Hostess Savannah

Hostess Savannah Uncovering the history, hospitality, and haunts of Savannah, GA.

Husk, which sits at 12 West Oglethorpe Ave, is one of my favorite fine dining establishments in Savannah. This 1890s-era...
12/18/2024

Husk, which sits at 12 West Oglethorpe Ave, is one of my favorite fine dining establishments in Savannah. This 1890s-era building first served as a private residence but, for a majority of its existence, served as an Elks Lodge! That's why, to this day, you can see 4 letters on the sidewalk in front of the building - B.P.O.E - or "Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks."

After the Elks found another headquarters, this building was a Montessori School for a few years until a major fire destroyed much of the structure in 2009. After extensive repairs that included a new roof and parapet, the beautifully renovated building opened as Husk in 2018 and hasn't looked back. Serving creative dishes packed with ingredients local to the low country, there's always something new to try with each visit!



Savannah's City Market that sits between Franklin and Ellis Squares is a bustle of activity and is a great place to knoc...
12/17/2024

Savannah's City Market that sits between Franklin and Ellis Squares is a bustle of activity and is a great place to knock out some holiday shopping! This part of Savannah, however, has always been the shopping hub of the city - although souvenirs looked a little different a century ago.

In the Colonial period, the original city market served as a center for food and livestock purchases. The market used to consist of 3 buildings - including one giant wooden building that wrapped around Ellis Square. In 1876, a massive brick building with giant arched windows was built.

I'm from Cleveland, Ohio and there is a huge, historic indoor market there, The West Side Market, that is packed with produce and meat vendors and other food stalls. This is what I picture when I research Savannah's Old City Market building. What a heartbreaking loss it was when the Old City Market was torn down in 1954 to put in a parking lot. This loss was a catalyst in the formation of the Historic Savannah Foundation, which ensured these historic structures were given a second chance.

I had the pleasure of going on a fabulous walking tour this past weekend, hosted by incredible local storyteller,  . The...
12/16/2024

I had the pleasure of going on a fabulous walking tour this past weekend, hosted by incredible local storyteller, . Their Victorian Christmas Ghost Tour was packed with Savannah history and stories about how the holidays were celebrated in the Victorian era. If you haven't heard about the parlor game, Snap-dragon, look it up - Victorians were way more metal than kids nowadays.

There are people in this city who you'll meet that you'll know immediately are the best at what they do, and Enocha is one of these people. She is gifted at weaving ghost stories with facts in a way that's engaging, educational, and immersive. She's also quite funny! My evidence based heart soared when she stopped in a particular square and vehemently denounced a disproven ghost story and instead focused on a lesser known building whose past was just as dark and interesting as the made up stories of its neighbor.

She is also spirit sensitive and adds their own experiences and stories about some of the places we visit. Even if you don't believe in the paranormal, Enocha crafts tours to the comfortability level of their guests, and you will walk away with a very memorable and fulfilling experience!

I, a (baby) tour guide myself, 100% recommend Enocha to anyone who is looking to get a great history tour with a side of paranormal. You will learn so much from them - plus she's good people! Check out the link in Enocha's bio to book a tour with them!

Colonial Park Cemetary was closed to new internments wayyy back in 1853. So why is there a headstone in the southeast co...
12/15/2024

Colonial Park Cemetary was closed to new internments wayyy back in 1853. So why is there a headstone in the southeast corner of the cemetary from 1944?!

This "headstone" belongs to Pvt Joseph R. Brown, Jr of the US Army Air Corps. There is a body under this headstone... but there's literally bodies filling every square foot of this cemetary and only a small percentage of those buried here have a headstone still with their body, so we can't be sure that the person under this one is Pvt Brown.

This will hopefully give you a bit of insight into my research process. The application for the headstone that was made by Pvt Brown's wife, Flora, is still available, and I was able to easily find it online. There's a theory I've heard that Pvt Brown was MIA or KIA during WWII and because the body was never shipped back, his family wished to place a marker nearby to commemorate him. What confused me, though, is the top part of the application. Per the document, Pvt Brown received an Honorable Discharge in 1942 - only about 3 months after enlisting. So, according to this, he was out of the military a little over a year before he passed away, throwing shade upon the theory that he was killed from his participation in the war.

How did he die? Why was this marker ordered by his widow? Is his body in Savannah? Unfortunately (and thanks in part to some unlegible handwriting), sometimes documents such as these pose more questions than answers!

The hunt for more information on Pvt Brown continues, but see if you can find his headstone the next time you're in Colonial Park Cemetary!

If you're in Savannah in December, checking out the Savannah Christmas Market at Plant Riverside District is a MUST! Thi...
12/14/2024

If you're in Savannah in December, checking out the Savannah Christmas Market at Plant Riverside District is a MUST! This is the 3rd year the JW Marriott has put this on, and it continues to get bigger and bigger. Local vendors are set up in wooden booths in the vein of a European Christmas Market with garland, lights, and bows everywhere! A ton of photo opportunities are available as you knock out some holiday shopping. There's also face painting, activities for little ones, and of course hot chocolate and warm apple cider. They're also selling hot waffles this year with all the fixins!

