Shabby Furniture Symbol
When David Howard, the world's leading expert on Armorial Chinese porcelain, visited Williams' house he said that he had thought Williams was "old money from an aristocratic family because he had caught sight of some chairs with needlework on the covers that was unraveling. In his mind this was a symbol of the aristocracy who knew that the shabbiness added to the provenance of the chair - new money would have had it mended.
Owned Tuxedos Symbol
Williams tells the author that Savannah is a town where men own their own white tie and tails. This is a symbol of the importance placed on the social scene and the regularity with which a gentleman attends parties.
Madeira Symbol
Williams offers the author a glass of Madeira and tells him that Madeira wine is actually a symbol of failure. In the Eighteenth Century the Bristish sent over shiploads of grapevines from Madeira in the hopes of making Savannah a wine-producing colony since it lies on the same latitude as Madeira. The vines died and the project failed but the love of the wine remained and it came to symbolize failure on a large scale.
Stranger's Tomb Symbol
The Stranger's Tomb is a mausoleum in Savannah where the bodies of visitors from out of town who unfortunately passed away during their time in the city were rested whilst their families made arrangements for their bodies to be taken home. It is a symbol of the hospitality of William Gaston, who was one of Savannah's greatest hosts, and who never met a stranger.
Palms Symbol
The large palms planted on Bictory Drive symbolize the lives of soldiers from Georgia who were killed in the First World War and were always remembered in Savannah.
