GUIDED
An immersive audio tour through Savannah.
Thank you for joining us!!
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Initially released Nov. 12th - Nov. 27th
Re-released due to popular demand Jan. 7th - Jan 23rd
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Characters from Savannah's History
Guided was inspired by real people from Savannah's history. We took their stories (or lack thereof) and ran into a world of creative adaptations and decisions. We also feel it is our responsibility to educate you all on the lives of these inspiring souls. Here are our brief biographies on each one of the very real characters from Guided. We encourage you to learn more about Savannah's squares and the people who have walked through them before you.
Nelly Gordon
Nellie Gordon was born in Chicago, Illinois as Eleanor Lytle Kinzie. She was born June 18, 1835. She moved to Savannah when she married William Washington Gordon II. Her father-in-law was former mayor of Savannah and founder of Savannah’s Railroad and Canal Company. She has authored several books and was very active in standing up for the things she believed in. She helped in times of war by finding better means to take care of soldiers. She also stood up for the Indigenous Chief, Tomochichi, when her father-in-law’s statue replaced his grave in Wright Square. She did not stay silent on the things she felt were unjust. She is also the mother of Juliette Gordon Lowe, the founder of the Girl Scouts. Nellie passed February 22, 1917 and is buried in Savannah with her daughter.
Button Gwinett
Button Gwinnett was born in 1732 in Gloucester, England. He became an American political leader and signed the Declaration of Independence. He was appointed Governor of Georgia and even helped write the state constitution for Georgia. He met his demise on May 16, 1777 in a duel with long time enemy Lachlan McIntosh.
Lachlan McIntosh
Lachlan McIntosh was born in Scotland on March 17, 1725. He worked his way up in the ranks of the military during the Revolutionary War and was eventually made general of Georgia’s continental army, a position he was put against Button Gwinnett for. He won the duel against Gwinnett May 16, 1777. His military and government career continued until just shy of his eightieth birthday on February 20, 1806.
Alice Riley
Alice Riley had first traversed the land of Savannah in December of 1733. Alice, her husband Richard White, and 38 other irish immigrants had escaped the famine in Ireland for a new life in America. However, inklings of prosperity and success were not promised. Alice knew that a life of vivacious decadence wouldn’t be given to her. She expected to become a housemaid and work to sustain. Nevertheless, Alice and Richard had found themselves in the putrid hands of William Wise, an unpopular savannah native.Upon the arrival of Alice and Richard, Wise’s health had begun deteriorating, which soon rendered him unable to properly care for himself. Alice and Richard immediately became indentured servants working under him. Quickly noticing her status and her beauty, Wise would physically and verbally abuse Alice. As they found home in one another, Alice and Richard’s restlessness towards their circumstances grew. While bathing Wise, Alice and Richard decided to drown him and flee the farm. Both of them were ordered to be hanged in Wright Square. Richard was hanged first. Just as the rope was being wrapped around Alice’s neck, she cried out that she was pregnant. It had been Wise’s child. After the was baby born, on January 19, 1735, Alice Riley became the first woman to be hanged in Savannah, Georgia.
Tomochichi
Tomochichi was the head chief of a Yamacraw town in the 18th century, which is now present day Savannah, Georgia. He was a brave leader and a capable mediator. It is said that he traded his land to James Oglethorpe in 1733. History doesn't capture the entirety of his story, including his relationship with Oglethorpe, the place of his burial, and who he really was.
James Moore Wayne
James Moore Wayne was one of the longest serving Supreme Court Justices, a Georgia House Representative, and the 16th mayor of Savannah. Born in 1790, Wayne had a career span from 1808 to his death in 1867. What he did with this career, however, is worthy of nothing but disdain. In his time on the Supreme Court Wayne voted against Dredd Scott in 1857 with the majority of the court deciding that black people could not be considered citizens of the United States. He also supported Andrew Jackson’s Indian Removal Act and the subsequent genocide of indegenous communities and peoples. Outside of politics, Wayne enslaved and trafficked over 100 black people throughout his life. On a more personal note, Wayne’s family was famously divided by the civil war. Wayne decided to remain a unionist with southern interests in the court while his son, Henry C. Wayne became a confederate general.