A Brief History of River Street-Savannah, Georgia

To those unaware, historic River Street located in Savannah, Georgia is the oldest established street in the state of Georgia.  It was the central artery during the time of the city’s colonial days, and now it acts as an artery for the city’s history and tourism industry.  Today, River Street is a hub for tourists and locals alike to savor in sites and tastes of the old world mingling with the new. 

Every picture you see that depicts Colonial Savannah shows River Street nearly front and center.  From the standpoint of the seasoned captain, James Oglethorpe, the foundation of what would become River Street, and ultimately Savannah, was strategic; as the area was far enough inland where it wouldn’t be at risk from a direct attack at sea.

However, according to legend, the land that inhabited the area that would become River Street was used by the Yamacraw tribe as a burial ground. 

So yeah, right from the start, the origins of River Street had already been cloaked by death.

Pirates and Slavery

From the time the first ports emerged on the docks of River Street, Savannah became a favorite stop both pirates slave traders in the fledgling southern city.  Pirates used tunnels that were dug beneath River Street that stretched out further into the basements of many buildings and warehouses in the growing city.  

In what is now known as The Pirates’ House, just mere blocks away from River Street, visiting sailors and pirates would stay at what was an inn for seafaring travelers.  Pirates would sometimes leave with unwilling newly recruited sailors through the underground tunnels to be forced to work on ships or to be sold as slaves.

Ironically, during Savannah’s earliest years, slavery was outlawed by James Oglethorpe.  But that quickly changed as the city grew and grew, and more labor was needed to build the city.  

Like in any other port city before the Civil War, River Street was the first stop for newly arrived slaves to the city.  

Tunnels, Vaults and Warehouses

River Street was the root of the tunnel system under Savannah.  As previously mentioned, the tunnels under River Street branches out into the city that lead to the basements of major buildings and vaults that were used for storage by the warehouses on River Street.  Some of those buildings are the Pirates’ House, built in 1755, and what is now the Moon River Brewing Company, originally built as The City Hotel in 1821.

The tunnels are now closed to the public, for what I would hope to be obvious reasons, as all of the known tunnel entrances have been blocked off.

During the colonial days of Savannah, what we recognize as the iconic storefronts of River Street was dotted with warehouses that were used to store cotton, textiles, livestock, and slaves.  None of the original warehouses survive to this day, thanks to close to a dozen fires over the city’s extensive history.  But the storage vaults used by warehouses still do.

If you have ever been to Savannah and toured River Street and the historical district, you will likely recall the vaults built into brick below the bustling city above; in an area of River Street that is referred to as Factors Walk.  They favor tombs more than they do vaults

The vaults are a favorite stop among the city’s many ghost tours and haunted pub crawls. Sounds of chains and moaning is said to be heard from the vaults at night, when the city sleeps and the restless souls of the dead can be heard.

Modern River Street

The River Street we see today is fairly modern.  Many of the building on River Street today were built after the invention of photography (which was invented in 1826).  And many of those building have been rebuilt time and again thanks to destruction from fires and other natural disasters.

Even the iconic cobblestone streets were remodeled during an extensive renovation project of River Street in 1977. 

The remodeling project of River Street in 1977 created the River Street we know and love today.

I love River Street, and I make it a point to go every time I go to the city of Savannah. Even if I have been close to a hundred times already at this point in my life, I’ll still go a hundred more!

No trip to Savannah is complete without a visit to River Street.