40 Acres and a Mule
Tour
Bringing you the story of where the quest
for racial equity began in America
The house in which "40 acres and a mule" was conceived on January 12, 1865.
"Highlight of our trip. After we took this tour we cancelled our other tour. It was that good. Everything we wanted to know about Savannah's history we learned on this tour. Fritz Rumpel took us back in time and he also showed us artistically, intellectually and even spiritually the roots of Savannah's wealth and growth. " -- Cassandra F., Atlanta
"Can’t stop thinking about this tour! Savannah's squares and nearby buildings hold seldom-told stories of events with civic and national impact. This tour's knowledgeable creator and guide weaves stories of six squares into a fascinating whole. You won't be bored, and you'll think about what you've seen and heard for days afterward. Excellent value!" -- Diane S., Cincinnati
"Excellent, the unvarnished truth about Savannah! A thinking person's tour! No silly stories about ghosts, old women in hoop skirts or pirates, but real events that affected real people." -- Keith G., New York
"Every person living in America should hear the emotional story that Fritz relays. We are still reflecting on how much this tour moved us 4 months afterward." -- Corey C., Seattle
"Fritz is awesome! He is an energetic, enthusiastic, and witty storyteller who gives a warts-and-all account of Savannah's history from the founding through the Civil War. African-American history gets its due -- No sugar-coating the slavery stuff, unlike in other places around the South. You'll learn a lot about Tomochichi, too - the Native American leader who helped the colonists get established. And, true to the tour's name, you'll learn how the proposal to give freed blacks "forty acres and a mule" was born in Savannah, and who deserves the credit. (Hint: Not Union General William T. Sherman). A really valuable private tour by someone who is passionate about his hometown. Well worth the $40 each. -- Matthew Z., West Chester, PA
This is the story of Savannah and its significant role in promoting slavery throughout the South and it's the story of the triumph over slavery through faith, culminating in a historic meeting (as depicted in the painting above) in which the aspirations of four million Black Americans became expressed in a single phrase: "40 Acres and a Mule."
You will visit six of Savannah's most historic squares as you learn the truth about crucial events that took place in the city between 1733 and 1865 and that shaped the character of Savannah. Here are only a few of the things you will learn about:
Franklin Square
In dramatic scenes at this square that were set 80 years apart, an enslaved African-American minister and 500 Black children demonstrated their belief in freedom through faith.
Ellis Square
Blacks and whites mingled freely in this Savannah crossroads in the antebellum period at a time when they bought and sold their goods here at the city market. But after the Civil War broke out, the granddaughter of one of those vendors escaped to the Union side.
Johnson Square
The first square of Savannah served in the 1850s as the address for the city's pre-eminent slave trader, who promoted one of the largest sales of human beings in American history: "The Weeping Time."
Wright Square
This monument was built to honor the man who ensured that cotton would be king in Savannah. But the site chosen for the structure desecrated the grave of the most revered person of color in the city's history.
Chippewa Square
The statue honors Georgia's founder, whose vision for his new colony did not include slavery.
Yet on the eve of the Civil War the Vice President of the Confederacy gave a speech just off the square stating that slavery is the cornerstone of the new Rebel government.
Madison Square
It was in the beautiful house overlooking this square where General William T. Sherman set up his headquarters that the U. S. government asked Black Americans for the first time in history, "How can you take care of yourselves?" Their answer resonates to this day.
The 40 Acres and a Mule Tour walks you through the history of Savannah that not only made this meeting on January 12, 1865 possible but also inevitable: It could not and should not have happened anywhere else.
From Franklin Square to Madison Square, from First African Baptist Church to the Green-Meldrim House, you will learn the intertwined history of Savannah's promotion of slavery and the rise of the Black church, the two forces that drove the city's narrative toward the triumphant 40 Acres and a Mule meeting.
Private tours are our speciality.
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"My wife and I had the great pleasure of taking a tour with Fritz during our recent visit to Savannah.
"Things we enjoyed:
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Punctuality. Fritz was waiting at the prearranged meeting spot by the time we arrived. He had provided a great description of himself. There was no confusion.
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Historical knowledge. Fritz had an amazing knowledge of the issues and was able to weave a very compelling story which allowed my wife and I to clearly visualize the time and place.
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Multi media. Fritz used audio (music, speeches), visual pictures and his verbal descriptions to us to understand and see.
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Tour route. The tour route was fabulous. All sites discussions started with finding a bench to sit and relax and then listening to Fritz’s story.
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Group size. There was just the two of us on the tour. After the tour, we talked to our B&B owner, who had recommended the tour and learned Fritz only will do small tours.
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After glow. After the tour, my wife and I spent the evening’s dinner discussing the issues Fritz had presented and had a wonderful time reviewing the imagery Fritz had created during the tour.
"Things we didn’t enjoy:
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It ended.
"We would strongly recommend Fritz’s tour to anyone who visits Savannah." -- Stuart M., Toronto