What is the history of Savannah Georgia ?

Called 'The Southern Belle of the Georgia Coast,' Savannah, Georgia is enchanting, romantic, mysterious and intriguing. Anyone who visits here is immediately taken with her charm. Savannah was Georgia's first city, and has certainly remained one of the favorites of travelers throughout the years.

The Flannery O’Connor Childhood Home, located on East Charlton Street, is a museum dedicated to the work and life of the acclaimed novelist who lived in the house from her birth in 1925 until 1938.

Savannah is located at the mouth of the Savannah River and was an important port city for the industries of cotton and lumber for many years.

Dedicated to the city in December of 1983, the Celtic Cross in Emmet Park is made of Irish limestone from the County of Roscommon in West Ireland.

Savannah is four-and-a-half hours by car from Atlanta and 45 minutes from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.

Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum, founded in 1966 and located within the William Scarbrough House, features ship models, paintings and maritime antiques from the 18th and 19th centuries.

Savannah's population is approximately 296,000 people.

The climate is subtropical and is good for outdoor activities year round.

Referred to as “The Hostess City of the South,” Savannah is the oldest city in Georgia and has a long and colorful history that attracts millions of visitors each year. From cobblestone streets and public parks to some of the most unique Antebellum architecture of the South, Savannah is an old beauty that has aged with grace.

Savannah was founded in 1733 by General James Edward Oglethorpe, who had sailed here from England.

Established in 1733 when General James Oglethorpe and 120 fellow passengers on the ship Anne landed on a bluff along the Savannah River, Oglethorpe named the 13th and final American colony Georgia after England’s King George II. Savannah became the first city of this new land.

Oglethorpe named Georgia after England's King George II.

Upon Oglethorpe’s foresight, the city of Savannah was laid out in a series of grids allowing for wide streets and public squares. Considered America’s first planned city, Savannah had 24 original squares with 22 still in existence today.

Savannah is called 'America's First Planned City' because Oglethorpe carefully organized the town into grids, with wide streets and 24 public squares. 21 of these squares were carefully preserved throughout the years and still exist today.

A few decades after the founding of Savannah, it proved a strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War. In 1778, the British took Savannah and held it until 1782. Eventually, a land-sea force of French and American troops reclaimed the city’s independence. After this turbulent time, Savannah saw a long period of agricultural flourish.

Savannah's rich soil and great port location made it a hub for the cotton industry and slave trade until the Civil War brought sea-blockades.

With rich soil and a favorable climate, Savannah and its surrounding land became home to cotton and rice fields as plantations and slavery became highly profitable systems. And the invention of the cotton gin on a nearby plantation meant that the city rivaled Charleston as a commercial port.

After the Civil War, freed African-American slaves remained in the area and helped develop one of the most historically significant black communities.

In 1796 and 1820, Savannah suffered from two devastating fires that each left half of the city in ashes. The year 1820 also saw an outbreak of yellow fever that killed nearly a tenth of the population. But, like any strong Southern city, Savannah survived and rebuilt itself.

Post-war years saw resurgence in the cotton industry, and Savannah once again rose as an economic hub.

During the Civil War, Savannah suffered from sea blockades so fierce that its economy crumbled. Saved from the fires set by Union soldiers throughout the Southeast, the city was offered by Union General William Sherman as a Christmas present to President Abraham Lincoln. It’s been said that Savannah was spared from fire because General Sherman was so impressed by its beauty that he couldn’t destroy it.

The Historic Savannah Foundation was founded in the 1950s and has helped preserve and restore landmarks and historic sites.

Georgia is pivotal in the early stages of prohibition as it’s founding father, General James Oglethorpe was among the first to push for a ban on alcohol. Oglethorpe started a petition to King George II for a decree banning the creation and sale/distribution of alcoholic beverages. Today, Savannah is home to the country’s only prohibition museum, chosen because of it’s integral role in this era of U.S. history.

Fast-forward to America’s mid-century era of the 1900s when Savannah experienced a renaissance of sorts. In the 1950s, a group of women banded together to preserve historic structures set for demolition. This lead to the formation of the Historic Savannah Foundation and Savannah’s Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1966.

Buildings such as The Pirates’ House (1754), Independent Presbyterian Church (1890) and the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist (1876) all stand today and have been restored to their original grandeur.