William Scarbrough House facts for kids
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William Scarbrough House
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The house in 2020
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 Location in Georgia (U.S. state)
Location in the United States
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| Location | 41 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd, Savannah, Georgia |
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| Built | 1819 |
| Architect | William Jay |
| Architectural style | Early Republic |
| Part of | Savannah Historic District (Savannah, Georgia) (ID66000277) |
| NRHP reference No. | 70000201 |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | June 22, 1970 |
| Designated NHL | November 7, 1973 |
The William Scarbrough House is a very old and important building in Savannah, Georgia. It was built way back in 1819. This house is special because it's one of the first examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. It was designed by a famous architect named William Jay.
In 1973, it was named a National Historic Landmark, which means it's a really important place in American history. Today, the house is home to the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum. It looks much like it did when it was first built in the early 1800s. The house was built for William Scarbrough, who was one of the main owners of the SS Savannah. This ship made history in 1819 by being the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
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What the House Looks Like
The Scarbrough House is in the middle of Savannah. It's on Martin Luther King, Jr., Boulevard. The house is made of brick, but it's covered in stucco to look like big stone blocks. It has two stories and sits on a raised basement.
The front of the house has a grand entrance. There's a tall porch with four smooth columns. These columns are in the Doric style, which is a classic Greek design. Above the porch, there's a large round opening with French doors. These doors lead to a balcony. Inside, many parts of the house have been fixed up. They now look like they did when the house was first built.
History of the Scarbrough House
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The house was built in 1819 for William Scarbrough. He was a very successful merchant and shipowner in Savannah. The house was designed by William Jay, an English architect. He moved to Savannah in 1817 and designed many important buildings there. The Scarbrough House is one of only three of his designs that are still standing.
Over the years, the house changed a bit. For example, a third floor was added, but it was later removed during a restoration. From 1873 to 1962, the city owned the house. During this time, it was used as the West Broad Street Colored School.
Later, the Historic Savannah Foundation bought the house. They updated its systems and started to restore it. In 1990, the house was given to the Telfair Museums. In the early 1990s, it was further restored to become a museum. In 1994, it became the home of the Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum.
A very important visitor came to the house in 1819. James Monroe, who was the fifth United States president at the time, was hosted by the Scarbroughs.
Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum
The Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum opened in 1966. It has nine different rooms filled with amazing things. You can see models of ships, paintings about the sea, and other items. These exhibits show Savannah's long history with the ocean.
Some of the ship models include the SS Savannah, which William Scarbrough owned. There's also the HMS Anne, the ship that brought James Oglethorpe and the first settlers to Georgia in 1732. You can also see models of The Wanderer and the famous RMS Titanic.
The museum also has beautiful gardens. These gardens cover about 2 acres. They are designed to look like a typical 19th-century parlor garden. In 1974, a landscape architect named Clermont Huger Lee helped design these lovely gardens.
See also
