Many of the original features from this antebellum structure are still in use, including pews that were made by enslaved people in the years prior to the Civil War and decorated with classical West African Arabic script. The sanctuary's stained glass includes a mixture of religion and history, with images of previous pastors appearing throughout the building. To this day, there are still holes in the floor in the shape of an African prayer symbol that represents birth, life, death, and rebirth. The building was used to help shelter enslaved people that escaped bondage during the Civil War, and the holes offered a second purpose: providing airflow for those hiding underneath.During the era of segregation in Savannah, ceremonies (such as high school graduations) were held at the church for African Americans owing to the lack of funding for auditoriums in the city's Black schools. Recognizing the lack of banking services for many in the community, First African Baptist Church also established a credit union in 1954, the first church to do so in the United States. The church and the local chapter of the NAACP were both led by Reverend Ralph Mark Gilbert in the 1940s. In recognition of his leadership and contributions in support of voting rights, the city's civil rights museum is named in his honor.

This historic church was completed prior to the Civil War

The congregation was organized prior to the American Revolution

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This historic church was completed in 1859 for the congregation of Savannah's First African Baptist Church. The church was organized in 1773 making this the oldest African American congregation in the United States. This structure is also the first brick building in Georgia that was owned by African Americans. The church is National Historic Landmark and the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

First African Baptist Church

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This tour includes a number of important historic sites that are often not included in some of Savannah's popular tours that often present a whitewashed version of the city's antebellum history. This tour highlights Savannah's historic connection to slavery and segregation, as well as the agency and actions of the city's Black communities who challenged both. The tour begins with a monument made possible by Dr. Abigail Jordan, a prominent educator, and includes vital Black institutions as well as sites connected to slavery.

&nbsp;Retired professor Dr. Abigail Jordan worked for ten years and donated $100,000 to make the statue a reality. Savannah College of Art and Design Professor Dorothy Spradley and&nbsp;her student Dan Koster designed and built the&nbsp;monument. &nbsp;&nbsp;The monument was finalized only after poet Maya Angelou accepted a compromise with Mayor Floyd Adams and other city leaders and influential citizens who were unsettled by Angelou's quote because of its graphic depiction of conditions within slave ships. In order to end their opposition and allow the monument's dedication to move forward, Angelou and Black leaders in Savannah agreed to "soften" the poet's quote by adding the final line "Today, we are standing up together, with faith and even some joy." In 2001,&nbsp;Angelou explained why she and other Black leaders wanted to make sure that her original quote, which includes a reference to the unsanitary conditions&nbsp;slaves endured during the Middle Passage,&nbsp;was included on the monument. "The picture of it, it's so horrible. And yet if we can see how horrible it is, then we might treat each other a little nicer."&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;The inscription reads:We were stolen, sold and bought together from the African continent. We got on the slave ships together. We lay back to belly in the holds of the slave ships in each others excrement and urine together, sometimes died together, and our lifeless bodies thrown overboard together. Today, we are standing up together, with faith and even some joy. Angelou penned the final line and gave the city permission to modify her original quote to include this as&nbsp;on the monument so long as the rest of the quote was not modified.&nbsp;

This monument was made possible by a $100,000 donation of Dr. Abigail Jordan, who also worked for over a decade to convince city leaders to allow for the dedication of a monument that recognized Savannah's connection to the slave trade. The statue was dedicated on July 27, 2002 and stands to remind residents and visitors of the history of slavery and emancipation. The statue depicts a family with chains at their feet who are finally able to embrace one another after slavery's demise. The location of the monument is significant, standing near the point of entry for many slaves who first arrived in Georgia through the riverfront markets. The monument is also significant as the first in the city to commemorate the experience of African Americans. Prior to its dedication in 2002, none of the more than 40 statues, plaques, and monuments in Savannah paid tribute to individual African Americans or the experiences or contributions of African Americans. 

