Welcome to the Savannah Sideways Podcast - Season One - The Strange Story of Savannah's Ancient Roman Statuary.

EPISODE 5 – Meet the Statues

In this fifth episode, host Jessica Leigh Lebos traces the fate of the Greenwich statues after the devastating fire that destroyed the Shotter mansion. What followed was a haunting chapter in Savannah’s history — an era when the city, still reeling from the Great Depression, struggled between preservation and progress.

As the ruins of the once-opulent Greenwich estate decayed into gothic splendor, Savannah’s economy transformed — from cotton and sugar to paper and industry. Jessica uncovers how marble relics of the past languished in city storage for decades, passed between departments and museums, nearly forgotten amid changing times and civic priorities.

Listeners are introduced to Harry Delorme, Senior Curator at the Telfair Museums, who has spent nearly four decades studying and preserving the Greenwich statuary. He offers insights into how these ancient works fit into Savannah’s evolving artistic narrative — from classical ideals to contemporary inclusion. We also meet Luciana Spracher, Director of the City of Savannah’s Municipal Archives, whose meticulous records illuminate the statues’ bureaucratic journey through time — including their appraisal, forgotten crates, and rediscovery.

This episode explores what gives art its worth: is it marble, money, or memory? And how does a city decide what’s worth keeping? As Jessica connects the past to the present, we see that the story of the Greenwich statues is as much about Savannah’s future as it is its past.

SHOW LINKS:

Meet Jessica Leigh Lebos

Check out Savannah Sideways Substack

Check out Jessica's books

Meet the Producers: Dee Daniels Media

THANKS TO THOSE WHO MADE THIS SHOW POSSIBLE:

Dr. Erika Morrow and the team at ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear

Bubba Gumbo's Tybee Island

Tybee Island Marina

BG’s Seafood Co-Op

Bonaventure Don

The 5 Spot

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Shot By Somi

SIXBY

Lone Wolf Lounge

Over Yonder

Celebritees

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 The Abandoned Greenwich Mansion

00:40 Savannah's Economic Struggles and Industrial Growth

02:38 The Fate of the Greenwich Statues

04:39 The Telfair Museum's Role

05:54 Harry Delore's Contributions

11:39 Modern Art and Environmental Commentary

14:32 The 2012 Appraisal and City Council Decisions

17:30 Dr. Mark Abbey's Research and Future Plans

19:03 Conclusion and Teaser for Next Episode

Welcome to the Savannah Sideways Podcast - Season One - The Strange Story of Savannah's Ancient Roman Statuary.

EPISODE 4 – Ossabaw Coincidences & Connections: In this fourth episode, host Jessica Leigh Lebos follows the Torrey family’s journey from the ashes of their Greenwich mansion to the wild beauty of Ossabaw Island, uncovering how loss, legacy, and a touch of magic intertwined to shape one of Georgia’s most fascinating conservation stories.

Meet Eleanor “Sandy” Torrey West, the indomitable woman who turned her family’s Gilded Age retreat into a crucible for art, science, and spiritual exploration. From the ruins of Greenwich Place to the pink stucco mansion on Ossabaw, Sandy’s life bridges eras—where ancient myths meet modern activism and coincidence feels more like cosmic choreography.

Through conversations with Elizabeth DuBose of the Ossabaw Island Foundation and a deeply personal story of discovery, Jessica traces how statues, stories, and serendipity connect Savannah’s past to its present. Along the way, we meet a cast of visionaries—artists, philosophers, conservationists—and a woman whose 108 years embodied the spirit of the island she fought to save.

This episode is about more than marble and memory. It’s about meaning: how we follow signs, find purpose in patterns, and keep listening for the gods—Hermes included—who travel beside us.

SHOW LINKS:

Meet Jessica Leigh Lebos

Check out Savannah Sideways Substack

Check out Jessica's books

Meet the Producers: Dee Daniels Media

THANKS TO THOSE WHO MADE THIS SHOW POSSIBLE:

Dr. Erika Morrow and the team at ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear

Bubba Gumbo's Tybee Island

Tybee Island Marina

BG’s Seafood Co-Op

Bonaventure Don

The 5 Spot

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Shot By Somi

SIXBY

Lone Wolf Lounge

Over Yonder

Celebritees

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Introduction: Ossabaw Coincidences and Connections

00:13 The Torrey Family's New Beginning on Ossabaw Island

00:37 The Rich History of Georgia's Barrier Islands

01:26 Ossabaw Island Through the Ages

03:18 The Torrey Family Legacy and the Pink Mansion

05:49 Sandy West: The Woman Who Saved Ossabaw

08:55 The Ossabaw Island Project and Genesis Project

10:02 The Fight to Preserve Ossabaw Island

12:38 Sandy West's Final Years and Legacy

16:15 The Author's Personal Journey and Connection to the Story

22:25 The Auction and the Photograph

28:10 Conclusion: The Strange Story of Savannah's Ancient Roman Statuary

Welcome to the Savannah Sideways Podcast - Season One - The Strange Story of Savannah's Ancient Roman Statuary.

EPISODE 3 – In Turpentine We Trust: In this third episode, host Jessica Leigh Lebos traces Savannah’s rise from post–Civil War hardship to Gilded Age opulence through an unlikely source—turpentine. As the longleaf pine forests fueled a booming naval stores industry, fortunes were made, ecosystems were destroyed, and entire communities were bound to brutal labor and debt.

Meet Spencer Shotter, the magnate whose pine-scented empire made him one of Savannah’s richest men—and ultimately led to his downfall under America’s first antitrust prosecutions. Along the way, historian Dr. Drew Swanson sheds light on the environmental legacy of the longleaf pine, and we follow the thread from the Gilded Age to the Progressive Era, where unchecked capitalism finally met reform.

The story culminates in fire and renewal— and the extraordinary life of Sandy West, whose legacy transformed Georgia’s conservation movement.

This episode uncovers how pine sap, power, and progress shaped Savannah’s fortunes—and how one man’s empire helped set the stage for the city’s most enduring mysteries.

YOUTUBE VIDEO MENTIONED: Greenwich At Bonaventure Cemetery-Savannah GA's Own Biltmore House-Forgotten No Longer

SHOW LINKS:

Meet Jessica Leigh Lebos

Check out Savannah Sideways Substack

Check out Jessica's books

Meet the Producers: Dee Daniels Media

THANKS TO THOSE WHO MADE THIS SHOW POSSIBLE:

Dr. Erika Morrow and the team at ForSight Unique Eye Care & Eye Wear

Bubba Gumbo's Tybee Island

Tybee Island Marina

BG’s Seafood Co-Op

Bonaventure Don

The 5 Spot

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum

Shot By Somi

SIXBY

Lone Wolf Lounge

Over Yonder

Celebritees

FIND A FAVORITE SPOT IN THIS EPISODE:

00:00 Introduction to Savannah's Ancient Roman Statuary

02:12 The Rise of Savannah's Naval Stores Industry

04:16 Environmental and Social Impact of Turpentine Production

10:30 The Decline of the Naval Stores Industry

17:44 Spencer Shotter's Legal Troubles and Legacy

24:06 The Tragic Fire at Greenwich Place

25:51 Sandy Tory West and the Preservation of Ossabaw Island

26:35 Conclusion and Sponsor Messages