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River Street: then and now

1934 vs 2017 · Savannah, GA

River Street, 2017River Street, 1934
NowThen
Then, 1934A 1934 survey photograph of a stone cotton warehouse on River Street, with a larger warehouse beside it.Photo: Branan Sanders, Historic American Buildings Survey · Public domain · Source · resized, cropped
Today, 2017The cobbled street and old warehouses along the river. Photo from 2017.Photo: Seasider53 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source · resized

The story

River Street is about 2 miles long along the Savannah River, according to Wikipedia. The south side has rows of former cotton warehouses, some dating from the 1850s.

Factors Walk is built on the middle level of the sloping bluff, with warehouses beneath and Bay Street above. Cotton brokers, called factors, bargained there. The name Factors Row preserves the industry's name.

The pavement is Belgian block with streetcar tracks set in. Large tankers and container ships heading to and from the Port of Savannah sometimes pass within yards of the promenade.

Did you know? The warehouses were built for the cotton trade.
Historians argue about this. A popular claim says the cobblestones are old ship ballast stones. Wikipedia describes Belgian block paving instead.

Fact or tall tale?

Sources

More: Look for historic photos at the Library of Congress

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Next: Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Written from the cited sources, not yet walked on site unless noted.