History

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Savannah Georgia is proud of its historical heritage

Due to its strategic location, Savannah has played a vital military role throughout its history. From the days when it was established by General Oglethorpe on charter of the king to serve as a buffer between Spanish Florida and the English-controlled South Carolina right until the time of Civil War, the army connection has been very much evident. Union General Tecumseh Sherman had dramatically presented City of Savannah as a Christmas gift to President Lincoln. And with the arrival of Sherman's troops in Savannah, the civil war was over. Even today, the Savannah area serves as home to Hunter Army Airfield and Fort Stewart, the largest US Army Infantry base east of the Mississippi.

But till today, Savannah is best known for its inherent charm that has lured visitors to settle here long before the times of General Oglethorpe.

Savannah has witnessed many ups and downs during the course of its history, but the most remarkable thing about it is the fact that City of Savannah has preserved its proud history and built upon its reputation as the number one destination city.

Come let’s explore historic Savannah and discover the great legacy we are so proud of:

Savannah – The first City

Savannah was founded in 1733 when General James Edward Oglethorpe as a trustee arrived on Yamacraw Bluff to establish the British colony naming it after England's King George II. Incidentally Georgia was the thirteenth and final American colony, and Savannah was its first city.

Besides developing new sources for England’s wealth and prevent Spanish resurgence, King George’s decision to establish the colony was also influenced by religious groups hoping to create a religious heaven for all – excluding Catholics.

On arrival, Oglethorpe was greeted by the native Yamacraw Indian chief Tomo-chi-chi and building upon his friendship and good-will, Ogethrope settled on the bluff to take over its administration. The town named as Savannah flourished without any warfare and hardships that many of America's early colonies had faced. Individuals were free to worship as they pleased and rum, lawyers and slavery were forbidden - for a time.

Savannah-America’s First Planned City

Savannah has the distinction of being America's first planned city. Oglethorpe laid the city out in a series of grids that allowed for wide open streets intertwined with shady public squares and parks that served as town meeting places and centers of business. Savannah had 24 original squares with 21 still in existence.

Savannah – the return of the Charter

However the good-intentions could not prevent a general decline. The population diminished and crime was prevalent. Because of the failure of the silk culture and the reversal of slavery law, labor-intensive rice became a major crop and one-third of the population was slaves. Trade with the Indians fell off and Spanish Insurgence increased Oglethorpe left Savannah forever in 1734 and the Trustees gave back their charter to the King a year earlier than planned. It was now up to the Crown to cope with these problems and thus the colony became a province headed by the Royal Governors, with Savannah at its center

Savannah - During days of American Revolution

During the revolutionary period Savannahians raised their own protests against the perceived injustices imposed by the Mother Country, especially the hated Stamp Act of 1765, which taxed every printed thing and every official paper. However, Georgia paused longer than any other colony before deciding to join the revolutionary movements and to participate in the Philadelphia meetings.

During the American Revolution the British took Savannah in 1778, and held it until July, 1782. A land-sea force of French and Americans tried to retake the city in 1779, first by siege and then by direct assault, but failed. In 1778, French forces under Count Henri D'Estaing joined to help the Americans in their fight for independence. Some of the bloodiest battles of the war followed. One of them was the Siege of Savannah on October 9, 1779.

Famous patriots and mercenaries from European nobility were involved in this grim battle. The Americans were led by General Benjamin Lincoln, who was joined by William Jasper and Count Casimir Pulaski. It was, though, another defeat for the Americans; shortly thereafter the British were commanding the whole South. In October, 1781, however, the English sword of surrender was presented to Lincoln at Yorktown, Virginia, and Savannah's liberation was near.

The British evacuated Savannah and the Loyalists scurried back to England. On July 11 the Georgia legion received the keys to the city. After the revolution, Savannah was the capital city of Georgia until 1786, when Augusta, and later Atlanta, assumed Savannah's role.

Savannah – After the Revolution

One of the highlights in post-revolutionary times was the visit of President George Washington to Savannah in 1791.
Nathanael Greene received for his service during the Revolution Mulberry Grove plantation, up the Savannah River. After he died of a sunstroke in 1786, his widow Catherine "Caty" Greene ran the plantation. President Washington, who knew Mrs. Greene from former times, privately visited her twice during his stay in Savannah.

It was also at that plantation in 1793 that Eli Whitney, a schoolteacher from up North, invented the cotton gin. Developed with the support of Miss Caty, the revolutionary machine separated cotton from its seeds and made the harvesting of cotton even more profitable. With the institution of slavery and the invention of the cotton gin, Savannah's cotton industry was now leading the world.

Savannah- The Rich Cosmopolitan City

Cotton and slaves made Savannah a rich city with a high society. Cotton had become King and would dominate Savannah until the end of the nineteenth century.

Due to the economic renaissance brought on by the exportation of cotton, residents built lavish homes and churches throughout the city that reflected the wealth of the times.

The city became a rival of Charleston as a commercial port. Many of the world's cotton prices were set on the steps of the Savannah Cotton Exchange; the building is still in existence today.

The trans-Atlantic slave trade would bring millions of Africans to the America's with many passing through the port of Savannah forming the Gullah culture of the Atlantic coastal communities in Georgia and South Carolina.


