P. Marlin February 2021
The Cotton Exchange was established in Savannah, Georgia in 1872, with the addition of a permanent building in 1886. At this time, Savannah ranked first as a cotton seaport on the Atlantic and second in the world. Located on Bay Street, the building was locally known as "King Cotton's Palace" and was architectually meant to stand out among its neighboring buildings as a symbol of cotton's importance to the city's economy.
The Cotton Exchange building today. Though the lion sculpture
is in the historic photo, the original was damaged in a car accident. P Marlin 2021
The Cotton Exchange 1904. Library of Congress
Same view of the Cotton Exchange Building.
P Marlin 2021
Looking under the Cotton Exchange Building. P Marlin 2021
The view at the rear of the building in 1937.
Shorpy
Same view. P Marlin 2021
Cotton warehouses built by John Stoddard on the bluffs above the
Savannah River in the late 1850s. Shorpy 1937
Same view with waterfront shops.
P Marlin 2021.
This sandwich shop was run by Tommie Mary and Clifford Whittington in 1937. The building dates from 1841 as indicated on a sign attached to the building.
Shorpy 1937.
P Marlin 2021
Shorpy 1937
P Marlin 2021
Historical Marker: City Hall is the first building constructed by the citizens of Savannah expressly and exclusively to serve as the seat of municipal government. Opened on January 2, 1906, it has served continuously in this role since that date. City Hall was preceded on this site by the City Exchange, built in 1799 and razed in 1904. Along with municipal offices, the City Exchange housed the custom house, a post office, and newspaper offices. City Hall was designed by Savannah architect Hyman W. Witcover and built 1904-1905 by the Savannah Contracting Company during the administration of Mayor Herman Myers. It is a Renaissance Revival structure of granite and limestone exterior. The original copper dome was first gold leafed in 1987. A Century of History - Savannah City Hall.
City Hall in 1930.
A "mask up" sign will date this photo to the Coronovirus era.
P Marlin 2021
Broughton Street was the primary business district of Savannah in the 1920s-1950s. The location of the original 1950-1960 photo below was realized by the historical marker on the right side of the original photo (facing Whitaker Street). The historical marker recognizes the site of Tondee's Tavern: "On this site stood in colonial times Tondee's Tavern where gathered The Sons Of Liberty." The same historical marker has since been moved to face Broughton Street as indicated in the newer photo.
Corner of Broughton and Whitaker in the 1960's. Tondee's
Tavern historical marker is facing Whitaker Street.
Corner of Broughton and Whitaker streets in 2021. Still
visible on the right side of the photo, the historical marker
now faces Broughton Street. P Marlin 2021.
Broughton Street. Georgia Historical Society.
Broughton Street under construction. P Marlin 2021
The Forsyth Park Fountain, built for the "pleasure of the public," was built by William Hodgson in the 1850s. The fountain styles resemble the fountain in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. It is named for John Forsyth, governor and secretary of state.
Forsyth Park Fountain. P Marin 2021
Samuel Pugh Hamilton, informally known as “The Lord of Lafayette Square,” built this parkside mansion for his family in 1873. Along with his wife Sarah, the successful businessman and prominent Savannah alderman created a social center for the city’s elite, hosting a variety of activities in their home that was impressive in workmanship and size. In 1883, the Hamilton mansion was the first residence to have electric lights. Spectators witnessing the inaugural room lighting were wowed by the invention, but feared the house would explode. History of the Hamilton-Turner Inn.
The Hamilton Turner Inn. P Marlin 2021
This house was built in 1819 for Richard Richardson, president of the Savannah Branch of the Bank of the United States. After Mrs. Richardson's untimely death in 1822, the house was sold, then acquired by the bank and leased for a brief time as a boardinghouse. It was during this period that accommodations were obtained here for the Marquis de Lafayette and his son when they were guests of the city in 1825. History of the Richardson-Owens-Thomas House.
It was from the small balcony of this house that the Marquis de Lafayette made a speech during his visit to Savannah. Lafayette's visit was a small part of a year-long cavalcade of parties, appearances and parades that took place in all 24 states as the entire country celebrated Lafayette’s presence during the 50th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution.
Late nineteenth-century image of the Owens-Thomas House. Telfair Museums,
Savannah, Georgia Slavery and Freedom in
Savannah
The Richardson-Owens-Thomas House. P Marlin 2021
This Episcopal church was the first house of worship established with the founding of Georgia in 1733. Early rectors included Rev. John Wesley (1737-37), who began the earliest form of Sunday school and published the first English hymnal in the colonies, and Rev. George Whitefield (1738-40). The cornerstone for the first building on this site was laid in 1744. James Couper designed the current and third structure in 1838.
President George Washington, while in Savannah, attended services at Christ Church.
