History of The Marshall House

Who was Mary Marshall?

The Marshall House Hotel, Savannah, GA - In 1851, businesswoman Mary Marshall, noting that Savannah was woefully in need of visitor accommodations, built the four-story Marshall House Hotel. It served as a hospital for soldiers toward the end of the Civil War. It was also home to Joel Chandler Harris, author of the famous Uncle Remus stories. By 1956, the hotel had closed and the first floor was used for businesses. In 1999, a $12 million restoration returned the building to its original purpose. The guest rooms feature Southern-style décor and heart pine floors. Some second story rooms open onto an ornate cast-iron veranda. Each floor features a display of memorabilia documenting an era in Savannah history, as well as artifacts found during the hotel's restoration. (65 guest rooms and three suites)

Savannah's First Hotel

In 1851, The Marshall House was built as the first hotel in Savannah. 150 years later, $12 million was invested in its spectacular restoration. The award-winning results are stunning, combining elegance and historical authenticity with 21st century conveniences. There is truly no place in Savannah like it.

The Marshall House was named as a National Historic Building on April 1, 2000 by The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation. The Hotel has its original staircases (some of the spindles and gingerbread have been recreated), original wood floors, fireplaces, brick walls, and the doors to each guest room are original as well. The Atrium was the courtyard and has been encased with a glass ceiling to give the sensation of what once was. The artifacts displayed on floors two and three were found during the renovation.

Milestones

1851

Mary L. Marshall opens The Marshall House on Broughton Street in Savannah's premier shopping district.

1857

Ralph Meldrim, proprietor of The Marshall House, erects an iron veranda in front of the property 120 feet in length and 12 feet wide and high. The veranda becomes one of the signature features of The Marshall House.

1859

Having been fully renovated, repainted, and refurbished, the hotel reopens to the public.

1864/1865

The hotel is occupied by Union troops led by General William Tecumseh Sherman. The building was used as a Union hospital for wounded soldiers until the end of the Civil War.

1867

Marshall Hose Company (Volunteer Fire Department) was founded to protect The Marshall House and other properties in Savannah.

1880

The adjoining building, known as the "Florida House", was annexed as part of The Marshall House, increasing the hotel’s capacity by about one third.

1895

Hotel closes.

1899

Hotel reopens as The Marshall House and features electric lights and hot and cold baths on every floor.

1933

Herbert W. Gilbert, prominent hotel and real estate man of Jacksonville, leases the building and changes the name to the Gilbert Hotel.

1941

Herbert Gilbert sells hotel and eight stores. The property is now steam heated and features a lobby, dining room, living room, reading room, 66 guest rooms, one suite, an apartment and six storage rooms.

1946

The Marshall House reopens with a complete renovation.

1957

The 106 year old Marshall House closes. Extensive alterations to put the hotel in full compliance with state fire laws were not possible on a short-term lease.

1998

Renovations to The Marshall House begin once again.

1999

The Marshall House, having been fully restored and renovated, reopens to the public as Savannah's oldest hotel.

2001

HLC Hotels, Inc., a Savannah-owned and operated hotel management company, purchases The Marshall House.

2003

Marshall House featured on The Travel Channel’s Great Hotels.

2004

Marshall House voted "Best of Savannah."

2005

Marshall House voted "Best of Savannah" for the 2nd time.

2005

Marshall House featured on the Travel Channel's Haunted Hotels.

2006

Marshall House named as one of Coastal Living's Top 20 Places to Stay

2008

Complete renovation of Marshall House’s guest rooms and suites.

Who Was Mary Marshall?

Mary Leaver Marshall, the original proprietor of The Marshall House, was the daughter of Gabriel Leaver, a French cabinetmaker with a shrewd vision for developing Savannah's land.

He purchased a number of choice plots of land in the business section of the city, held onto them tenaciously, and left them to his daughter upon his death. An enterprising and energetic lady, she continued to buy land and prospered with the city, living to the age of 93.

She passed away in 1877 and left the running of the hotel to a former New Englander, William Coolidge. A family legend (and confirmed by Georgia Historical Society records) states that Mr. Coolidge hoisted the first flag declaring Georgia's secession from the Union.

Mary Marshall was married to Colonel James Marshall (his portrait is over the fireplace in the Library), a Second Lieutenant in the Savannah Volunteer Guard (SVG), the city's volunteer military group of which Mary was an active supporter. She was recognized by the SVG on two separate occasions for battle flags she created for the troops with her own hands.

A photograph of Mrs. Marshall's "town home" which was located on the corner of Oglethorpe Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. is available for viewing outside of The Mary Marshall Suite, Room 205.

A collection of six locally-owned-and-operated inns in Savannah's historic district-all award-winning for capturing Savannah's true essence and offering the ideal balance of comfort and elegance.

Visit Bed and Breakfasts of Savannah