Savannah's Slavery Monument

The Montmollin Building is no stranger to important history. It’s use as a slave-market auction-site is devastating at best, but on top of that, there is no commemoration for its slave history or the memory of the building being turned into a freed slave school after General Sherman and his “march to the sea.” The name of the building has even been changed, so to forget the memory of slave trader John S. Montmollin and his partner Alexander Bryan. The Montmollin Building is one of many historical buildings in Savannah, Georgia that have not been recognized for their historical significance.As mentioned before, the owner of the Montmollin Building was none other than John S. Montmollin himself. He was well known in Savannah as a successful slave trader, so it was no surprise when he rented out his third floor to another well-known slave trader, Alexander Bryan. Although it was technically Bryan who ran the slave trade on the third floor, it is assumed that Montmollin was also involved because the bottom floor of building, below his first floor butcher shop, was used to house slaves in chains without being rented out by Alexander Bryan. Montmollin died in 1859 by explosion of a boiler of a steamer so his, “property fell into the possession of Alexander Bryan, who until a few days prior to the occupation of Savannah by the Federals, used the premises as a jail and office for the barter and sale of slaves,” (Savannah Daily Herald, 1865).Slavery was part of a horrific period of time that will never be fully lost on people or history. However some people have forgotten, so it is important to know that even when the Emancipation Proclamation was put into law by Abraham Lincoln, several southern regions chose to ignore it and continue with the buying and selling of slaves. This included Antebellum Savannah. In fact, President Lincoln gave specific orders that slave trade was to be entirely ended by January 1st, 1863, however, the Montmollin building continued to buy and sell slaves until December 1864, almost a full two years after it was deemed illegal.As soon as Lincoln found out that Antebellum Savannah and many other southern regions were still participating in the slave trade, he gave orders to General William T. Sherman to lead an army of 60,000 soldiers to Savannah from Atlanta. It was said that the sole purpose of this march was to scare those still partaking in slave trade into stopping. (history.com editors, 2018). They achieved this by stealing food and livestock and burning down the houses of individuals who tried to fight back against them. Although General Sherman was looking to put an end to the slave trade, it is important to acknowledge the immense amount of damage his soldiers and himself caused to the south. However, news of this march did not seems to scare Bryan and he continued to run his slave market until General Sherman and his soldiers physically forced him to stop. The slaves were set free and that same third floor was eventually turned into a school for freed slaves. (Mobley, 2009).One would think a building with that much history would be filled with some type of commemoration, but the sad fact is there is none. Today, it is just an average pet store with no proof of its strong historical past. It takes a lot of digging to find out that the building was once a slave auction site. However, it takes even more digging to reveal that after the fact, it became a freed slave school. Even with that research, it still is unclear who managed the school, how long it was used, or who even was interested in using the building as a school. All that is mentioned is that the third floor was no longer property of the original owners and continued afterwards as a school. Obviously, somewhere along the way that history was covered up and turned into a pet store where people are now oblivious to the trauma that took place within its walls.

Less than 200 years ago human beings were trapped within the walls of this building, called the Montmollin Building, where they awaited the horrific reality of being bought and sold as slaves in the United States. Located at 21 Barnard St. 31401, the building sits right in the heart of Savannah’s City Market. The building is of historical importance because of its use between the 1850’s until December 1864, when it was used to hold, buy and sell slaves in the slave market. It was owned by John S. Montmollin and the 3rd floor was rented out to Alexander Bryan until Bryan later ended up owning the building. Both were known for being largely involved in slave trade throughout the city of Savannah. This building is particularly important because it continued to host and sell slaves even after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Montmollin’s building only became slave free when “Sherman’s March to the Sea” put an end to it via physical force, and eventually turned it into a freed slave school. Sadly, today the building is still in tact, but without any commemoration to the slave-trade/slave school history. It is currently a pet store that people are free to walk through without seeing any recognition of the tragedy that took place within its walls. 

