The Historic Site and Monument Commission recommends approval of the request to install the Berrien House marker in the Habersham Street tree lawn at 322-324 East Broughton Street. The marker will be mounted on a 6-foot pole and be double-sided. It will commemorate the history of the Berrien family and house.

The marker will be funded by the Georgia Historical Society, in partnership with the National Society Colonial Dames XVII, Adam Brinson I, Georgia Chapter. The City of Savannah will install the marker; it will be maintained by the Georgia Historical Society.

The text of the marker shall read:

The Berrien House, ca. 1791

John Berrien (1759-1815) was a Revolutionary War officer who served at Valley Forge and fought at the Battle of Monmouth.  Berrien, a New Jersey native who moved to Georgia in 1775, was an original member of the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia.  President George Washington appointed Berrien as Inspector of Revenue of the Port of Savannah in 1792.  Berrien, who lived at this site, also served as alderman and state treasurer.  His son, John Macpherson Berrien, “America’s Cicero,” lived here from 1822 until his death in 1856, having served as a US senator, Attorney General under Andrew Jackson, and first president of the Georgia Historical Society.  Political ally Henry Clay stayed here during his 1844 presidential campaign.

Erected by the Georgia Historical Society and National Society Colonial Dames XVII Century, Adam Brinson I, Georgia

Approval