Place · United States
The history of Savannah
Assembled from 3 dug tiles · 45 sourced records · 1719–now · last reviewed 16 October 2026
Savannah's ground holds a plantation turned riverside cemetery, a Greek Revival mansion on Madison Square, and an Italianate house on Monterey Square where a killing became a trial and then a legend. Across three sites, colonial land passed from planters and merchants to public and private hands, each marked by death, ownership, and eventual public access.
These are the individual spots Strata has dug in Savannah — not a guide to the town, but a record of what happened on particular ground.
Digs in Savannah
An Italianate mansion where its owner shot a man in 1981This point looks at the Mercer Williams House Museum on Monterey Square in Savannah. Mercer House
1733–now A Greek Revival mansion on Madison Square
This point sits at the Sorrel–Weed House, a historic house museum at West Harris Street in Savannah. Sorrel–Weed House
1733–1994 A riverside cemetery outside Savannah
This point sits inside Bonaventure Cemetery, a 160-acre burial ground on a bluff above the Wilmington River. Bonaventure Cemetery
1719–2004
Savannah in layers
Guides tell of an enslaved woman named Molly murdered in the carriage house, but no historical record of her in the Sorrel household exists, and Wikipedia and historian James Caskey call the story likely fictional. Wikipedia - Sorrel-Weed House
This National Historic Landmark house, a short walk from the square, served as Union General William T. Sherman's headquarters when he occupied Savannah in 1864. Wikidata
died 1766
Bartholomew Zouberbuhler, a minister who died in 1766, is buried at Bonaventure Cemetery, one of the earliest burials tied to this ground. Wikidata: Bartholomew Zouberbuhler
1733
A monument in nearby Chippewa Square honors James Oglethorpe, who founded Savannah in 1733. Wikipedia
from 1733
Bull Street Cemetery, Savannah's burial ground from 1733, including the grave of merchant Abraham Minis, lies a short walk from this spot. familysearch
from 1733
A short walk away, Congregation Mickve Israel dates its founding to 1733, among the oldest Jewish congregations in America, and its synagogue stands within sight of the square. Wikidata: Congregation Mickve Israel
1734
A 1734 painting by William Verelst depicts an audience given by the Trustees of Georgia to a delegation of Creek Indians, showing early colonial Savannah not far from this square. Wikidata: Audience Given by the Trustees of Georgia
1739
Tomochichi, the Creek-allied Yamacraw chief who helped James Oglethorpe found the colony, died in 1739 and is marked by a monument nearby. Wikidata
died 1796
John Houstoun, a Georgia politician who died in 1796, was buried at Bonaventure Cemetery. Wikidata: John Houstoun
from 1750
Colonial Park Cemetery, laid out in 1750, holds Button Gwinnett and Archibald Bulloch, both signers or early leaders of Revolutionary Georgia, along with Nathanael Greene-era generals and merchants. Wikidata
October 9, 1779
On October 9, 1779, French and American troops under Count d'Estaing and Casimir Pulaski attacked the British defensive line running through what is now Madison Square, open ground at the time. Historical Marker Database (HMDB), erected by City of Savannah in 1929
1779 siege; monument later
A monument in Monterey Square, just outside the house, marks the burial place of Revolutionary War cavalry commander Casimir Pulaski, mortally wounded at the 1779 Siege of Savannah. Wikipedia: Casimir Pulaski Monument
from 1779
The square the house fronts carries an 1779 record as a cemetery, among the oldest dated ground near this spot. FamilySearch: Monterey Square, Savannah
1794-1871
Josiah Tattnall III, the Confederate and U.S. Navy officer who sold the plantation that became this cemetery, was born and died here, and is buried on the ground he once owned. Wikidata: Josiah Tattnall
1835-1840
Charles B. Cluskey built this Greek Revival mansion for shipping merchant Francis Sorrel between 1835 and 1840, on the lot where you're standing. Wikipedia - Sorrel-Weed House
1838-1901
Gilbert Moxley Sorrel, born here in 1838, became one of the youngest generals in the Confederate Army after serving under James Longstreet and wrote a memoir considered one of the best postwar Confederate accounts. Trolley Tours Savannah
1846-1850
Commodore Josiah Tattnall III sold the 600-acre Bonaventure Plantation and its private family graveyard to Peter Wiltberger in 1846, and the first public burials took place by 1850. Wikipedia: Bonaventure Cemetery
March 27, 1860
On March 27, 1860, Matilda Sorrel died after falling from an upper-story window at West Harris Street, next door to the family mansion, according to a letter written that same day by Charles C. Jones Jr. James Caskey's Blog
1860
Architect John S. Norris began building the mansion in 1860 for General Hugh Mercer, great-grandfather of songwriter Johnny Mercer, but the Civil War halted the work. Mercer House (Savannah, Georgia) - Wikipedia
1861-1862, 1870s
General Robert E. Lee, a friend of Francis Sorrel since the 1830s, visited the house in late 1861 and early 1862, and again in the 1870s shortly before his death. Vanishing Georgia
October 1867
In October 1867, naturalist John Muir camped in Bonaventure Cemetery for six days and nights, sleeping on graves because it was the cheapest shelter he could find, and later wrote a chapter about it called "Camping in the Tombs." Wikipedia: Bonaventure Cemetery
1868-1907
Peter Wiltberger's son formed the Evergreen Cemetery Company in 1868, and the City of Savannah bought it in 1907, renaming it Bonaventure Cemetery. Wikipedia: Bonaventure Cemetery
1868
The unfinished house was sold and completed around 1868 by cotton merchant John Randolph Wilder; no member of the Mercer family ever actually lived there. Mercer House (Savannah, Georgia) - Wikipedia
1953
Robert Ch'ung Chan, a Chinese-American community leader in Savannah, died in 1953 and is buried at Bonaventure Cemetery alongside his wife Anne Chan. Wikidata: Robert Ch'ung Chan
Questions about Savannah
What is Bonaventure Cemetery known for historically?
It began as the family burying ground of a plantation owned by John Mullryne and later Commodore Josiah Tattnall III, who sold the 600-acre property to Peter Wiltberger in 1846, with public burials starting in 1850. It holds graves ranging from a clergyman who died in 1766 to the photographer Jack Leigh, who died in 2004, and six Confederate generals, and it became a city cemetery between 1868 and 1907.
What happened at Bonaventure Cemetery in 1933 and 2001?
In 1933 the neighboring Greenwich Cemetery was absorbed into Bonaventure, and in 2001 the cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Who built the Sorrel-Weed House and when?
It was built between 1835 and 1840 by architect Charles B. Cluskey for shipping merchant Francis Sorrel, and it was designated a Georgia State Landmark in 1954.
What happened at the Sorrel-Weed House on March 27, 1860?
Matilda Sorrel died on that date in a building next door, an event that later became part of the ghost-tour legend associated with the house, though it is contradicted by the historical record according to Wikipedia.
What happened at the Mercer Williams House in 1981?
On May 2, 1981, antiques dealer Jim Williams shot Danny Hansford in his study. Williams was tried four times for the killing between 1981 and 1989 and was acquitted; he died in the same room in 1990, eight months after his acquittal.
Who built the Mercer Williams House and when?
Construction began in 1860 for General Hugh Mercer but was interrupted by the Civil War; cotton merchant John Randolph Wilder finished the house in 1868. Jim Williams bought the then-vacant house for $55,000 in 1969, and it reopened as a museum after his death.