The Montmollin Building

At the time of the American Revolution, present-day Haiti was the French colony of&nbsp; Saint-Domingue and men from this colony volunteered for service as part of a French contingent that fought under French nobleman Charles Hector. The French recruited ten companies of free Black men in Saint-Domingue to assist in their effort to support the American colonists against England partly owing to a desire to wrest control of Britain's lucrative colonies in the Caribbean. The French commanders offered the same pay to their Haitian recruits of African descent as they did other colonial recruits. If the soldiers survived their term of enlistment, the pay they accrued wold be enough to secure a small plot of land. Some of the recruits also became free through enlistment as the French government waived the requirement of a substantial payment that was required for emancipation for soldiers and their families. While the American colonists of European descent often spoke of their cause as one of "freedom" from English tyranny, for Haitian soldiers of African descent, theirs was a war of emancipation from chattel slavery.&nbsp; While many free Black men from the British colonies that secured independence also fought on behalf of the colonial patriots, George Washington's official policy which rejected Black military service with few exceptions until late in the war deprived the colonies of manpower. The British saw the potential of Black military service and the power of turning American slaves against their masters. As a result, the majority of men of African descent who fought in the war were enslaved men who fought on behalf of the British in return for the promise of freedom.&nbsp; Despite the assistance of Haitians of African descent, and after several years of supporting Haitian rebels who sought independence from France in the 1790s, the United States actively suppressed the independence movement in the early 1800s. For example, while Haitians fought for independence from France, Thomas Jefferson supported French efforts to regain control of their former colony. After France abandoned their efforts to reconquer their former colony, the United States isolated the republic of Haiti by barring trade with the small republic. The United States did not offer diplomatic recognition to Haiti until 1862.&nbsp;

This Savannah monument was dedicated in 2009 and commemorates the actions of five hundred Haitian soldiers who fought on behalf of the colonial patriots in the American Revolution and defended the city of Savannah in the summer of 1779.  The ten companies of Haitian soldiers fought in the Southern theater of the war and were known as the Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue.  The monument was made possible by members of the Haitian-American Historical Society who publicized the effort of Haitian soldiers and worked with city officials to raise funds for the monument. Sculptor James Mastin designed the monument which depicts Haitian soldiers and Henri Christophe, a drummer boy who later became a leader of Haiti after its people secured independence from France. The monument commemorates the soldier's defense of Savannah against British forces in the 1779 Siege of Savannah and includes a short history of the Haitian units that assisted American forces in the Georgia. 

Haitian Monument, Savannah - Chasseurs-Volontaires de Saint-Domingue  

In 1859, Pierce Mease Butler owned 919 slaves consisting of men and women of all ages. Butler was also the owner of large amounts of debt. He liked to gamble and had lost money investing in the stock market. To recoup his losses, Butler decided to sell 436 of his slaves. He would sale all of them at once in what would be the largest slave sale in Georgia history and one of the largest in American history.  The sale took place at Ten Broeck Race Course a horse racing track in Savannah, Georgia. Butler would use a well-known slave broker, Joseph Bryan. Initially, the auction was to take place in the main city square, but it was discovered that location could not accommodate the amount of people coming as buyers. The slaves were held in horse stables leading up to the auction so that buyers could inspect them. Advertisements for the sale were ran from Monday through Saturday in the Georgian Newspapers. People came from all over the south to witness the sale and purchase human property. One newspaper wrote "For several days before the sale every hotel in Savannah was crowded with negro speculators from North and South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, and Louisiana, who had been attracted thither by the prospects of making good bargains. Nothing was heard for days, in the bar-rooms and public rooms, but talk of the great sale . . ." The media covered the large event from both sides of the abolition argument. Anti-slavery newspaper writers called the auction "The Weeping Time" because of the sadness and anger it caused the slaves and because it rained for the entire duration of the sale. Reaction to the sale would be intense in the time leading up to the Civil War.  This slave auction played a large role in the eyewitness accounts of the slave trade. Pierce M. Butler's (at the time of the auction, ex) wife, Fanny Kemble, was actually an abolitionist from London. She claimed that during their marriage she was unaware of Butler's slave plantations until she visited them later on. Her visit would lead to the publication of her diaries accounting the events called: Journal of a Residence on a Georgia Plantation. The journal would become one of the most popular and detailed depictions of the true horrors happening in the American South during this period. Butler even tried to prevent its publication, using their daughters' custody status as leverage. This delay caused the diaries publication to be pushed back until after the Civil War had begun. Later on, an undercover journalist, Mortimer Thomson, would attend the actual slave auction to witness the cruelty that took place. His accounts would later be published as a sequel to Kemble's plantation accounts.

