The applicant ‘The Committee to Commemorate the 200^th Anniversary of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade is requesting approval of the placement of a freestanding historical marker located at 135 Montgomery Street. The purpose of the marker is to tell the history of the City’s first St. Patrick’s Day Parade, including locating the marker in the same location as the starting point of the first St. Patrick’s Day Parade in 1824. The marker will read:

On March 17, 1824, the first public St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Savannah was held to and from this site where the city’s only Catholic house of worship, St. John the Baptist Church, was built in 1779. The Bishop of the Diocese of Charleston, John England of Cork City, Ireland, addressed an Irish gathering of Catholics and Protestants. Later they marched to the City Hotel accompanied by a full band playing the Irish national airs and Hibernians carrying a flag displaying the Irish Harp with Shamrock border. Bishop England’s words that day sparked the parade tradition. “May the example of Savannah be widely influential; here men who differ in religion may meet as friends and brethren; the acrimony of the bigot is not permitted to destroy the harmony of society.”

The marker is funded by the Committee to Commemorate the 200th Anniversary of the Savannah St. Patrick's Day Parade and will be installed by the City of Savannah. After installation, the marker will become the property of the City of Savannah. This petition was unanimously approved by the Historical Sites and Monuments Commission and the petitioner has submitted both the installation and escrow payment to the Park and Tree Department for installation and maintenance.

Staff recommends approval for the application to install the freestanding historical marker located at 135 Montgomery Street as requested because the project meets all standards and applicable laws.