Savannah is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia and the county seat of Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the British colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. A strategic port city in the American Revolution and during the American Civil War, Savannah is today an industrial center and an important Atlantic seaport. It is Georgia's fifth most populous city, with a 2020 U.S. census population of 147,780. The Savannah metropolitan area, Georgia's third-largest, had a 2020 population of 404,798.
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a non-fiction novel by John Berendt. The book, Berendt's first, was published in 1994 and follows the story of an antiques dealer on trial for the death of a male prostitute. Subtitled A Savannah Story, with an initial printing of 25,000 copies, the book became a New York Times Best-Seller for 216 weeks following its debut and remains one of the longest-standing New York Times Best-Sellers.
The city of Savannah, Province of Georgia, was laid out in 1733, in what was colonial America, around four open squares, each surrounded by four residential ("tything") blocks and four civic ("trust") blocks. The layout of a square and eight surrounding blocks was known as a "ward." The original plan was part of a larger regional plan that included gardens, farms, and "out-lying villages." Once the four wards were developed in the mid-1730s, two additional wards were laid. Oglethorpe's agrarian balance was abandoned after the Georgia Trustee period. Additional squares were added during the late 18th and 19th centuries, and by 1851 there were 24 squares in the city. In the 20th century, three of the squares were demolished or altered beyond recognition, leaving 21. In 2010, one of the three "lost" squares, Ellis, was reclaimed, bringing the total to today's 22.
James Arthur Williams was an American antiques dealer and a historic preservationist based in Savannah, Georgia. He played an active role in the preservation of the Savannah Historic District for over 35 years.
The Savannah Historic District is a large urban U.S. historic district that roughly corresponds to the city limits of Savannah, Georgia, prior to the American Civil War. The area was declared a National Historic Landmark District in 1966, and is one of the largest districts of its kind in the United States. The district was made in recognition of the unique layout of the city, begun by James Oglethorpe at the city's founding and propagated for over a century of its growth.
The Armstrong Kessler Mansion is a nationally significant example of Italian Renaissance Revival architectural style located in the Savannah Historic District. The structure was built between 1917 and 1919 for the home of Savannah magnate George Ferguson Armstrong (1868–1924). It was owned by the Armstrong family from 1919 to 1935. Afterward, the structure and grounds served as the campus of Armstrong Junior College. Threatened with demolition, the Historic Savannah Foundation purchased the Armstrong House along with five other threatened historic buildings from the college for $235,000 in 1967. Once saved, Historic Savannah Foundation then sold the Mansion at the exact purchase price to preservationist and antique dealer Jim Williams who restored it as his home. Eventually, both were sold to a major Savannah law firm as offices. The mansion was featured in The American Architect in 1919, and listed in A Field Guide to American Houses in 1984.
Jones Street is a historic street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is named for major John Jones, aide-de-camp to brigadier general Lachlan McIntosh at the 1779 siege of Savannah during the American Revolutionary War.
Bull Street is a major street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Named for Colonel William Bull (1683–1755), it runs from Bay Street in the north to Derenne Avenue in the south. It is around 3.40 miles in length, not including the section interrupted by Forsyth Park. It is the center of a National Historic Landmark District.
Johnson Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located in the northernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, it was the first of the squares to be laid out, in 1733, and remains the largest of the 22. It is east of Ellis Square, west of Reynolds Square and north of Wright Square. Situated on Bull Street and St. Julian Street, it is named for Robert Johnson, colonial governor of South Carolina and a friend of General James Oglethorpe. The oldest building on the square is the Ann Hamilton House, at 26 East Bryan Street, which dates to 1824.
Monterey Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southernmost row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and Wayne Street, and was laid out in 1847. It is south of Madison Square, west of Taylor Square, north of Forsyth Park and east of Chatham Square. The oldest building on the square is the Herman Kuhlman Duplex, at 22–24 West Taylor Street, which dates to 1851.
The John Scudder Property is a home in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located at 11 East Jones Street and was constructed in 1851.
Drayton Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Bull Street to the west and Abercorn Street to the east, it runs for about 2 miles (3.2 km) from East Bay Street in the north to East Victory Drive in the south. It is named for Ann Drayton, a member of a noted family in Charleston, South Carolina, who had lent four sawyers to assist colonists in building one of the first homes in Savannah. The street is one-way (northbound). Its northern section passes through the Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
Charlton Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Harris Street to the north and Jones Street to the south, it runs for about 0.86 miles (1.38 km) from Purse Street in the west to East Broad Street in the east. Originally known only as Charlton Street singular, its addresses are now split between "West Charlton Street" and "East Charlton Street", the transition occurring at Bull Street in the center of the downtown area. The street is named for Thomas Charlton, fifteenth mayor of Savannah.
Gordon Street is a street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Taylor Street to the north and Gaston Street to the south, it runs for about 0.62 miles (1.00 km) from Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in the west to East Broad Street in the east. Originally known only as Gordon Street singular, its addresses are now split between "West Gordon Street" and "East Gordon Street", the transition occurring at Bull Street in the center of the downtown area.
Harris Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Liberty Street to the north and Charlton Street to the south, it runs for about 0.86 miles (1.38 km) from Purse Street in the west to East Broad Street in the east. Originally known only as Gordon Street Harris, its addresses are now split between "West Harris Street" and "East Harris Street," the transition occurring at Bull Street in the center of the downtown area. The street is named for Charles Harris, former mayor of Savannah. The street is entirely within Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.
Savannah Masonic Center is a historic building at 341 Bull Street in downtown Savannah, Georgia, United States. Standing in the southwestern corner of Madison Square, it was constructed between 1913 and 1923, to a design by Hyman Witcover, previously the architect of Savannah City Hall. Today it is known as Gryphon, and is part of the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
The Lewis Kayton House, also known as the Mansion on Forsyth Park, is a historic five-star hotel at 700 Drayton Street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is significant as it was once the home of Lewis Kayton, an early pioneer to Savannah in the 19th century. The hotel occupies the Drayton block of Forsyth Park and is part of the Savannah Historic District. The hotel is now owned by hotel developer Richard C. Kessler, chairman and CEO of The Kessler Enterprise, Inc.
The John Berrien House is a historic home in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located at 322–324 East Broughton Street, at its intersection with Habersham Street, and was built around 1794. One of the oldest extant buildings in Savannah, it is now part of the Savannah Historic District, and was built for major John Berrien, an army officer during the American Revolutionary War. Berrien lived in the house until 1797, when he moved to Louisville, Georgia. He sold the property to William Stephens, of Beaulieu Plantation. Stephens died in the home in 1882, at which point John Macpherson Berrien brought it back into the Berrien family. He lived there periodically until his death, also in the home, in 1856. Berrien's son-in-law Francis Bartow inherited the home, and he sold it to William Lake three years later.
Noble Andrew Hardee was an American businessman based in Savannah, Georgia, where he was a cotton factor and owner of N. A. Hardee Company. In 1860 he had constructed today's Noble Hardee Mansion in the southwestern corner of Savannah's Monterey Square.
Charles Seton Henry Hardee was an American historian based in Savannah, Georgia. His memoirs, Reminiscences of Charles Seton Henry Hardee and Charles Seton Henry Hardee's Recollections of old Savannah, published by his granddaughter after his death, were written when he was over the age of ninety and became noted works on the history of the city's early years. His manuscript was accurate due to his verification of any subject he did not feel completely sure about. He died at his desk during the writing of the second volume in 1927.