Savannah – the First Steam Powered Vessel

In 1819, Savannah made worldwide news as the home port of the steamship S.S. Savannah. The Savannah was the first steam-powered vessel to cross the Atlantic Ocean. She left Savannah on May 22, 1819, and arrived in Liverpool, England twenty-nine days later.

Savannah – Misfortunes it has faced

Through a century of glory and growth, even Savannah was not spared from certain misfortunes. Two devastating fires in 1796 and 1820 each left half of Savannah in ashes, but the residents re-built the city. The year 1820 saw an outbreak of the yellow fever epidemic that eradicated a tenth of Savannah's population. Savannah survived fires, epidemics and hurricanes, always bouncing back to glorious life afterwards.

Rich and prosperous, pre-Civil War Savannah was the most picturesque and serene city in America with grand oak trees dripping with Spanish moss. The people of Savannah had exceptional charm with great respect for their history. The Georgia Historical Society was founded in that era and Forsyth Park got its grand ornate, cast-iron fountain in 1858.

With the onslaught of the Civil War, the city suffered from sea trade blockades so strict that Savannah's economy was soon crumpled. In 1862, Federalist Soldiers captured Fort Pulaski, built to be impregnable on Cockspur Island at the mouth of the Savannah River.

Savannah - The Christmas Present

With the entry of Union General William Tecumseh Sherman in 1864, the decline of the city had started. Sherman marched to the sea, burning the city of Atlanta and everything else in their path on the way to the coast. Savannah was evacuated and avoided destruction.

But upon entering Savannah, Sherman was so taken back by its beauty that on December 22, 1864, a legendary telegram was sent from Savannah and delivered to then President Abraham Lincoln, by which Sherman presented the city of Savannah to Lincoln as a Christmas present. With the arrival of Sherman's troops, the war was over for Savannah and a period of reconstruction would begin.

Savannah - The Afro-American City

With the scarcity of food coupled with the failed economy, re-building the city was a trying time for Savannah residents. After the war, many freed slaves remained in Savannah. Though living in deplorable conditions and suffering through the hardships of the post-slavery era, Africans in Savannah founded their own churches, schools and communities. Savannah, Georgia's oldest Black community went on to become one of the most historically significant African-American cities in the nation.

Savannah –Bell of Georgia

After the war and reconstruction, the economy improved and cotton was king again. Savannah entered the new century re-establishing herself as the "Bell of Georgia." New industries were thriving, including the export of shipping supplies like rosin and lumber.






Savannah - Restructuring the Economy

Even after World War I, the misfortune would not leave Savannah. The cotton industry had fallen prey to the boll weevil that had destroyed half of Georgia's cotton by the 1920s. The country plunged into the Great Depression.

The city somehow got over it. Savannah was rescued from the failure of cotton and the subsequent national depression by the New Deal, some large industries, notably paper, and World War II.

Fort Stewart with Hunter Field was established and with it Savannah's importance for the army grew. The mighty Eighth Air Force was founded here and the armed forces still play an important part in Savannah's economy.

Social life was becoming important and people passed time playing golf, meeting at the yacht club or civic clubs, and going to the theater or concerts. The most elegant hotel of that time, the DeSoto, opened, streetcars were running through the city and a railroad was built to Tybee Beach.

Between 1908 and 1911, teams of the United States were competing with European teams for the Vanderbilt Cup, the most desirable prize in early automobile grand prix racing. Savannah was prosperous and enjoyed it.

Savannah- The Great Historical Land Mark

But the post-war years brought about a new movement in Savannah in the realms of aesthetics, culture and economy. The new movement was organized by a group of concerned women in the 1950's to preserve historic structures threatened by the wrecking ball of urban renewal. The brave endeavor gave rise to the Historic Savannah Foundation, which since its inception, has saved multitudes of buildings whose beauty and appeal was the foundation of Savannah's charm.

Many of Savannah's old buildings survived the turmoils and have been restored. The area comprising Oglethorpe's original city plan and an extended area around it was designated as National Historic Landmark District. In 1968, the City and the Foundation succeeded in convincing the State Legislature to pass an amendment to the Georgia Constitution that authorized historic zoning in Savannah. The Historic Review Board was established in 1973, ushering in a new era of regulated development within the Historic District

The Foundation is credited with directly saving over 350 buildings in Savannah's historic neighborhoods in its first half-century.

Heritage education is emphasized through an annual Georgia Day Celebration dating. On February 12 of each year, the significance of the city's cultural heritage is brought to thousands of school children through costumed colonial characters, town meetings and parades. The celebration actually takes place over a multi-week period.

Savannah - A Resurgence in Tourism

As the Millennium turned, Savannah experienced resurgence in tourism. The 1990's saw more than 50 million people visit our fair city. Visitors revel in our elegant architecture, ornate ironworks, fountains and lush green squares. Savannah's natural beauty is rivaled only by the city's hospitable reputation, creating one of the country's most popular vacation spots. Guests who come to the city are truly captivated by our city's charm, the richness of its heritage and all the activities the city offers, every day of the year.

Savannah Jewel of the East Coast

Savannah now sits as a jewel on the east coast of the United States, a leading tourist center and the most historical city in Georgia. You'll find one of the nation's best-preserved urban historic districts in Savannah. And there a lots of tourist attractions, including Forsyth Park, the historic squares, and approximately 1,100 homes, churches, and commercial buildings.

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