Historic Savannah Foundation launches new lecture series ‘People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah’

In cooperation with their mission to ‘save buildings, places, and stories that define Savannah’s past, present, and future,’ Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF) announced the commencement of their new lecture series “People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah.”

Lectures will be conducted monthly at the HSF headquarters located at 321 E. York St.

“A lot of planning and thought has gone into the creation of this lecture series,” HSF Education and Research Associate Kimberly Newbold said. “We’re excited about the opportunity to be able to gather again as a community and offer these informative and wide-ranging talks by so many interesting and knowledgeable speakers.”

Newbold said the broader range of topics that will be offered serve as a differentiation between this new lecture series and ones held in the past. Not only will the organization highlight historic preservation, restoration and building as they are known for, but they will also focus on Savannah’s history, architecture, art, literature and much more.

The series kicks off with a lecture by Ethos Preservation principal and co-founder Rebecca Fenwick on Thursday, August 12.

Fenwick’s presentation, “Researching the History of Your House,” will focus on tracing the roots of and learning about homes, through property records, archives, and other resources.

Additionally, October’s lecture will feature Jonathan Stalcup of Architectural Tours of Savannah speaking about the city’s diverse and celebrated architecture, while Brent Watts of Cabretta Capital will speak about historic tax credits in November’s lecture.

“We hope to serve as a resource for this community by providing these educational programs,” Newbold said.

Newbold said that it has been a couple of years since HSF has hosted a lecture due to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic, so this upcoming lecture series is highly anticipated.

“We’ve gotten some incredible feedback [about the series], not just from the community, but from our membership,” Newbold said. “They’re eager to get back in and be involved with HSF.” As Savannah has reinstated a mask advisory on behalf of the COVID-19 community transmission index increase, Newbold says that HSF is being watchful. In the future, it is possible that the lectures may transition to an online platform, but nonetheless, they will still go on.

Lectures will begin at 6:00 p.m. with a pre-lecture gathering at 5:30 p.m. The admission fee per lecture is $10 per attendee while attendance for HSF members is free.

All guests are required to wear masks upon entering the HSF building, and space is limited, so reservations are recommended.

Visit myhsf.org to register for Fenwick’s lecture, and for more information on the “People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah” lecture series or other HSF events.