Savannah is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Chatham County, Georgia, USA. Savannah was established in 1733 and was the first colonial and state capital of Georgia. A picturesque city, Savannah attracts millions of visitors, who enjoy the city's architecture and historic buildings:

--the birthplace of Juliette Gordon Low (founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America)
--the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences (one of the South's first public museums)
--the First African Baptist Church (one of the oldest African American Baptist congregations in the United States)
--Temple Mickve Israel (the third-oldest synagogue in America)
--the Central of Georgia Railway roundhouse complex (the oldest standing antebellum rail facility in America).

     Today Savannah's downtown area, which includes the Savannah Historic District, the Savannah Victorian Historic District and 22 parklike squares, is one of the largest National Historic Landmark Districts in the United States (designated by the U.S. government in 1966). Savannah was the host city for the sailing competitions during the 1996 Summer Olympics held in Atlanta, Georgia.

     Sitting along the coast, Savannah enjoys mild winters and relatively milder summers than interior cities.  Summers tend toward humid, with a significant amount of thunderstorms.  The heaviest precipitation falls from June to September, contributing to monsoon-like climate conditions.  Because of its distance south of the snow line, Savannah very rarely experiences snow fall.  While at risk for hurricanes, the coastal geography reduces probability; the last hurricane of any significance to hit Savannah was Hurricane David in 1979.

     A popular tourist city, the majority of Savannah's revenue comes from dining, lodging, entertainment, and tourist-related interests.  Notable films have been recently shot on site, including Forrest Gump and the adaptation of Midnight In The Garden of Good And Evil.  The non-fiction bestseller of the same name drew unprecedented attention to Savannah, remaining a powerful draw for visitors.  Savannah's rich history and eccentric character attract millions of visitors per year.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:13, Fri 22 Apr 2022.

The Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops & Terminal Facilities

The Central of Georgia Railroad: Savannah Shops and Terminal Facilities is a 33.2-acre historic district in Savannah, Georgia, that was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1978. It is dominated by the Central of Georgia Depot and Trainshed, a passenger depot and trainshed constructed in 1860, before the outbreak of the American Civil War. This pair of buildings was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976.

Located in the vicinity of West Broad Street and Railroad Avenue in the city's historic downtown, the site includes the following notable structures: a cotton yard, a blacksmith shop, two brick viaducts, a gray building, a red building, the depot, the trainshed and other buildings.

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

The Cathedral of St. John the Baptist is a Roman Catholic cathedral at 222 East Harris Street, Savannah, Georgia, in the United States. It is the mother-church of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah.

The Congrégation de Saint Jean-Baptiste was established as Savannah's first parish, at the end of the 18th century, by French immigrants, who went to Savannah after an uprising in Haiti, and many of whom were French nobles fleeing the French Revolution.

On May 30, 1800, the first church building was built on a plot on Liberty Square given to the congregation by the city a year earlier. By 1804, the church was petitioning for more room; but the city could not grant it, because there were no empty lots. On August 2, 1811, though, the city granted a petition for a large parcel at Montgomery and Hull streets—where the church never was built. Instead, it was built at Drayton and Perry.

In 1876, another new building was built along Harris Street, between Abercorn Street and Lincoln Street. In 1898, this structure caught fire and was almost completely destroyed. The then bishop of Savannah, Thomas A. Becker, said, while looking at the devastation, "The Cathedral must be rebuilt, and as soon as possible."

The reconstructed church was completed in late 1899 and held its first mass on December 24 of that year. It was dedicated on October 28, 1900, by Archbishop Sebastian Martinelli. The cathedral remains one of the largest church buildings in the Southern United States.

In 1959–1963, the building was renovated extensively, being upgraded with modern heating, cooling, and lighting; a new plaza; a new pulpit; and a new altar rail. In 1984–1985, the building was again renovated: the old, crumbling wooden foundation of was replaced with reinforced concrete.

Forsyth

Forsyth Park is a large city park that occupies 30 acres (0.12 km2) in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia. The park lies between Drayton and Whitaker Streets and contains walking paths, a children's play area, the Fragrant Garden for the Blind, and a large fountain. From time to time, there are concerts held at Forsyth to the benefit of the public.

The park was originally created in the 1840s on 10 acres (0.04 km2) of land donated by William Hodgson. In 1851, the park was expanded and named for Georgia Governor John Forsyth. By 1853, all original planned wards of Savannah were occupied and a large public park was added to the extreme south end of the city plan. This park was anticipated by General James Oglethorpe's plan and was made possible by a donation of 20 acres (81,000 m2) of land owned by Forsyth.

Standing in the middle of Forsyth Park with the pathway wrapping around it lies the Confederate Memorial Statue. This work of art was donated by the Monroe County Courthouse to commemorate those volunteers who gave their lives fighting for the Confederacy. Surrounded by a fence, it is protected to sustain its culture and longevity.

The fountain at the north end of the park was added in 1858 and is reminiscent of fountains in the Place de la Concorde in Paris and in Cuzco, Peru. At this time, Parisian urban planning was centered on the development of residential neighborhoods radiating out from a central green space. The Parisian model of developing large city parks was emulated by large cities in the United States, with even smaller cities, such as Savannah, asserting their own cosmopolitan image.

The fountain and many other aspects of Savannah are clearly visible in the 1962 version of Cape Fear.