Corinthia Manigault remembers growing up in East Savannah in the 1920s when the neighborhood resembled a “small village.” At that time it was a rural African American community in eastern Chatham County, linked to Savannah by the street car but still largely isolated from its nearest white neighbors. The neighborhood’s origins date from the 1870s when it was platted as a subdivision, with the first families settling there in the late 1880s. One early resident and community leader, Charles Baker, became an emerging entrepreneur as he purchased nearly forty lots of the subdivision.
Houses were built sporadically at first, often with the property owner serving as his own contractor. Even as development closed in on the neighborhood’s borders, there were still open fields where cows grazed as late as the 1940s. Modern conveniences such as electricity, running water, and indoor plumbing bypassed East Savannah until after World War II. However, when contractors discovered the inexpensive price of East Savannah lots in the 1950s, a building boom of home construction took place.
Occupations of residents in East Savannah ranged widely, from industrial work at Standard Oil and American Cyanamid to domestic service and the military. Jobs tied to the waterfront were common; men worked on board tugboats for Atlantic Towing Company or on the docks as longshoremen. Others made their living shrimping, fishing, or oystering. At nearby Thunderbolt, there were also jobs ashore for women and men working at the canneries picking crab and cleaning shrimp.
East Savannah is also remarkable for the number of women who became teachers and principals. Families stressed the value of education to their children and those lessons were reinforced at neighborhood pre-schools, such as Mother Emily’s Kindergarten. At Powell Laboratory School, located on the campus of Savannah State University, children spent their formative years being challenged by their teachers and motivated by the college environment.
Thanks to its small size, the neighborhood has always been tight-knit. Its churches, neighborhood association, and even its cemetery forge lasting ties among residents. East Savannah has also been fortunate to have gifted leaders who have worked through the churches and the neighborhood association to improve the quality of neighborhood life.
Adam Morrell
“75th Anniversary Program,” First African Baptist Church, 1972.
Courtesy of Mary Roberson.
The unofficial “Mayor of East Savannah,” Adam Morrel was known for his work on behalf of residents of East Savannah. In 1935, he was one of five men who founded the neighborhood association in order to safeguard the East Savannah Cemetery. He and his wife opened their home to families needing a place to live in the neighborhood and helped them locate permanent housing. Many friends sought out Adam Morrel’s counsel because he was respected as “the wise man of the community.”
Oelschig Greenhouse
Courtesy of George Oelschig.
Men from East Savannah worked at Oelschig greenhouses for most of the twentieth century. The African American men photographed with A.C. Oelschig about 1910 were likely residents of East Savannah.
Joseph Baker Sr.
Courtesy of Janie Baker Bowers.
Joseph Baker Sr. moved his family from Thunderbolt to East Savannah in 1940. Quickly he became a valued member of the community, serving as a deacon at First African Baptist Church. He also brought his experience working at Bonaventure Cemetery to help the neighborhood association manage East Savannah Cemetery.
Mrs. Ladson’s Confectionary
Photograph by Geoff L. Johnson.
Courtesy of the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Savannah.
The children of East Savannah waited for the schoolbus in front of Mrs. Lavinia Ladson’s confectionary at the intersection of East Gwinnett Street and Treat Avenue. They called her “Mrs. Sweet” and indulged their sweet tooth buying candy there. For the rest of the community, Mrs. Ladson’s store was a market and a general store where they bought meat and staples, as well as kerosene in the days before the neighborhood had electricity. With few stores located in East Savannah, Mrs. Ladson’s confectionary was a neighborhood institution.
Trade Winds Workers
Ambos Photograph Collection, Thunderbolt Museum.
Courtesy of Lena Ambos Meeks and the Thunderbolt Museum Society.
During the 1950s, East Savannah residents were among the employees at the Trade Winds plant in Thunderbolt, processing shrimp that would be cleaned, battered, frozen, and packaged.
509 Treat Avenue
Photograph by Geoff L. Johnson.
Courtesy of the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Savannah.
The homeowner of 509 Treat Avenue worked on this house off and on for almost fifty years. His wife called him “handy” because he could build almost anything; in fact he was also fascinated by decorative ironwork. As the house expanded with additions, more ironwork graced the home’s exterior.
Mary and Willie Roberson
Photograph by Geoff L. Johnson.
Courtesy of the Department of Cultural Affairs, City of Savannah.
Homeowners Mary and Willie Roberson, in the center behind the fence, share a lighthearted moment at Treat Park. Home ownership, rather than rental housing, has been the norm in East Savannah throughout the neighborhood’s history. For more than fifty years, the Robersons have lived in the same house on Hanson Street.
