Historical Documents & Research

Historic City Properties

The Birth of City Hall, 1903-1906
A Century of History, 1906-2006
Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2006

Savannah City Hall HABS Collection. Savannah's City Hall was documented for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) circa 1981. The Savannah City Hall HABS Collection (HABS, GA, 26-SAV, 61) is preserved by the Library of Congress and includes 42 black and white photographs, 12 data pages, and 1 photo caption page.

Thomas Gamble Building History. Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2004

Cluskey Embankment Stores. Interpretive panels prepared by Rita Elliott for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2014

Broughton Municipal Building History. Excerpts  from "Lot 6, Third Tything, Reynolds Ward, Savannah, Georgia" compiled by Amy Galovic, Savannah College of Art & Design, 2002

City of Savannah Water Works Pump House Building History. Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2005

Park and Tree Department Headquarters Building History. Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2006

Savannah Fire Department Engine House No. 7 Building History. Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2006

The Savannah Pharmacy, 1914-2007. Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2009

The Monuments and Fountains of Savannah. Prepared by Dorothy H. Stewart, Armstrong State College, 1993

Daffin Park: The First One Hundred Years, 1907-2007.  Prepared by Tania June Sammons for the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs, 2007

Savannah's "Negro Burial Grounds" and "Strangers Burial Ground." Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah Municipal Archives, 2021

"Benevolent Burials: Charitable Organizations Represented in Savannah’s Laurel Grove Cemeteries," self-guided tours of Laurel Grove North and Laurel Grove South cemeteries. Prepared by Mark O'Dell, Georgia Southern University, for the City of Savannah Municipal Archives, 2022. Companion Hungry for History program on creation of the tours "Benevolent Burials" (recorded May 3, 2022). 

City Infrastructure

City Cisterns, 1830-1848 . Prepared by Kacie Alaga, Savannah College of Art & Design, 2014

Savannah Infrastructure Documents Analysis Project. Savannah College of Art & Design, "Research Methods in Architectural History," Spring 2015

• Includes: Fire Hydrants and Water Mains; Municipal Wharves; Rope Walk;  Street Lighting; Wells and Pumps; and 19th-century Landscaping of the  Squares

Savannah Neighborhoods

"My Historic District" series, City of Savannah, Public Information Office, 2016-2017

• In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the designation of Savannah’s  Landmark Historic District, eleven segments featuring the unique  histories of Savannah’s neighborhood historic districts, including:  Ardsley Park/Chatham Crescent; Cuyler-Brownville; Eastside/Meadows/Collinsville; Fairway Oaks-Greenview; Gordonston;  Kensington Park-Groveland; Parkside; Pine Gardens; Savannah Landmark;  Savannah Victorian; and Thomas Square
• Watch on YouTube; Watch on Facebook

Low Land and the High Road; Life and Community in Hudson Hill, West Savannah, and Woodville Neighborhoods. By Martha L. Keber. Prepared for the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs, 2008

Ebb and Flow: Life and Community in Eastern Savannah. By Martha L. Keber. Prepared for the City of Savannah Department of Cultural Affairs, 2011.

Historic Benjamin Van Clark Neighborhood: Trolleys to Today. By Luciana M. Spracher. Prepared for the City of Savannah, Department of Cultural Affairs, 2004

Uncommon Knowledge: When the Meadows Became Benjamin Van Clark (booklet). Prepared for the City of Savannah, Department of Cultural Affairs, 2004

Historic Savannah Inventory Ward Notebooks, courtesy of Historic Savannah Foundation (HSF).

Community History

Chatham County World War I Fallen Documentation Project

• User Note: This is an Excel table that compiles research of the 125 individuals identified from Chatham County that were lost in military service during World War I.  There are 6 tabs at the bottom that sort the information by source: Soldiers of the Great War; Ancestry.com resources; Savannah City Directories 1916, 1917, and 1918; and City of Savannah municipal cemetery burials.  A resource guide is available for those interested in pursuing their own research on individuals who served during World War I.

Resources for Researching World War I Soldiers. Prepared by Britni Dellinger, Intern for the City of Savannah, Municipal Records & Archives Division, 2018

World War II on the Savannah Waterfront; Wartime Production and Service in Savannah. Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher for the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2008

Chatham County Military Service in World War II. Prepared by Luciana M. Spracher the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2009

Savannah Films. Prepared by the City of Savannah, Municipal Archives, 2018

John Holbrook Estill (1840-1907), President of the Evergreen Cemetery Company (1880-1907). Prepared by the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2007   

“Savannah’s Maritime Cultural Landscape.” Prepared by Alyssa Saldivar, Story Map Editor, and the Georgia Southern University Armstrong Campus Spring 2019 Maritime Archaeology Class, 2019 (hosted by The Museum of Underwater Archaeology)