Christ Church 1934. Library of Congress
Christ Church. P Marlin 2021
The Pink House was built for James Habersham, Jr., potentially as early as 1771. The house's name derives from the red clay brick which bled through the white stucco, staining it pink. In the 1920s, the house was painted pink, and has since been repainted annually. Today it is a restaurant.
The Pink House. Georgia Historical Society
The Pink House. P Marlin 2021.
Isaiah Davenpert, architect, master builder, and city alderman was born in Rhode Island in 1784. After serving his apprenticeship in Massachusetts, Isaiah decided to move to Savannah around 1800. There, he made a name for himself in the "building trade." In 1812 he bought a lot at the corner of State and Haberskam streets and built this house for his growing family. Davenport House history.
National Register of Historic Places
The Davenport House. P Marlin 2021.
Charles Green, the original owner of the Green-Meldrim house, was an Englishman who arrived in Savannah in 1833. He was in the cotton and shipping business and was very successful. Being an Englishman, and supposedly neutral in the Civil War, Green invited General William T. Sherman to make his Savannah headquarters in his home. Sherman occupied the house from December 22, 1864 through February 1, 1865.
"An unusual portico of the period marks the entrance to the Green-Meldrim House. It has two arches supported by two octagonal columns, a pendant, and a parapet treated in the manner of the English perpendicular Gothic style of the fifteenth century. This portico is unique in America. The noble double doors of the Green-Meldrim House, panelled with recessed arches set in studded stiles and rails, are framed with clustered colonnets supported on a double arch with a pendant, a motif which repeats the design of the portico." History of the Green-Meldrim House.
Entrance to the Green-Meldrim House. Library of Congress
Entrance to the Green-Meldrim House. P Marlin 2021
The St. John's church complex along with the adjoining Green-Meldrim house is one of the most outstanding examples of the Gothic-Revival style. The present building was constructed as the second St. John's Church. The Church was organized in December 1840 and the property on which the present building stands was purchased in 1848. The corner stone was laid March 13, 1852. During General Sherman's occupation of Savannah, the bells were removed from the belfry, but upon the intervention of President Lincoln and Secretary of War Stanton, they were saved. History of St. John's Church.
St. John's Church 1860-70. Library of Congress
St. John's Church. P Marlin 2021
In 1868, William Kehoe married Anne Flood and quickly started a family. Their first address, located on Columbia Square, was 130 Habersham Street. As Kehoe's business and family grew, he built a larger, more stately home. Kehoe liked the Historic District so much that he purchased the southern half of the lot, located diagonally across the street, for $950. The Kehoe House was designed by DeWitt Bruyn, and was built at the cost of $25,000. The home was completed in May of 1892, whereupon Mr. and Mrs. Kehoe and their ten children moved into their new home. History of the Kehoe House
Kehoe House. P Marlin 2021
Front entrance of the Kehoe House. P Marlin 2021
The Lucas Theater was built in 1921 by Arthur Lucas. Arthur Lucas and architect C.K. Howell's theater design was a culmination of more than two years of collaboration between Lucas and Howell, and combined Lucas’ favorite architectural details from the Greek revival, Art Deco and Neoclassical periods. The theater served as a vaudeville and cinema house until it closed in 1976. It reopened in December 2000.
The Lucas, circa 1924, shows D.W. Griffith's "America."
The Lucas Theater
The Lucas Theater. P Marlin 2021.
Johnson Square was laid out in 1733 and is the oldest and largest square in Savannah. In the center of the square is a 50-foot marble monument to honor General Nathanael Greene, a hero during the American Revolution. Greene died near Savannah on June 19, 1786 and was originally buried at what is now known as the Colonial Cemetery. Vandalism during the Civil War resulted in the loss of many burial sites, including Greene’s. Fortunately, Greene's remains emerged in the Graham vault and were placed beneath the monument in 1901. On March 21, 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette laid the cornerstone for the General Nathanael Greene memorial.
Johnson Square and Nathanael Greene monument in 1840. Christ
Church is in the distance.
New York Public Library
Similar view of Johnson Square and Nathanael Greene monument. This
view is of the side opposite the photo.
Christ Church is behind me. P Marlin 2021.
Bonaventure cemetery was established in 1846 when Peter Wiltberger, a Savannah businessman, purchased the 600- acre Bonaventure Plantation and dedicated 70 acres of it for use as a cemetery. It remained a privately-owned cemetery until 1907 when it was purchased by the City of Savannah and expanded to 160 acres by 1909.
Bonaventure Cemetery entrance 1870. New York Public Library
Bonaventure Cemetery entrance. P Marlin 2021
General Clinch Tomb 1860-1890. New York Public Library
General Clinch tomb in 2021. P Marlin
