robert Todd Lincoln, to sell the barracks.

The new owners then tore down the old barracks buildings. Construction of the Desoto Hotel began on the site in 1888. The hotel was finished in 1890. It was a large building with five stories and 206 rooms. It also had a sunroom, a barber shop, a drug store, and a restaurant. An outdoor swimming pool was added later. A special feature of the hotel was a fountain with a lion's head. Water flowed out of the lion's mouth, and this fountain is still there today. For many years, a local radio station had its studios inside the hotel. Today, the Hilton company operates the hotel.

The land where Oglethorpe Barracks once stood is now just northeast of Madison Square. This area is part of historic old Savannah.