River Street, probably the most popular tourist area of Savannah, has not always been the prosperous strip of restaurants, shops and galleries that it is now.
In 1739 General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah, ordered the building of a wharf along the shores of the Savannah River. The river offered a prime shipping avenue for New World goods bound for Europe. Workers loaded ships with cotton, virgin lumber, and hogs. At its peak, Savannah's port took in over $14 million a year in exports. Tragically, in 1818, the bottom dropped out of the cotton market at the same time that Savannah fell under strict quarantine during a yellow fever epidemic. Ships were re-routed and many never returned to Savannah's docks.
The riverfront experienced a steady decline over the next century. In the mid-1970's, local landowners and area businesspeople, together with the city of Savannah, revived the history and glory of River Street. 80,000 square feet of empty, abandoned warehouse space was transformed into nearly 70 shops, restaurants, galleries, and boutiques.
In 1739 General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah, ordered the building of a wharf along the shores of the Savannah River. The river offered a prime shipping avenue for New World goods bound for Europe. Workers loaded ships with cotton, virgin lumber, and hogs. At its peak, Savannah's port took in over $14 million a year in exports. Tragically, in 1818, the bottom dropped out of the cotton market at the same time that Savannah fell under strict quarantine during a yellow fever epidemic. Ships were re-routed and many never returned to Savannah's docks.
The riverfront experienced a steady decline over the next century. In the mid-1970's, local landowners and area businesspeople, together with the city of Savannah, revived the history and glory of River Street. 80,000 square feet of empty, abandoned warehouse space was transformed into nearly 70 shops, restaurants, galleries, and boutiques.
