Slave quarters survive at the Owens-Thomas House

The mansion facing Oglethorpe Square was designed by William Jay in 1816 and completed in 1819. While the main house reflects the architectural trends of Bath, England, the structure behind it tells a different story. This two-storey brick building served as the living and working space for the enslaved people who maintained the property. Between nine and fifteen people lived and worked in these rooms from the house's completion until the end of the Civil War.

Urban slavery in the United States left very little physical evidence behind. Most country quarters were built of timber and have long since disappeared, while town quarters were frequently demolished or converted into modern garages and apartments. This building remains one of the earliest surviving urban slave quarters in the country and the best-preserved example in Savannah. It was used as a carriage house for a century and a half, a function that kept the original interior partitions and layout largely unchanged until a renovation in the 1990s revealed the quarters beneath.

The ceilings inside the carriage house are covered in a distinct blue-green paint known as haint blue. This colour is a result of Gullah practice on the coast, where a wash of this shade was applied to ward off spirits, which were thought to be unable to cross water. This site holds the largest surviving area of haint blue paint found anywhere in North America.

The property is currently managed by Telfair Museums and is designated as a National Historic Landmark. The original plans for the mansion were drawn by William Jay in England before he had ever visited the site in Savannah.