A history of Savannah,
since 1820
Postcards, papers and photographs of Savannah from public archives, woven together by decade. Neighbors fill in the gaps.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The city's original name was "Rudd's Ferry", named for James Rudd, an early settler who established a ferry at the site in the early 1820s. Rudd's Ferry was later purchased by a wealthy landowner, David Robinson. The city was renamed "Savannah" after Savannah, Georgia, the hometown of Rudd's wife, Elizabeth.
Hardin County was the site of the 1862 Battle of Shiloh (also known as the "Battle of Pittsburg Landing") during the Civil War. The battleground site is 10 miles (16 km) southwest of the city of Savannah. Union General Ulysses S. Grant commandeered the Cherry Mansion just off the city square for use as a headquarters during the battle.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowFinish Savannah’s story
Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.
2 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewThe New York Herald Newest Info, 1862: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Savannah
See all 6 →
Savannah, decade by decade
1990s
4 historic places in Savannah
Savannah has 4 listings on the National Register, and they protect 38 historic buildings, because Savannah Historic District (Boundary Increase II) alone counts 19.
Where they are
When they were listed
Listed 1977Cherry MansionListed 1980Savannah Historic DistrictListed 1993Savannah Historic District (Boundary Increase)Listed 2009Savannah Historic District (Boundary Increase II)Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as The New York Herald Newest Info (1862) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (12). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.