I met some old friends in Savannah, Georgia and took a trolley tour of the Historic District. Period characters would board the trolley at various stops to speak about a particular topic in Savannah's history.

The photo above is from stop number 2, The Historic Savannah Theatre at Chippewa Square. Billed as America's Oldest Theatre, it has been in continuous operation since December 1818.

We were greeted by 19th century British actress and author turned abolitionist Fanny Kemble. After a successful acting career, Kemble married Pierce Mease Butler, grandson of Founding Father Pierce Butler, who was heir to several plantations that functioned because of slave labor. Kemble wasn't happy with this at all, and wrote a book about the subject in 1863.

Our tour headed next to Madison Square and passed by the Sorrel-Weed House. The 16,000 square foot mansion was built in 1841 for shipping merchant Francis Sorrel. The house was sold to local businessman Henry Weed in 1859. The Sorrel-Weed house is rumored to be one of Savannah's most haunted houses, and has been investigated many times by paranormal researchers.

Madison Square was laid out in 1837, and is named after the country's 4th president, James Madison. The monument shown above in the center of the square commemorates a local Revolutionary War soldier, Sgt. William Jasper.

The Green-Meldrim House from 1853 also sits at Madison Square. The home's original owner was cotton merchant Charles Green. This home is notable for being General William T. Sherman's headquarters during the Civil War.

The two cannons on the southern end of Madison Square shown above represent Georgia's first two highways.

Looking east onto East Jones Street.

The next stop on the tour was Monterey Square. The square was laid out in 1847 and commemorates the capture of the city of Monterey, Mexico by General Zachary Taylor one year earlier.

The centerpiece of Monterey Square is the Pulaski Monument. Casimir Pulaski was a Revolutionary War soldier who was originally from Poland. Pulaski died from wounds sustained during the Siege of Savannah on October 9, 1779.

The Casimir Pulaski Monument in Monterey Square.

The Casimir Pulaski Monument in Monterey Square surrounded by beautiful Azaleas.

The granite and marble monument is 55 feet tall.

The Casimir Pulaski Monument in Monterey Square.

More beautiful Azaleas in Monterey Square.

Looking East on E. Gordon Street from Monterey Square. The brown building on the left is the Congregation Mickve Israel synagogue. The Congregation was organized in 1735. This building dates from 1878 and is a rare example of Gothic architecture used for a synagogue.

The Armstrong House was completed in 1919 for George Ferguson Armstrong of the Strachan Shipping Company. After George died in 1924, his widow, Lucy Camp Armstrong, donated the house to the City of Savannah in 1935 to help establish a junior college. Classes at Armstrong Junior College began in September of that year.

The Marine Corps Monument at Gaston & Bull Streets at Forsyth Park. This monument was dedicated in 1947 as a memorial to USMC soldiers who died in WWII. Additional names of those who died during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts were added later.

Hodgson Hall from 1876 houses the Georgia Historical Society, one of the oldest continually operating historical societies in the southeastern US. The name refers to 25-year Curator of the Society William B. Hodgson.

The northwestern corner of Forsyth Park as seen from the intersection of Gaston & Whitaker.

Heading south on Whitaker past Forsyth Park.

Forsyth Park. The building on the right of the photo above is the Garden of Fragrance, an area filled with fragrant plants designed to contain the various scents.

Heading south on Whitaker past Forsyth Park.

Behind the tree in the photo above is the Confederate War Monument. I pressed the button on the camera at precisely the right moment to take a great picture of the tree directly in front of the monument.

The Confederate War Monument was dedicated in 1879 as a memorial to soldiers from Savannah killed during the Civil War. This monument is actually a replacement for an earlier monument from 1875. The "Judgment" and "Silence" statues didn't go over too well with the community and were relocated in favor of the monument shown above.

The Georgia Volunteers Memorial Statue at Forsyth Park.

The Telfair Hospital for Females from 1884. Women only ! No men allowed anywhere. The only exception was if you were a male who was just born in the facility. And even then, he had to leave within three days. The former hospital is now an apartment building.

Heading north on Drayton past Forsyth Park.

The recently renovated East Fort at Forsyth Park which houses a visitor's center, cafe, and band shell.

Our tour made a stop at the Mansion on Forsyth Park and was greeted by a Confederate Soldier.

He told the story of "a family divided" where some members were loyal to the Confederacy, while others were loyal to President Lincoln.

The windows of the 700 Drayton Restaurant at the Mansion on Forsyth.

The Forsyth Park Fountain at the northern end of the park was built in 1858.

Approaching "The Dealbreaker" tree along Drayton at the Savannah Law School.

The Savannah Law School occupies the former Warran A. Candler Hospital building from 1819 along Drayton Street. The giant oak tree is known as the Candler Oak, and is protected via the nation's first Conservation Easement. The tree has 4 parking spaces reserved for its branches.

The tree is estimated to be more than 300 years old, and is one of the oldest in Georgia.

The Andrew Low House from 1849 is part of the Juliette Gordon Low Historic District, which includes the Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace, (the "Wayne-Gordon House"), the first Girl Scout Headquarters, (originally the carriage house for the Andrew Low House), and the Andrew Low House seen in the photo above.

Lafayette Square from 1837.

The fountain seen above was installed by the National Society of Colonial Dames of America 1983 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Georgia colony.

The Hamilton-Turner House from 1873.

The original owner was local jeweler and former mayor Samuel Hamilton. This was one of the first homes in Savannah to be fitted with electricity. The home is now a Bed & Breakfast Inn.

The historic Colonial Park Cemetery.

The Colonial Park Cemetery was originally established around 1750 as a burial ground for the Christ Church Parish. The cemetery was enlarged in 1789 to become a final resting place for people of all denominations.

The Daughters of the American Revolution errected the Patriots' Arch in 1913 as a memorial for Revolutionary War Vets buried therein.

The Colonial Park Cemetery is rumored to be haunted, and is a favorite spot of the various Ghost Tours in the city.

Beautiful homes and spring Azaleas along E Oglethorpe Avenue.

The Savannah Police Department has a few police cars on display in front of their headquarters along Oglethorpe Avenue. The brown car is a 1948 Chevrolet.

The Savannah Police Department on Oglethorpe Avenue.