Located on the river walk on the western end of River Street, you can also hit the JW Marriott's lobby to see their festival of trees and giant gingerbread container ship!




The striking Independent Presbyterian Church that sits just north of Chippewa Square has one of the oldest congregations...
12/12/2024

The striking Independent Presbyterian Church that sits just north of Chippewa Square has one of the oldest congregations in Savannah. Established in 1755, their first church building faced Ellis Square (then Market Square), but after another church building they used that sat on Telfair Square was destroyed by a hurricane in the early 1800s, plans were made to construct the grand structure that you see today.

John Holden Greene was the architect and the church was dedicated in 1819. President James Monroe was even at the dedication ceremony!

Unfortunately, a fire in 1889 decimated the edifice of the church. Flagstones and the marble baptismal font were saved, and the decision was made to reconstruct it to look just as it had been. The man who oversaw the rebirth of the sanctuary was William Gibbons Preston - and those who have followed this account know that he is my favorite Savannah friendly architect, as he designed the Cotton Exchange Building and the original DeSoto Hotel, too!

Since this is a Savannah History account, today I want to throw it all the way back to my favorite day in Savannah histo...
12/11/2024

Since this is a Savannah History account, today I want to throw it all the way back to my favorite day in Savannah history - December 10th, 2022. Why was it so important? Well, it was my wedding day! And I need to share my favorite little detail.

We named the tables at our reception after squares and parks in Savannah. The names were made into labels that went on full bottles of wine that acted as our guest book for the guests at each table to sign. Each anniversary, we pull a bottle at random from our collection, have a picnic in whatever place we pick, and then read what our guests wrote us! Last year, we shared our wine in Monterey Square. This year, the lucky pick was Pulaski Square!

I just love our open container laws.

Pulaski Square, in my opinion, has the best trees out of all of them.

Thanks to those who sent Mr. Hostess and I such sweet wishes on our anniversary yesterday. We appreciate you!




Savannah is all decked out for the holiday season, and Ellis Square is boasting some big...ahem...ornaments. But did you...
12/11/2024

Savannah is all decked out for the holiday season, and Ellis Square is boasting some big...ahem...ornaments. But did you know Savannah was one of the biggest Christmas gifts EVER?! The city was gifted to President Lincoln from General William Tecumseh Sherman shortly after the Union Army captured Savannah in 1864. The telegram from Sherman to Lincoln was written in the parlor of the Green-Meldrim House on Madison Square!

If you want to hear a bunch of other great history stories that connect Savannah to the holiday season, join me on one of the remaining Holiday History Tours that I'll be giving with this month! It's a great way to see the city from a different perspective and get into the holiday spirit - ugly sweaters and Santa hats are optional!

PS - I love how moody this early morning picture turned out!

It's time to get into the holiday spirit with a holiday themed Photo Scavenger Hunt! If you're out and about in Savannah...
12/10/2024

It's time to get into the holiday spirit with a holiday themed Photo Scavenger Hunt!

If you're out and about in Savannah and the surrounding areas over the next few weeks and you enjoy taking pictures, here's a chance to have fun, see the city from a new perspective, and maybe win a curated gift box filled with treasures from local Savannah businesses and makers.

Here's all the details:

🎄Follow Hostess Savannah on Instagram and/or Facebook
🎄 Upload 10 separate photos (in one post) matching this month's Scavenger Hunt List and tag us so we know you completed it
🎄 Photos must be yours and taken in and around Savannah, GA
🎄 Do NOT engage in any unsafe or illegal activities while taking these pictures
🎄 All participants who upload their photos by 9pm on December 22nd, 2024, will be entered into a drawing
🎄 The winning name will be pulled randomly on December 23rd - their prize will be mailed to them within a week

Also, make sure to tag any businesses you highlight in your pictures!

The theme for this month's prize is "Savannah for the Holidays."

Happy Hunting!

🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄

This scavenger hunt is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Instagram or Facebook.

This unique fountain on River Street pays homage to some of the vessels that were named after Savannah. The vessel raise...
12/08/2024

This unique fountain on River Street pays homage to some of the vessels that were named after Savannah. The vessel raised above the water, though, is the S.S. Savannah, which was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean... well, kind of...

Constructed in 1818 as a sailing vessel, it was converted to use an auxiliary steam engine and sidewheel to power the ship in the absence of wind. The owners had grand plans to undertake a transatlantic journey, and they outfitted the interior of the ship with every luxury to entice passengers to join them on the historic voyage. The problem was that everyone was terrified of this new technology and refused to purchase tickets!

So, on May 22nd, 1819, empty of passengers, the S.S. Savannah made her way out of the Savannah River and across the Atlantic Ocean to Liverpool, England - a journey that took 29 days.

While she technically was the first steamship to cross the Atlantic, there are debates as to if it truly counted because the S.S. Savannah only propelled herself with steam power for about 11% of the entire journey - using her trusty sails most of the time. Clean energy, ya know? It would be another decade before another ship would make the crossing under steam power only.



