Historical Documents & Research

City of Savannah Government 

A History of the City Government of Savannah, Ga., from 1790 to 1901
Compiled from Official Records by Thomas Gamble, Jr., Secretary to the Mayor, Under Direction of the City Council, 1900.

Index of Mayors and Aldermen, 1790-2012
City of Savannah Administrations, 1790-2012
Prepared by the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives

George W. Tiedeman (1861-1935), Mayor of the City of Savannah 1907-1913

Prepared by the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2007

History & Highlights of the City of Savannah's Council-Manager Form of Government, 1954-2004
Prepared by the City of Savannah, Research Library & Municipal Archives, 2004

Municipal Slavery: The City of Savannah's Ownership of Enslaved People

Prepared by Lacy Elizabeth Brooks, Armstrong Atlantic State University, 2014

CityMarshalLetterheadLogo1885.jpg

Seal of the City of Savannah, from 1885 City Marshal letterhead 

Historic City Properties

Savannah City Hall Centennial Research Project:

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

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.

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)