Savannah Georgia
Juliette Gordon Lowe House Museum
A female spirit still loves her forever home.
A male spirit still wants her company.
Description
The Juliette Gordon Lowe House is a Georgian regency-style historical house museum and a memorial to the founder of the Girl Scouts, Juliette Gordon Lowe.
“The Birthplace is a living, breathing testament to Girl Scouts. It stands for our mission, for our common values, and for the generations of girls and women who have worn our uniform. Our job is to ensure that 100 years from now, the Birthplace will be just as relevant, engaging and important to girls as it is today.”
“The house is free-standing, of two stories on a raised basement, and surrounded on all sides by a shallow dry “moat.” Brick stairs rise from the moat at four corners to street level, leading to a formal parterre garden in the front and to a paved courtyard in the back. At the west end of the courtyard, and separated from it by [a] 1929 openwork brick wall of a “dropstitch” design, stands the stucco-over-brick Carriage House, with a two-story central block and one-story wings added early in the twentieth century. ”
The home features a columned portico, and double stairway. A beautiful iron fence encloses a lovely Victorian garden. The top floor and addition were added in 1886.
History
“Now abideth faith, hope, and love, but the greatest of these is love.” This Bible verse from 1 Corinthians 13 can be found on Juliet Gordon Lowe’s gravestone. This is how she lived her life, always reaching out to the unfortunate from an early age. Juliette was born in 1860. As a child Juliette, her sister and her friends formed a club that made clothes for poor Italian children.
This grand home was originally built in 1818-1820 for Savannah mayor James Moore Wayne. Wayne sold the property in 1831, to his niece, Sarah Stiles, and her husband, William Washington Gordon I. The Gordon family had at least one son, Arthur Gordon, who married the love of his life, Nelly. Juliette was born here on Halloween of 1860.
Andrew Low, Juliette’s future father-in-law, built his house on old city property that was once home to a 1700s city jail. His son, William Mackay Lowe, grew up and married Juliette Gordon. Both Andrew Lowe and Arthur Gordon were, among their other accomplishments, cotton merchants. William and Juliette probably met each other through the cotton connection. They made their Savannah home in the inherited Andrew Lowe house and made their British home in London. Juliette and William spent a lot of time in England.
While in London, Juliette was truly God’s feet and hands, reaching out and taking care of the unfortunate people she saw around her, which annoyed her husband. When the Boy Scout program was started in London, she was inspired to start something for girls, called the Girl Guides, where they learned vital skills and were given the opportunity to serve their community. She started a Girl Guides organization in Savannah as well. The Girl Guides became the Girl Scouts; a move approved by the founder of the Boy Scouts in London.
Meanwhile, Juliette’s personal life wasn’t as successful, as she was unlucky in love. She wasn’t able to have children, which got her marriage to William off on the wrong foot. He didn’t appreciate Juliette’s giving nature, and wound up distancing himself from her. Instead, William liked to hunt, drink, and had a “chick on the side” in London. When he died in 1905, he left most of his wealth to this side-chick, going back on an agreement he had made with Juliette. William’s own sisters contested the will, and Juliette got what she had ironed out in the first place with her estranged husband. His sisters must have liked and appreciated Juliette.
Juliette Gordon Lowe inherited the Andrew Lowe House and some other property. When she came back to Georgia, she started Girl Guides in Savannah on her family’s Gordon House property, in the Carriage House. At some point the Girl Guides became Girl Scouts.
The Gordon House was owned by various members of the Gordon Family, until the Girl Scouts bought it in 1953. It was designated as Savannah’s first National Historic Landmark in 1965. The Gordon House Museum has been restored with a lot of TLC and has many original Gordon family pieces.
“It opened in 1956 as a program center and historic house museum. It is presently owned and operated by the Girl Scouts as a living memorial to Juliette Gordon Low. Girls Scouts from all over the country come to Savannah to visit the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace in order to take part in programs and to learn more about their inspirational founder and the early days of scouting.”
History of Manifestations
People who adore their home and property, sometimes decide to visit a lot or even reside there as spirits.
Juliette’s mother, Nelly, adored living in the house built by her husband, Arthur, and apparently still does.
When spirits decide to stay in their favorite worldly structure , the spirits of their loved ones may stay too or visit to keep them company.
The spirit of Author Gordon stays here to continue to be close to the love of his life, Nelly.
Manifestations
Happy Spirit of Nelly Gordon
The welcoming apparition of Nelly Gordon, is one of the most frequently appearing spirits inside the home.
- She likes to peer out a window.
- She likes to sit at the dining room table in her robe.
- She likes to softly play the piano.
Spirit of Arthur Gordon
In life, he was devoted to his Nelly, and still is as a spirit person.
He enjoys the Low House along with his Nelly.
“One of the most well-known events that paranormal experts confirm is that on the day of Nelly’s passing, Juliette, other family members, and staff were gathered around her as she lay in her bed. Nelly sat up in her bed, stretched her arms out as if she was greeting someone, smiled a wide, beautiful smile and then lay back down on her pillow and took her last breath. Margaret, Nelly’s daughter-in-law, was seated outside the bedroom and was surprised to see her father-in-law, Arthur Gordon, coming out of his wife’s bedroom, smiling, dressed in a gray suit. It was quite a shock for Margaret because Arthur had been dead for more than 5 years.”
Paranormal Findings
Staff and docents, and even visitors, have experienced Arthur and Nelly Lowe, who happily share their home with the living, being courteous and experts at exhibiting southern manners.
Ghost Investigators have not been allowed inside because it is widely known that spirits are making their afterlife home there.
Still Haunted?
Most Probably so!
The spirit of Nelly has been seen by the living though no hard evidence has been caught on camera. The Spirit of Arthur is less visible but he is still there with Nelly. Male foot steps and other telltale signs point to Author.
Location
10 East Oglethorpe Avenue,
Savannah, GA 31401
The Juliette Gordon Lowe House Museum is located near the intersection of E. Oglethorpe Ave and Bull St.
Our Haunted Paranormal Stories are Written by Julie Carr
Special Thanks to Nate Lee for some of the photographs