Fort Pulaski National Monument is an awesome little historical fort only about 15 minutes from downtown Savannah off of ...
12/08/2024

Fort Pulaski National Monument is an awesome little historical fort only about 15 minutes from downtown Savannah off of Highway 80 on the Way to Tybee Island.

You see all the craters in the wall of the fort in the above picture? Well, the Confederate troops didn't anticipate Union Artillery making it to their fort all the way from Tybee Island. Welp, they were wrong, and Fort Pulaski fell to the Union on April 11th, 1862.

Patrons of Hostess: A Savannah Podcast via Patreon get access to monthly mini episodes that focus on one Savannah-centric topic or place. This month, our Patreon exclusive episode deals with Fort Pulaski and the interesting and, frankly, remarkable stories it contains. Patrons of the Podcast get much more than just an extra episode each month - they also get access to AMAs, insider tips, fun giveaways, and other perks, too!

Find out how you can become a patron of Hostess: A Savannah Podcast by clicking the link in my bio.



The ward surrounding Warren Square holds many buildings that in fact are not original to their current location, as seve...
12/04/2024

The ward surrounding Warren Square holds many buildings that in fact are not original to their current location, as several of Savannah's oldest structures, when threatened with demolition, were moved to empty lots throughout the ward. Anne and Mills B. Lane Jr were responsible for saving many of these buildings in the 1950s-1970s.

The Lanes were bitten by the restoration bug shortly after they restored an old brick house on St. Julian Street that they used as a vacation home in Savannah (which is pictured in today's post).

Their goal was to create clusters of lovely homes in an effort to entice more people to move downtown at a time when downtown Savannah wasn't very lovely. Working in tandem with the Historic Savannah Foundation that had already saved the Davenport House and was working hard to restore dozens of other buildings, the Lanes organized the move of dozens of homes that used to sit on some of our lost squares - Elbert and Liberty - to both Warren and Washington Wards!

Fort James Jackson, known locally as Old Fort Jackson, was constructed between 1808-1812, and sits on the Savannah River...
12/03/2024

Fort James Jackson, known locally as Old Fort Jackson, was constructed between 1808-1812, and sits on the Savannah River just to the east of the city. During the Civil War, Old Fort Jackson was one of three Confederate forts that defended Savannah from Union forces.

When General Sherman conducted his infamous march to the sea and captured Savannah at the end of 1864, Old Fort Jackson fell without much of a fight.

Today, Old Fort Jackson is operated by the Coastal Heritage Society and is open for tours almost daily! Stop by to walk through, see the impressive construction of the Fort, and witness daily cannon and small arms firing demonstrations by passionate reenactors.



We had a blast watching the Savannah Boat Parade of Lights this past weekend - Savannah's official kick off to the holid...
12/02/2024

We had a blast watching the Savannah Boat Parade of Lights this past weekend - Savannah's official kick off to the holiday season!

Led by our magnificent Georgia Queen, locals dress their boats to the nines and blast holiday music as they traverse from Eastern Wharf to the Talmage Bridge and back, to the joy of onlookers all along River Street.

But this wasn't just a fun event for Savannah - this was a fundraiser, too! Each year, a local charity benefits from the volunteer-led parade. In 2024, the parade raised money for the Greenbriar Children's Center, which has been helping Savannah children and their families in need since 1949!

If you're in town the weekend after Thanksgiving, make plans to enjoy this unique parade - next year, we plan to bring a thermos of hot cocoa to sip on while sporting our ugly Christmas sweaters!

Happy Holidays, Savannah!

There's just so many wonderful stories about this beautiful city that I can't fit on social media, so I decided to start...
12/01/2024

There's just so many wonderful stories about this beautiful city that I can't fit on social media, so I decided to start a podcast!

This has been in the works for about a year and a half now, and I'm delighted to release an introduction episode today on Spotify!

New episodes will drop on Sunday evenings starting January 5th. If you enjoy what I'm doing and want even more episodes and fun and exclusive perks, please consider subscribing to my Patreon, which is linked in my bio - only $3 a month!

I hope you'll join me on this little adventure.

Welcome to Hostess: A Savannah Podcast!

Did you know that Service Brewing has a brewery cat? Black Hawk, their black cat, is a very important part of the team, ...
11/17/2024

Did you know that Service Brewing has a brewery cat? Black Hawk, their black cat, is a very important part of the team, providing security and overseeing all aspects of the brewing process.

This dapper guy also dresses very professionally. Have you spotted Black Hawk on patrol at our favorite watering hole?



Savannah's riverfront isn't complete without our lovely Georgia Queen at her berth. One of the best ways to see the city...
11/16/2024

Savannah's riverfront isn't complete without our lovely Georgia Queen at her berth. One of the best ways to see the city from the water, she looks as if she came straight from the Mississippi - which is true! But what if I were to tell you she was built in 1995 to be a luxury floating casino?!

At 38,000 square feet, the Georgia Queen has 3 separate ballrooms. She can carry 1000 passengers with a 200-person crew. When gambling laws changed in the US around the turn of the century, more cities built their own casinos, so floating casinos became less popular. The Georgia Queen went through a $4 million renovation, traveled down the Mississippi River, carefully navigated around Florida, and made her way to Savannah where she has been a staple ever since!



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