Historic Savannah

Captures the rich texture and color of Savannah as presented in history and photographs-the colonial capital, a deep-South antebellum town, a cotton port, a survivor of wars, and, perhaps most notably, a modern preservation success story. Includes one hundred fifty photographs, maps, and images.

A trio of historic neighborhoods in Savannah, Georgia rank among the most picturesque in the United States. Ardsley Park, Chatham Crescent, and Ardmore are well known for their unique layouts and varied architectural styles, as well as lush shrubbery and the moss-draped oaks that have become a trademark of Savannah's charm.The development of Ardsley Park and Chatham Crescent began around 1910 as the advent of the automobile allowed more Savannahians to move to the "suburbs." Neighboring Ardmore, to the south of Ardsley Park and Chatham Crescent, came later, during the 1920s. The entire area was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. For decades the neighborhoods have been home to some of Savannah's most prominent families. Former residents include media mogul Ted Turner and the University of Georgia bulldog mascot owned by Frank W. "Sonny" Seiler. Within these pages are photographs from private collections never before made available to the public-images of Savannahians at work and at play. Captivating scenes of days long ago reveal the history of a much-beloved community.

From the cotton boom after the Civil War to Savannah's economic decline around the middle of the 20th century, the city's streetscapes were crowded with signs. In a time before strict sign regulations, business owners embellished building facades and and rooftops with extensive signage to catch the eye of pedestrians and motorists. The abundance of advertising was symbolic of Savannah's rapid growth and prosperity, but the majority of these signs were discarded over the years, and only a few remain. Photographs and postcards from the past survive, however, and images of historic signs serve as reminders of these lost commercial relics. Such signs give the bricks and mortar of the past another dimension by identifying their social purpose. Through vintage images of Savannah signage, this volume provides a history of the city's businesses and industries. Included are local landmarks like Levy Jewelers, the Globe Shoe Company, the Lucas Theatre, the Marshall House, and Johnny Harris Restaurant.

The story of Savannah's historic public schools, both black and white, is one of modest beginnings, noteworthy achievement, and remarkable people. As the small schoolhouses of downtown Savannah evolved into the sprawling educational complexes of today, they maintained an impressive record of service to the community's most important citizens: its young people. Savannah's commitment to public education is as old as the city itself; from the beginning, efforts were made to ensure that education was available to all. The opening of the Massie Common School in 1856 marked the start of the modern era of public education in Savannah. For the first time, a building was designed, built, staffed, and maintained for the express purpose of providing education to all of the city's children, regardless of their families' ability to pay. Massie Common School's first principal eventually left Savannah to become superintendent of Atlanta's public school system, paving the way for local politicians who took their school board experiences with them when they were elected to state office. These pioneers of public education in Savannah spread methods and practices established in local schools throughout the state.

Savannah has repeatedly stood on the edge of ruin, brought to its knees by bloody battles, mysterious pestilence, fire, unforgiving weather and the drums of war. Men and women whose names echo in history once walked its streets. Countless other faces are seemingly forgotten, names that history held in looser grip--like Mary Musgrove, the colonial translator and entrepreneur, or Dr. Samuel Nunes, shipwrecked by chance on Savannah's coastal shores just in time to curb a deadly epidemic and save Savannah's first settlers. And then there's John Geary, the larger-than-life Union general who beat Sherman's march south to the sea. Join authors Brenna and T.C. Michaels as they explore Savannah's long, wide and very often hidden history.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A modern classic of true crime, set in a most beguiling Southern city—now in a 30th anniversary edition with a new afterword by the author “Elegant and wicked . . . might be the first true-crime book that makes the reader want to book a bed and breakfast for an extended weekend at the scene of the crime.”—The New York Times Book Review Shots rang out in Savannah’s grandest mansion in the misty, early morning hours of May 2, 1981. Was it murder or self-defense? For nearly a decade, the shooting and its aftermath reverberated throughout this hauntingly beautiful city of moss-hung oaks and shaded squares. In this sharply observed, suspenseful, and witty narrative, John Berendt skillfully interweaves a hugely entertaining first-person account of life in this isolated remnant of the Old South with the unpredictable twists and turns of a landmark murder case. It is a spellbinding story peopled by a gallery of remarkable characters: the well-bred society ladies of the Married Woman’s Card Club; the turbulent young gigolo; the hapless recluse who owns a bottle of poison so powerful it could kill every man, woman, and child in Savannah; the aging and profane Southern belle who is the “soul of pampered self-absorption”; the uproariously funny drag queen; the acerbic and arrogant antiques dealer; the sweet-talking, piano-playing con artist; young people dancing the minuet at the black debutante ball; and Minerva, the voodoo priestess who works her magic in the graveyard at midnight. These and other Savannahians act as a Greek chorus, with Berendt revealing the alliances, hostilities, and intrigues that thrive in a town where everyone knows everyone else. Brilliantly conceived and masterfully written, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is a sublime and seductive reading experience.

Thomas D. Wilson’s Charleston and Savannah is the first comprehensive history of Charleston and Savannah in a single volume that weaves together the influences and parallels of their intrinsic stories. As two of the earliest English-speaking cities founded in America, Charleston and Savannah are among the nation’s top historic sites. Their historic characters, which attract millions of visitors each year, are each a rich blend of cultural, environmental, and socioeconomic elements. Yet even with this popularity, both cities now face a challenge in preserving their authentic historic character, natural beauty, and environmental quality. Wilson charts the ebb and flow of the progress and development of the cities using various through lines running within each chapter, constructing an overall character assessment of each. Wilson charts the economic rise of these port cities, beginning with their British foundations and transatlantic trade in the colonies through to their twentieth-century economic declines and resurgences. He examines the cultural and economic aspects of their Lowcountry landscapes and their evolution as progress and industrialization made their mark. Employing both quantitative and qualitative methodologies in his comparisons of the two cities, he considers their histories, natural landscapes, weather patterns, economies, demographics, culture, architecture, city planning, and infrastructure. While each has its own civic and cultural strengths and weaknesses, both are positioned as historically significant southern cities, even as they assess aspects of their problematic pasts.