“Torn from their native country—oppressed by merciless extractions— 

treated like beasts that perish—fed and valued only for the purposes   

of labor and drudgery…Who can but lament that our country should   

so long have ‘Traded in the persons of men.’” 

 —The Reverend William Jay 

There’s Something About Mary Telfair’s House 

Mary Telfair was Savannah’s most generous benefactor. She died in 1875 and, for the sole purpose of establishing the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, left her home to the Georgia Historical Society. 

It is now known as the Telfair Museum and is the oldest public art museum in the American South.  

Not surprisingly, the museum is located on Telfair Square, renamed in 1883 to honor the entire Telfair family. Mary’s father, Edward Telfair, was born in Scotland in 1735 and arrived in Georgia in 1766. The ambitious Telfair family-patriarch soon joined with Joseph Habersham, Noble W. Jones, and other men known as the ‘Liberty Boy’s; the group opposed the British Stamp Act and engaged in activities disloyal to the Crown of England that were in direct opposition to Savannahians who remained loyal Tories.  

In Georgia, at that time, the population split into thirds: With one-third loyal to the King, another-third favoring independence from Britain, and the final-third willing to blow with the prevailing winds.  

The winds blew in the Liberty Boys’ direction—and Telfair became the Governor of Georgia in 1786. 

This large house was designed by William Jay, one of Savannah’s most notable architects. Already painted in an earlier Postcard from Savannah (PFS #13), William Jay was also the architect for the unique and lovely Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters located on Oglethorpe Square.  

Interestingly, Jay’s father—the evangelical Reverend William Jay—was active in the slavery abolition movement in England and counted among his dearest friends three of its leaders: The Reverend John Newton (who famously wrote Amazing Grace), politician William Wilberforce, and writer Hannah More.  

The young William Jay’s personal-attitudes toward slavery are unknown. We know only two things: Jay’s architectural career flourished while he lived in Savannah and he stayed only 4-years, never to return. 

Mary’s brother, Alexander Telfair, hired Jay. At the age of twenty-nine in 1818, Alexander, Edward Telfair’s fourth son, had become the sole surviving male heir. He was required to manage the extensive family estate and the estates of two brothers. Alexander built this mansion to house his widowed mother, the children of his brother Thomas, and his three sisters: the unmarried Mary, widowed Sarah, and the later married Margaret—whose home would become The Georgia Historical Society (PFS #26). 

Various statues adorn the front of the Telfair Museum. For fun, I captured the great Italian Renaissance painter, Raphael, in a quick study. It’s believed that Raphael died at the early age of only 37 from the exhaustion brought on by his unceasing romantic interests while fanatically working his craft. Hmm. 

The pink and purple blooming hydrangea plants in front of the house are a mainstay here in Savannah. Naturally, they never become a tiresome scene in the line of sight of this artist’s green eyes.