Savannah

Savannah, a city and port of Georgia, capital of Chatham county, stretches several miles along the south bank of the Savannah River, 18 miles from its mouth, and 115 miles by rail SW. of Charleston. It is built on a sandy plain, 40 feet above the river, with broad streets shaded by beautiful trees. The dozens of commodious parks are a delightful feature of the place; and almost in the centre of the city is Forsyth Place (30 acres), thickly planted with forest pines. Here is a monument to the Confederate dead; and others in the city commemorate General Nathaniel Greene and Count Pulaski, who fell here. Savannah has tramways, gas, and electric light, and many handsome private houses. The chief edifices are the custom-house, city exchange, cotton exchange, court-house, Hodgson Hall, the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences, a Roman Catholic cathedral, the Independent Presbyterian Church, Christ Church, on the site of the chapel where John Wesley first ministered to the colonists, and the hospitals and asylums. The coloured people have churches and good schools for themselves. Savannah has long been the first naval stores station and the second port of the United States in respect of the quantity of cotton exported; this was valued in 1890 at £5,464,428. Other articles of export are spirits of turpentine (£439,154), resin (£212,847), lumber, and cotton-seed; total in 1890, £6,189,447. In the same year the imports reached only £81,163 (in 1889, £97,685). More than half of the foreign trade is with Germany and Britain. The entire business of the port in 1890-95 was estimated at an annual average value of £26,800,000. Recent river and harbour improvements provided a channel of 24 feet, subsequently deepened to 28 feet. There are over six miles of wharfage and quayage. The industrial works of Savannah comprise rice-mills, foundries, planing-mills, flour, cotton, and paper mills, cotton-presses, packing-houses, ice and furniture factories, &c. The city was founded in 1733, and incorporated in 1789. It was taken by the British in 1778, and by General Sherman in December 1864. Pop. (1880) 30,709; (1890) 43,189. See Harper's Magazine, January 1888.