New Savannah, Georgia
Encyclopedia
The dead town of New Savannah, Georgia began about 1740 as a Chickasaw
village on the Savannah River
, at the mouth of Butler Creek below Augusta
. Stories as to the circumstances vary, but in any case some portion of the Horse Creek
Chickasaws under Squirrel King moved across the river and founded the town from which they farmed, hunted and scouted until the Revolutionary War
. In 1757, CPT Daniel Pepper estimated the population there as "seventy Gun Men" (Milling 1940:196).
After the Revolution, New Savannah became a tobacco
inspection. Tobacco leaf grown at local farms was packed into large hogshead barrels, and rolled to the town to obtain the official quality inspection necessary for its marketing. Sealed and quality-branded hogsheads were then loaded onto pole boats for transport to the seaport and market at Savannah, Georgia
215 river miles downstream. Augusta's Tobacco Road still exists by that name and, according to Georgia Place-Names, was laid out in 1789. The tobacco market waned in the very early 19th century and, with that, the commercial existence of New Savannah.
(Note that the similarly named and somewhat contemporaneous Savannah Town, South Carolina
was located by Fort Moore several miles upstream.)
. Aside from a nearby cemetery, nothing remains of the original site, which is located within New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam
Park.
Chickasaw
The Chickasaw are Native American people originally from the region that would become the Southeastern United States...
village on the Savannah River
Savannah River
The Savannah River is a major river in the southeastern United States, forming most of the border between the states of South Carolina and Georgia. Two tributaries of the Savannah, the Tugaloo River and the Chattooga River, form the northernmost part of the border...
, at the mouth of Butler Creek below Augusta
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. Stories as to the circumstances vary, but in any case some portion of the Horse Creek
Horse Creek Valley
Horse Creek Valley is a geographic area along Horse Creek, a tributary of the Savannah River. It lays within present day Aiken County, South Carolina . Presently, this area is alternately referred to as 'Midland Valley'...
Chickasaws under Squirrel King moved across the river and founded the town from which they farmed, hunted and scouted until the Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. In 1757, CPT Daniel Pepper estimated the population there as "seventy Gun Men" (Milling 1940:196).
After the Revolution, New Savannah became a tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
inspection. Tobacco leaf grown at local farms was packed into large hogshead barrels, and rolled to the town to obtain the official quality inspection necessary for its marketing. Sealed and quality-branded hogsheads were then loaded onto pole boats for transport to the seaport and market at Savannah, Georgia
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah is the largest city and the county seat of Chatham County, in the U.S. state of Georgia. Established in 1733, the city of Savannah was the colonial capital of the Province of Georgia and later the first state capital of Georgia. Today Savannah is an industrial center and an important...
215 river miles downstream. Augusta's Tobacco Road still exists by that name and, according to Georgia Place-Names, was laid out in 1789. The tobacco market waned in the very early 19th century and, with that, the commercial existence of New Savannah.
(Note that the similarly named and somewhat contemporaneous Savannah Town, South Carolina
Savannah Town, South Carolina
Savannah Town, South Carolina was first observed in the 1670s as a Westo village, located on the Savannah River below the fall line in present day Aiken County. The Savannah displaced the Westos in a 1679-1680 trade war, and the town bore their name on a 1685 Joel Gascoyne Plat of the Province of...
was located by Fort Moore several miles upstream.)
Geography
New Savannah was located at 33°22'21"N, 81°56'45"W (NAD83/WGS84), at the mouth of Butler Creek about 14 river miles downstream of Augusta, GeorgiaAugusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. Aside from a nearby cemetery, nothing remains of the original site, which is located within New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam
New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam
New Savannah Bluff Lock and Dam is a dam with inactive lock at the site of the dead town of New Savannah, Georgia on the Savannah River south of Augusta, Georgia.-Purpose:...
Park.
External links
- TopoQuest topographic map
- Carte de la Partie Sud by Rigobert Bonne, 1782 showing town as 'N. Savannah ou Chicasoue'