In March of 1859, one of the largest slave sales in US history took place at the Ten Broeck Race Course. This marker is not placed at the actual location of the sale, as a lumber yard and elementary school now stand in place of the original site. However, this marker stands in a park that was built to remember the 436 slaves who were sold in what is known as "The Weeping Time". Pierce Mease Butler of Philadelphia sold 436 slaves for $303, 850 over two days to pay off his debts. Many families and friends were separated and sold to owners around the south. The Weeping Time name came as witnesses recounted that it rained the entire two days of the sale as "The heavens seemed to weep in empathy." 

The Weeping Time: Largest Slave Sale in Georgia History 

Dr. Ralph Mark Gilbert, who died in 1956, worked tirelessly for civil rights for African Americans. He helped reorganize the city's NAACP branch and help establish over forty branches around the state by 1950. Among his other achievements, he led a Black voter registration drive which helped elect a mayor and city council that strove for reforms, such as the hiring of Black policemen and other city employees. Gilbert was also a preacher, lecturer and playwright of religious dramas. The president of the NAACP chapter after Gilbert, W.W. Law, led the effort to establish the museum in the early 1990s.&nbsp;

This museum chronicles Savannah's civil rights history and honors Ralph Mark Gilbert, a leader in the city and the individual most associated with the city's mid-century civil rights movement. Gilbert served as president of the local NAACP chapter from 1942 to 1950. The museum features many exhibits depicting life in Savannah during the civil rights era, such as the recreation of a local department store that allowed African Americans to shop but not eat at it's restaurant. Other museum exhibits include artifacts from civil rights leaders, historic photos, and a large fiber-optic map showing the site of important civil rights events in the city and nation. Photographs and interactive exhibits are also located in the museum, as well as a book collection for children. The museum is located in a building constructed in 1914 whose first function was the Wage Earners Savings and Loan Bank, what was once the largest bank in the county for African Americans. 

Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum

Major William Royall was the first African American in
Savannah, GA to own a funeral home. The Royal Undertaking Company, Inc. was
originally located at 22 ½ Whitaker St. in Savannah, GA. As the business began
to grow and flourish, it was moved to 315 South Broad St. Before 1920, there
were no mortuary schools whom would admit African Americans into their
programs. Major Royall, wanting to make sure that every African American got
the education that they wanted, put an end to this. Royall Undertaking Company,
Inc. became the only learning establishment that would educate and train
African Americans in the field of undertaking. Thanks to him, many prominent
African American funeral directors received their training and knowledge at the
Royall Undertaking Company, Inc.

Upon the death of Major William Royall in 1905, the funeral
home exchanged owners on more than one occasion. Then in 1955 Major Frank H.
Bynes bought the Royall Undertaking Company, Inc. Prior to joining the
military, Major Bynes had served his apprenticeship at Royall, and went on to
attend the Atlanta Mortuary College. Upon purchase of the funeral home, Major
Bynes renamed to the company to Bynes-Royall Funeral Home. In 1963 he moved it
to its current location at 204 W. Hall St.&nbsp;
While the funeral industry was indeed his passion, Major Bynes also had
another achievement that he was proud of. During the times of segregation in
the military, African American soldiers didn’t have the opportunities to rise
amongst the ranks. &nbsp;Frank Bynes was able
to go from Private to Major. This was something that was rarely heard of in
that day and age.

Along with his wife Frenchye, the Bynes-Royall Funeral Home
began to flourish and serve the community. Major Frank H. Bynes made sure that
his children knew the importance of religion and education and wanted to make
sure that they achieved everything that they dreamed of. Major Bynes wasn’t the
only one in his family that was accomplished. His wife Frenchye also had an
impressive legacy of her own. She was a lifetime member of the NAACP, recipient
of the 2007 Spirit of Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award, and also the Grand
Marshall for the Martin Luther King Jr. parade. The Bynes family gave back to
their community in more ways than one.

