History of Savannah, Georgia

The city of Savannah, Georgia, the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. cite web|url=http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-1056&hl=y|title=Savannah|work=New Georgia Encyclopedia|publisher=Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press|date=2006-09-11|accessdate=2008-01-01] It is known as America's first planned city and attracts millions of visitors who enjoy the city's architecture and historic structures such as the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America), the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South's first public museums), the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest black Baptist congregations in the United States), Temple Mickve Israel (the third oldest synagogue in America), and the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America). [cite web|url=http://www.savannah-visit.com/info.asp|title=Savannah Information|work=|publisher=Savannah Area Convention & Visitors Bureau|accessdate=2008-01-01] Today, Savannah's downtown area is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States (designated in 1966).ref label|squares|A|none

Historical timeline

Native settlers

In 1778, during the American Revolutionary War, Savannah came under British and Loyalist control. At the Siege of Savannah in 1779, American and French troops (the latter including a company of free blacks from Haiti) fought unsuccessfully to retake the city.

Late 1700s

On January 27, 1785, members of the State Assembly gathered in Savannah to found the nation's first state-chartered, public university—the University of Georgia (in Athens). In 1792 the Savannah Golf Club opened within a mile of Fort Jackson, on what is now President Street. It is the first known American golf club.

U.S. Civil War

In 1828, construction began on the Savannah-Ogeechee Canal, a 16.5-mile canal connecting the Ogeechee River to the southwest (near present-day Richmond Hill) and the Savannah River, slightly to the west of Savannah’s newly established riverfront. The canal was completed in 1831, directing the resources of Georgia’s south-central interior to Savannah.

Despite its small population, Savannah amassed an enormous amount of wealth. By 1820, Savannah was exporting $18 million worth of goods. It is important to recognize, however, that this wealth came about as the result of both the removal of indigenous people from the interior as well as the slave trade. Although originally banned from Georgia, the slave population exceeded the free population in Savannah by the end of the 18th century (5,146 free, 8,201 slave in 1800). Little is known about the slave population of Savannah beyond what can be read in census information. We know that between 1810 and 1830, there was a decrease in the number of slaves in the city, which was followed by an increase in the slave population from 9,478 in 1830 to 14,018 in 1850. As the overall free population of the city grew by 68 percent between 1850 and 1860, the slave population remained relatively constant. Additionally, Savannah retained a consistent number of free African Americans throughout the antebellum years (725 in 1860) who engaged in a variety of entrepreneurial activities.

Heavy industry and manufacturing

Diversification in Savannah’s economy arrived as heavy industry and manufacturing entered into the region during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The Union Camp mill, a division of the American Pulp and Paper Company, was established around the turn of the century, locating their mill upriver from the historic core of the city. Contributing to the trend of upriver industrial development, the Kehoe Iron Works was established in 1883 by Irish immigrant William Kehoe. As working-class residents began to move into neighborhoods adjacent to the new industries, the population of the densely packed historic core of the city began to dissipate. Additionally, building continued to the south of town as the city experienced a 65 percent increase in population between 1900 and 1920 (54,244 in 1900 to 83,252 in 1920).

An additional boost to Savannah's economy arrived with the increased export of naval stores. Items such as pitch and turpentine, recovered from South Atlantic yellow pine, were essential in the manufacture and upkeep of wooden ships. In 1902, the naval stores industry was revolutionized by former University of Georgia chemist Charles Herty. Herty devised a method of collecting the raw sap from yellow pine that was not only more effective than previous methods of extraction but also enabled the trees to live into maturity and be eventually harvested. The harvesting of yellow pine further diversified Savannah’s economy as a lumber exporter. By this time Savannah, with vast yellow pine forests extending far into Georgia’s coastal plain, became the chief exporter of naval stores in the world.

The boll weevil outbreak of the 1920s dealt a devastating blow to the cotton market of Savannah and the South in general. The naval stores industry also fell into decline by World War II as iron had largely replaced wood in the manufacture of ships. Savannah’s economy continued to shift as more heavy industry was added upriver. During World War II, Savannah manufacturing aided the war effort through the construction of Liberty ships, further shifting the population out of the historic core of the city.

Development of the tourism industry

In the 1930s and 1940s, many of the distinguished buildings in the historic district were demolished to create parking lots. Squares had been bisected by streets and fire lanes to speed traffic flow. The demolition of the 1870 City Market on Ellis Square and the attempted demolition of the 1821 Davenport House prompted seven Georgia women, led by Davenport descendant Lucy Barrow McIntire, to create the Historic Savannah Foundation, which was able to preserve the city from destruction. In 1979, the Savannah College of Art and Design was founded, and began a process of renovation and adaptive reuse of many notable downtown buildings, rather than building a centralized campus. This effort, along with the work of the Historic Savannah Foundation and other preservation groups, has contributed greatly to Savannah's now-famous rebirth.

The city's popularity as a tourist destination was solidified by the best-selling book and subsequent movie "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil", which were set in Savannah.

Savannah has also become a popular destination for people to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, including the second largest parade in the U.S. This is aided by a very lenient public drinking policy which allows open alcoholic beverages every day of the year in the Landmark Historic District.

Notes

:A.note_label|squares|A|noneSavannah had 24 original squares. Today 21 are still in existence. See Squares of Savannah, Georgia for additional information.

References

External links

* [http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/83savannah/83savannah.htm "Savannah, Georgia: The Lasting Legacy of Colonial City Planning" -- National Park Service Teaching Lesson]
* [http://www.georgiahistory.com/ Georgia Historical Society]
* [http://www.historicsavannahfoundation.org/ Historic Savannah Foundation]