Sorrel–Weed House

The story

The Old Sorrel–Weed House Museum, or the Francis Sorrel House, is a historic landmark in Savannah, Georgia located at 6 West Harris Street in Savannah, Georgia. It represents one of the finest examples of Greek Revival and Regency architecture in Savannah and was one of the first two homes in the State of Georgia to be made a State Landmark in 1954. At 10,000 square feet, it is also one of the largest houses in the city. The Sorrel–Weed House was first opened to the public in January 1940 by the Society for the Preservation of Savannah Landmarks. It was the society's first exhibit and was called "The Society for the Preservation of Savannah Landmarks Presents a loan Exhibit of Furniture and Fine Arts 18th and 19th Centuries at the Sorrel-Weed House on Madison Square: Jan-April 1940." This society later became the Historic Savannah Foundation. The Sorrel–Weed House was opened again to the public in 2005 and conducts Historical & Architectural Tours during the day and Historical Ghost Tours inside the house every evening. These tours are conducted by the Old Sorrel–Weed House Museum. The Old Sorrel–Weed House Museum was the boyhood home of Brigadier General Moxley Sorrel, who fought for the Confederate States of America during the Civil War. He served under General James Longstreet, and after the War wrote "Recollections of a Confederate Staff Officer", considered to be one of the top postwar accounts written. General Robert E. Lee visited the home in late 1861 and early 1862. He and Francis Sorrel had been friends since the early 1830s. Lee also visited the Sorrel family in April 1870, shortly before his death. A.J. Cohen Sr., a prominent Savannah businessman, bought the Sorrel-Weed house in 1941. The Cohen family lived in the home for more than 50 years. A.J. Cohen Jr. built a brick addition to the house and opened Lady Jane, an upscale women's clothing store which thrived in Savannah for decades. The store closed in 1991, and the home was bought by Stephen Bader in 1996. Bader removed the brick addition soon after his purchase. The opening scene of the 1994 film Forrest Gump was filmed from the rooftop of the Sorrel–Weed House and is a popular tourist stop. The scene, which begins with a floating feather through the Savannah sky, pans the rooftops of other buildings occupying Madison Square as seen from the very top of the Sorrel–Weed home. The scene is then spliced to a scene of another church located on Chippewa square, where ultimately, Forrest is seen sitting on a bench. The house was investigated by TAPS during a special 2005 Halloween Special episode of Ghost Hunters. The house was also featured on HGTV's "If Walls Could Talk" in March 2006. It was also investigated by the Ghost Adventures crew in 2014. The house was featured on the Travel Channel's "The Most Terrifying Places in America" in 2010, and on the Paula Deen Network in 2015. The home was also featured on the series Buzzfeed Unsolved: Supernatural being investigated by Ryan Bergara and Shane Madej. The house is a contributing property to the Savannah Historic District.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Dates from 1840.

Wikidata Q7563673, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.

What to expect

Fee

Yes

Official site

How to reach it

Named places within 25 miles

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Sorrel–Weed House. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

When to go

Light through the year

Local time (America/New_York).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: Sep–May.

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Savannah Intl AP, 8 mi away.

Where this comes from

OpenStreetMap element node/5109457532