Major Frank H. Bynes passed away in 2002 and Mrs. Bynes
passed away in 2012. The Bynes children have went continued to carry on their parent’s
goals, dreams and gift of giving. In 1878, the business opened to serve a
community that was in desperate need of a funeral home, a place to say goodbye
to their loved ones. Thanks to the Bynes family, the sad events in one’s life
is still taken care of with the respect and privilege that started the company
so many years ago.&nbsp;

Bynes-Royall Funeral Home is the oldest African American funeral home in the United States. The institution dates back to 1878, when Major William H. Royall was employed by a white-owned funeral home in Savannah. This funeral home, like so many at the time, did not serve the African American community. When the yellow fever plague of the late 1870s swept the South, it afflicted many African Americans. Recognizing the limited options for members of his race when it came to finding compassionate mortuary services for members of his race, Major Royall responded to the tragic events of the late 1870s by opening his own funeral home that would respect the dignity and honor of the bereaved family and their loved ones. 

Bynes-Royall Funeral Home

The Owens-Thomas House &amp; Slave Quarters is located in the heart of the Historic District of Savannah. The English-born architect William Jay also designed the nearby Telfair Mansion, now the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, but the Owens-Thomas House is one of the most well-preserved examples of Jay's work in the Savannah area. The two-story home was completed in 1819 for Richard Richardson, a well-known bank president, shipping merchant, entrepreneur, and slave trader, his wife, Frances, and their six children.Although William Jay served as the architect, it was John Retan who built the home, along with numerous enslaved men who were under Retan's charge. On the east end of the property sat a carriage house and slave quarters, which housed the nine enslaved men, women, and children owned by Richard Richardson. The Richardsons ended up living in the home for just three years, and during that time, the family was plagued by tragedies. Two of their children passed away, one in 1822, the same year Frances died. Around that time, Richard's bank, the Savannah Bank of the United States, failed and he sold his home and moved to New Orleans. Richard Richardson died in 1833 on the seas while returning home from a voyage to France.The Bank of the United States took charge of the house in 1824 and leased it to Mary Maxwell, who operated it as a boarding house. The next year, Maxwell played hostess to the Revolutionary War hero, Marquis de Lafayette, and his son. Lafayette was in Savannah to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the Revolution, and it was reported that he even gave a speech on the balcony.In 1830, George Owens, a prominent attorney from Savannah, purchased the home for $10,000 at auction. Owens would go on to be the mayor of Savannah, a state senator and representative, and then a United States congressman. The Owens family made a few changes to the home before moving in, adding three rooms to the second story at the back of the house. The family resided in the home during the winter months and lived in their homes in Philadelphia, New York, Europe, and north Georgia in the summer. During the time the Owens family lived in the house, they kept around nine to fifteen enslaved people. Upon the death of Owens' granddaughter, Margaret Gray Thomas, in 1951, the house was transferred to the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences and, in 1954, it opened as a museum.In addition to touring the main house, visitors also may view the Carriage House, the beautiful Parterre Garden, and the Butler's Pantry. On the north half of the building, the Slave Quarters can be found. A two story building, three rooms were placed on each level and around nine to fifteen enslaved people lived there from 1819 to the Civil War. After that time period, this building became a servants' quarters, the overwhelming majority of servants being African Americans. The Owens-Thomas House also holds priceless decorative arts that date from 1790 to 1840 and either were made in England, the United States, or France. The Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters is a priceless piece of architecture in one of the most historic areas in the South, telling the story of prominent Southern families and the enslaved people who built and ran it.

The Owens-Thomas House &amp; Slave Quarters was built in 1819 for successful cotton merchant and banker, Richard Richardson and his wife, Francis Bolton. It was designed by the English architect William Jay, one of the first trained architects in the country. He designed the house in the English Regency style and it features many interesting architectural elements such as curved walls and doors, indirect lighting in the drawing room, a bridge in the upstairs hall, and one of the finest staircases in the South. Today the house is one of three buildings that comprise the Telfair Museum, the oldest public art museum in the South. It features a decorative arts collection consisting of Owens family furnishings as well as American and European objects dating from 1790-1840. Behind the house are an English-themed garden and one of the earliest intact urban slave quarters in the South.

Slavery and Freedom in Savannah

First African Baptist Church

Introduction

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Backstory and Context

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