Amos Scudder (February 14, 1779 – June 13, 1856)[1] was an American architect, builder and freemason.[2] According to his biographer, Shelley Carroll, Scudder was "an aggressive, litigious entrepreneur who made financial success his business."[3]
Amos Scudder | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 14, 1779 Westfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Died | June 13, 1856 (aged 77) Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Resting place | Presbyterian Church cemetery, Westfield, New Jersey |
| Nationality | American |
| Notable work |
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Scudder was the father of noted builders Ephraim and John Scudder, who were prominent in Savannah, Georgia, in the second half of the 19th century. Amos was also a prominent Savannah citizen who constructed some of the city's finest public and private buildings. He also served on the city council for nine years.[3]
The Savannah–Ogeechee Canal, his "pet in the winter of his years", became known as "Scudder's Canal" in the 1830s.[3]
Early life
editAmos Scudder was born in Westfield, New Jersey, on February 14, 1779, the sixth child of the eight of American Revolutionary War veteran Captain Ephraim Scudder (1742–1788) and Martha Spinning (1750–1814). His siblings were Rachel, Ephraim, Sally (or Sarah), Elizabeth (or Jenny), Arrowsmith (Smith), Anne, Phebe and John Spinning.[4]
Career
edit
Scudder moved from Westfield to Savannah in the first quarter of the 19th century, appearing regularly in post-office records from 1811. For a long period, he maintained Westfield as his permanent address, while wintering in Savannah.[5]
In 1830, Scudder was elected an alderman on the Savannah city council, a role in which he remained until 1839.[3] The same year, he lost several buildings in a fire, including his Steam Saw Mill.[3]
He was a contractor for several of Savannah's notable buildings, including the William Jay-designed The Savannah Theatre, the Nathanael Greene Monument, the First Baptist Church, the City Hotel and the Independent Presbyterian Church.[3]
Personal life
editIn 1800, Scudder built a brick mansion in Westfield. It was demolished in 1970.[3] Three years later, on September 23, 1803, he married Phebe Ross, the couple having had a marriage license since 1793, when Amos was 14 years old.[3]
The couple had eleven children: Theodore, Emily P., Mary, Ann Eliza, Amos Picton, John, Catherine C., Ephraim, Caroline Mathilda, Phoebe and Sarah.[3]
In 1820, Scudder purchased lot number 2, Frederick Tything, Derby Ward in Savannah.[3] One of his other properties, in Johnson Square, on the southeast corner of Congress and Bull Streets, was purchased by J. P. Screven and became the Screven House hotel in 1857.[3] It replaced Wiltberger's Pulaski House "as Savannah's finest."[6]
Phebe Scudder died on July 31, 1838, aged 58. She is buried in the cemetery of the Presbyterian Church in Westfield.[3]
Death
editScudder died in Plainfield, New Jersey, on June 13, 1856, aged 77. His will left three of his sons — Amos Picton, John and Ephraim — as its executors. The will also identified five slaves as his property.[3]
Selected notable works
edit- Ann Hamilton House, Savannah – now the oldest building on the city's oldest square
- The Savannah Theatre, Savannah (contractor)
- Nathanael Greene Monument, Savannah (contractor)
- First Baptist Church, Savannah (contractor)
- City Hotel, Savannah (contractor)
- Independent Presbyterian Church, Savannah (contractor)
References
edit- ^ Architecture of the Old South, Mills Lane (1993), p. 161 ISBN 9781558590441
- ^ Savannah, Immortal City: Volume One of the Civil War Savannah Series - Barry Sheehy, Cindy Wallace, Vaughnette Goode-Walker (2011), p. 287
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Amos Scudder: A Yankee in Savannah, Shelley Carroll, Armstrong State College (1994)
- ^ Amos Scudder: A Yankee in Savannah, Shelley Carroll, Armstrong State College (1994)
- ^ Report of Edward C. Anderson, Mayor of the City of Savannah: For the Year Ending October 31st, 1855-1856 (1855), p. 20
- ^ Malcolm Bell, Jr., "Ease and Elegance, Madeira and Murder: The Social Life of Savannah's City Hotel," The Georgia Historical Quarterly, vol. 76, no. 3 (Fall 1992), p. 552.