City: Savannah, GA

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (912) 233-1547

Address: 20 East Gordon St.

Description: Temple Mickve Israel began with a group of Spanish–Portuguese Jews who came to Savannah in 1733, just five months after the founding of the colony. It is the site of the first Jewish congregation in the South and the third in the entire United States. It is also the only Gothic synagogue in the country. The temple was designed by Henry G. Harrison and houses the oldest Torah in America. There are also hundreds of documents, historical books, and letters from Presidents Washington, Jefferson, and Madison in the museum adjoining the temple. Tours of the sanctuary and museum take place Mon through Fri from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m. at a fee of $5 per person. Continuing south on Bull Street, you will pass the George Armstrong House on the northwest corner of Bull and Gaston Streets. This massive building, constructed in 1920, was given to the city in 1935 and converted into Armstrong Junior College, predecessor of Armstrong Atlantic State University, which subsequently moved to Savannah’s Southside. Today it houses a law firm. Across the street, on the northeast corner of Bull and Gaston Streets is the Oglethorpe Club, one of Savannah’s most elite and private clubs. Straight ahead is Forsyth Park.