Savannah
Historical Background

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Savannah owes much of her character, style, and in fact her very existence to a British general and Member of Parliament named James Edward Oglethorpe. Concerned with the plight of debtors in his home country, Oglethorpe proposed to found a new colony in America, where debtors could pay off their debts by farming for the crown. A charter was granted to a group of trustees to create this new colony, christened Georgia in honor of King George II. While the altruistic aim of debtors' relief was a consideration, a more compelling motivation for the crown was the creation of a buffer against Spain's colonizing efforts in Florida, providing defense for British colonies in the Carolinas.

On February 12, 1733, General Oglethorpe and 120 colonists landed on the Yamacraw Bluff overlooking the Savannah River, on the spot where City Hall now stands. He named the town Savannah after the river, which was likely an Anglo-corruption of Shawnee, a tribe of the region. The settlement would become the thirteenth and final colony in America, and serve as Georgia's capital until 1786.

Over the next 10 years, Oglethorpe would make significant contributions to the new colony. He was responsible for laying out Savannah's design, a checkered system of streets interspersed with public greens. Today, 23 of the original squares survive in the Historic District. Oglethorpe also managed to secure the cooperation of the natives, largely due to the efforts of the Creek leader Tomochichi, thus avoiding the bloodshed that plagued many American colonies.

The agricultural vision of the colony, however, quickly failed, as the sticky climate proved too harsh for the coveted crops of silk and grapes. Through diligent horticultural experiments, it was learned that cotton fared much better, and agricultural efforts rapidly turned in this direction.

War and White Gold

The next century was one of growth and prosperity for the new Georgians. In 1742, General Oglethorpe defeated the Spanish at the Battle of Bloody Marsh, effectively ending the threat of northward Spanish expansion. As the city continued to grow, the British crown took an increasing interest in its agricultural potential, and in 1752 took over the original charter. Rice was soon introduced as a cash crop, further bolstering Savannah's economic strength.

Savannah played a relatively insignificant role in the American Revolution. Revolutionary forces mounted an unsuccessful siege of the British-held city in 1779, but business continued relatively unhampered. The end of the war however, yielded a dramatic impact. The new republic permitted slavery, a significant economic boon for agriculture, and Savannah embraced this new workforce and prospered like never before.

The most profound economic boost, however, was the brainchild of a local plantation tutor named Eli Whitney. In 1793, Whitney developed the cotton gin, a device for separating the seeds of the plant from the fiber, greatly simplifying the processing of cotton. The cotton industry exploded under the new advancement, and within a few years, the Savannah Cotton Exchange was setting the price on the world market.

Rice and timber continued as profitable exports, but by the 19th Century, cotton was king. The city flourished as wealth poured into the bustling town as cotton poured out of the busy seaport. Mansions sprang up, and merchants filled their drawing rooms with the finest of goods and distinguished visitors from around the globe. River Street was the center of it all, with warehouses and docks moving more cotton than any other port on the American seaboard.

Prosperity soared until 1818, when the cotton market bottomed out and an epidemic of yellow fever struck. A prolonged quarantine required traders to seek alternative ports, and after the quarantine, many never returned. To revive trade, a partnership of local businessmen financed the first transatlantic steamer, the SS Savannah, which sailed for England in 1819. By the 1850s, the city had recovered, exporting chiefly rice, tobacco, and of course, cotton.

The Big Little War

Savannah's role in the Civil War ended almost before it began. In 1862, Union forces on Tybee Island subdued Fort Pulaski, closing the city's port and thus beginning and ending Savannah's effectual involvement. The Confederacy managed to hold the city, but to little effect. In 1864, Savannah surrendered without a fight to Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, thus ending his notorious "bloody march to the sea." In a rare display of magnanimity, Sherman spared the city, presenting it to Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present. After the war, Savannah's intact infrastructure allowed the city to quickly return to economic and cultural prominence.

The 20th Century

The dawning of the new century was not kind to Savannah; the city's economy collapsed along with the cotton market in the 1920s. As suburban sprawl expanded during the next three decades, the downtown area deteriorated, and many architectural and historical landmarks fell into disrepair or were destroyed. Despite a minor revival as a shipbuilding center during WWII, the city continued to falter. By the 1950s, the old City Market had been demolished, and there was even talk of paving over the distinctive public squares.

The scheduled demolition of the Davenport House (324 East State Street) in 1955, however, was the last straw. Just hours before demolition, the hastily formed Historic Savannah Foundation stayed the wrecking ball, beginning a pattern of revitalization that continues to this day. In 1966, a large section of the downtown area was designated a Historic Landmark District, and in 1977, the River Street Urban Renewal Project unveiled a $7 million renovation of the waterfront. Today, visitors flock to the more than 100 restaurants, inns, shops and galleries occupy the ancient warehouses that line the river.

Savannah continues to draw visitors from around the world as the city pushes forward with new attractions and old renovations. John Berendt's 1994 novel, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," has drawn increasing tourism to the city, and in 1996, Savannah played host to the Centennial Olympic Games' yachting events. Today, this quaint river city is once again the largest foreign commerce port in the Southeast, a town with a bright future still enamored of its history.