Silk Hopes, Cotton Reality back - first
Although founded on the
hope of establishing silk production, Savannah's economy,
by the Nineteenth Century, had become linked to the
production and export of cotton. The cotton gin, developed
by Eli Whitney at a plantation near Savannah, was a
turning point in making the large scale production of
cotton possible. Even after the Civil War, Savannah's
cotton economy rebounded, with greater exports within
a few years following the war than ever before.
Savannah Steam
With its safe harbor
a few miles from the ocean, Savannah's economy has always
been tied to the sea as tightly as to the products of
the agricultural heartland, the city providing a necessary
link between the two. The S. S. Savannah, the first
steam ship to cross the Atlantic, was financed by Savannah
merchants. Although the new ship broke all records for
crossing the Atlantic, she was unable to carry enough
fuel to run under steam alone and was not a commercial
success.
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 Old City Exchange tower (top) Customs House (below)
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