Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters

About this activity

One of the finest examples of Regency architecture in America is Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters - it's also a hugely important historic site in Savannah, where kids can learn all about the property's past, and those that lived there including the little-known stories of the enslaved people who worked behind the scenes.

Work began on the Owens-Thomas House back in 1816, as it was to be the new home of Ricahrd Richardson - a shipping merchande, banker, and slave trader. The property itself was built by both free and enslaved men.

Over the next few years, the property changed hands until it was opened as a museum in 1954, and today families just like yours can take a guided tour through both the main house and the slave quarters, to really gain an understanding of the area's history, and way of life.

In the Orientation Gallery (formerly the horses stables), you'll find exhibits that help put the story of the site into the larger context of local, regional, and even national history.

Then you can make your way up to the north half of the building, where you can actually visit the original slave quarters. This two-story structure had three rooms on each level, and 9 to 15 enslaved people (about half were children), lived and worked on the site between 1819 and the end of the Civil War.

Don't miss walking through the Paterre Garden. The style is appropriate for an early 19th century English Regency villa, however the space originally housed a work yard, which very likely included a small kitchen garden, hanging laundry, and even housed small livestock.

Then, you can explore the main part of Owens-Thomas House! The public areas include the drawing room, front hall, and dining room where the families would entertain, and then you can explore the private rooms including bedrooms, library, and family dining room.

What's fascainting as you explore these rooms, is how the economic elite and their enslaved servants interacted on a daily basis.

A truly must-visit historic site and museum in Savannah, offering an invaluable lesson on a history that we can all learn from.