Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters

Beautiful home with so much history. They do their best to talk about the history of that time as it was then and from most recent perspectives. It’s worth learning about. There was also a special historical guest at the home who was well respected and an abolitionist.

My husband and I toured the house about 10 years ago! We came back this past weekend with our teen and preteen. It was an audio, self guided tour this time. I appreciated that they still had guides throughout the house, if you had a question. Overall, still a great tour!

The Owens-Thomas House & Slave Quarters is the only Telfair Museum requiring a reservation because it involves a guided tour which focuses on the conditions and legacy of urban enslavement.

An interesting tour focusing on the history and class dynamics that the families that owned the house over time would have been a part of, which slavery is heavily discussed. It is enlightening to know how life would have been and to consider how that affects our lives now.

We had an amazing guide who is a history teacher by day, so we received an thorough and professional oratory. She was able to answer all of our questions as well as give an excellent narrative. The property has been carefully restored to its original grandeur and the tour also includes its unfortunate history with slaves and slavery.

It's a must see if you're visiting Savannah.

This tour was a great balance of architecture & design of the house, the family's history & legacy, and the harsh realities of slavery. Our tour guide, Jovi, was very knowledgeable and incredibly compassionate as he took us through the history of the home, the family member's impact on slavery and the civil war, and explained what life was like there for family members and slaves. We had expected an educational experience but were overwhelmed to realize we were participating in an emotional one as well. I highly recommend this tour, and our guide Jovi especially.

Designed by British Architect William Jay and constructed with both enslaved and freed people about 1819. The original family owner Richard Richardson fell upon hard times including another killing yellow fever epidemic and city fires (not his home, though). The bank now owned the house and leased it to Mary Maxwell who used it as a boarding home. For the 50th anniversary of the American Revolution, an aging 68 year old Marquis de Lafayette stayed here during his 1825 tour of the country. There is on-going debate as to whether or not he actually spoke spontaneously to the citizens from the iron balcony of the house.I prefer to think that he did, as he was one of the very few Revolutionary heroes still alive. A few years later, George Owens purchased the property in 1830, he was a lawyer and enslaver. For the next 121 years, the Owens family maintained the home until it was deeded to the Telfair Academy of Arts and Science in 1951. This house was home not only white families, but enslaved families as well. The museum has re-created the original enslaved quarters---send time there. Visit only by guided tours.

When visiting Savannah, this is your number one stop to make. In truth, this was my second tour of this house, one year apart, and each tour guide brings their own personality to the tour. The tour guide this year, Jovi, was out of this world good. Passionate and engaging and personable, Jovi told us about the house, its inhabitants (enslaved or not) and answered all questions with obvious excitement. He even shared new developments and changes coming to the house soon! I’m sure other tour guides of this house are amazing, but Jovi must be one of their best.

The emphasis toward the enslaved people is crucial in preserving their humanity throughout history. The Telfair Museums’ commitment to racial equity was clear when we began the tour in the former carriage house: viewing the names of enslaved individuals but also the blank pieces of wood to symbolize those whose names were lost to history. The rest of the tour focused on both enslavers and enslaved; though slavery doesn’t dominate the tour, there is no escaping enslaved labor was part of daily life for the Owens and Thomas families. There are lots of museums/homes that have preserved the portion of homes for the white inhabitants; while the Owens-Thomas house has done this exceedingly well, the house and tour is unique because of their dedication and respect towards enslaved people and their inclusion. You can even read primary historical documents for yourself in the basement!

I've taken many friends on this historic house tour over the years. The house has grown with more to see. The kitchen is a unique feature that other historic houses don't have and the gardens are beautiful. However, I feel a tour is only as good as the guide. On Monday May 30th at the 12:45 tour, the man who was our guide seemed more to lecture with undertones of his adgenda. Yes, we have all been to school and understand that salvery was a dark spot in our history. This was advertised as a historic house tour and unfortunately, I don't think the guide fulfilled that criteria.

I was lucky to join a tour of just four adults, with Jovi, today. He was an excellent guide and brought the house and its history alive. As a non-US citizen, I learnt much of Savannah’s and the USA’s early 1800s history, through the story of the house and its inhabitants. I was surprised to learn that a house this old had indoor plumbing. The furnishings are not original but are of the period and invoke a sense of how it was 200 years ago. Thank you to Jovi for the excellent tour. And thank you to the owner who deeded the house to the public of the future.