Telfair Museum of Art |
Telfair Square, Telfair Museum of Art
The oldest art museum in the South, the Telfair Museum of Art is an important regional and national resource of the arts, culture, and history. It encompasses two National Historic Landmark buildings, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Owens-Thomas House, as well as the museum's new building, the Jepson Center for the Arts.
Established in 1875, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences includes the original Telfair Mansion designed by English architect William Jay. The mansion was built for Alexander Telfair, whose father, Edward Telfair, was governor of Georgia and a Revolutionary War patriot. Mary Telfair, a highly educated and culturally-minded woman, was to be the last of the Telfair line. In her will of 1875 Mary endowed numerous charities and founded the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences