One-Tank Trip: Visit Girl Scout founder’s birthplace in Savannah
SAVANNAH, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Did you know the Girl Scouts were founded in Savannah?
Now, you can visit their founder’s home which is more than 200 years old.
The home is full of history. Inside, you enter an elevator that is like a time machine.
You step in on the bottom floor, which looks like a modern building. But then you go up, and when that door opens again, it looks like the 1800s.
“Once you get inside, you really get immersed in the story of Juliette,” said Community Relations Manager Danielle Christian.
Christian used to be a Girl Scout. Today, she works for them.
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When Christian first moved to Savannah, it didn’t take long for her to find out about Girl Scouts founder, Juliette Gordon Low’s, home.
Low started the Girl Scouts after meeting the founder of the Boy Scouts while living in Britain.
“He said I have all these girls trying to sign up to become Boy Scouts. He enlisted his sister, Agnes Baden-Powell, who had started Girl Guides in England, and Juliette said you know what, I can do that here in America,” said Christian. “She started right in Savannah, recruited those first girls, and it just grew from there.”
Low was born in this house, and she spent a lot of her life here.
It’s filled with classic furniture and artwork created by her, like paintings and sculptures.
But about 70 years ago, it didn’t look like this.
“The house was in a state of disrepair,” said Christian. “So, the Girl Scouts bought it, they restored it with their own money, as well as money that the Girl Scouts raised themselves.”
It’s an important landmark to them.
“Savannah itself is the Girl Scout Mecca,” she said.
What once was their founder’s house, is now a home for Girl Scouts everywhere.
The home is open seven days a week. They recommend you call ahead at 912-233-4501 to set up a tour.
Price varies depending on your age, military service, or if you are a Girl Scout yourself.
By the way, they don’t sell Girl Scout cookies there, unless you happen to see a troop set up outside.
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