Juliette Low, Girl Scout Founder

Andrew Low was a Scot who moved to Savannah when he was 16. He immediately entered the cotton business and, by the time he was in his 30s, had become the leader of uncle’s firm and the richest man in the city. Accordingly, he ordered a magnificent house built for his family on the newly plotted Lafayette Square.

For the job, he hired John Norris; an architect who had done a number of important buildings in Savannah, including the Customs House on Bay Street. The house was designed in the Italianate style, three-stories with stucco over brick. In 1849, the Lows moved in, and began throwing lavish dinner parties and inviting famous guests such as William Thackery and Robert E. Lee, an old friend. The house would eventually be passed down to Juliette Gordon Low, who had married Andrew’s son William. The carriage house, where she founded the Girl Scouts, has become their Mecca — almost every time we’ve gone by, there’s a group of green-skirted girls waiting to get in.

We did the house tour, and had an excellent time. Every room is perfectly upheld, decked out with period furniture and ornamentation. The house is currently owned by the Colonial Dames of America, and the ladies who took our tickets and led us on the tour were as sweet as could be. Our guide answered all the questions we could muster, and had plenty of interesting anecdotes about the house, the family, and the era in which they lived.

Make sure to stop by the Andrew Low House when in town… We thought it was really great.

Location on our Savannah Map

- Savannah Houses and Museums