History of Savannah

The port town of Savannah has one of the longer histories among Americas cities, having been established by the British well before the creation of the United States. From the start it was in the thick of things, prospering from cotton and a valuable riverside location which made it one of the most important trading towns on the east coast. Modern times have seen this city return to its roots by protecting huge parts of the downtown historic district and the stunning mansions which were built there. Today, tourism is king, thriving on a wonderfully preserved microcosm of the Old South.

King Cotton

Savannah began life as a small port town on the Savannah River in 1733, when an English general and 120 colonists founded the 13th and final colony in the New World. Immigrants arrived from all corners of the Old World to pay off debts and try for a new life in America. The towns big break came in 1793, when an inventor named Eli Whitney created a machine that could gin the seeds from cotton bolls. This revolutionary timesaving method put Savannah at the front of the cotton-growing scene, and as cotton became king, the busy seaport flourished.

Known as white gold, cotton brought incredible wealth to Savannah which is reflected in the hundreds of fine mansions built during this period of prosperity in the early 19th century. The golden era of wealth lasted until 1818, when the cotton market bottomed out and a yellow fever epidemic ravaged the city.

A slow decline

In 1864, Savannah surrendered without a fight as the Union general William Tecumseh Sherman rolled through the city on his bloody march to the sea. In a rare and fortunate display of compassion, Sherman spared Savannah from destruction, presenting the city to Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present. Following WWI and the decline of the cotton market, Savannahs economy all but collapsed. Its beautiful old mansions were left to rot or simply razed, and the once-thriving riverside warehouses fell into decay.

A citys revival

Savannah rose again in 1955 when an exquisite old mansion named the Isaiah Davenport House was slated to be destroyed to make way for a parking lot. Seven outraged ladies managed to raise enough money to save the house from the wrecking ball, thus giving birth to the Historic Savannah Foundation. In the years that followed, the organisation was directly responsible for the restoration of downtown Savannah, protecting more than 1,000 historic buildings in the process.

Many of the lovely old homes in Americas largest Historic District are open to visitors during the annual tour of homes. In 1977 the city also designated a large section of the old riverfront area to be restored. The result was the River Street Urban Renewal Project, where today thousands of visitors flock to the 100 restaurants, shops, galleries and inns that now occupy the old warehouses that once held the worlds cotton. Tourism is now king in this city. John Berendts 1994 novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil put Savannah in the global spotlight with his stunning imagery of the old southern town. Once again, the future looks bright for this quaint city along the river.