Date of Original
2003/2004

Location
United States, Georgia, Chatham County, Savannah, 32.08354, -81.09983

Medium
oral histories (literary works)

Type
Moving Image
Still Image
Sound
Text

Description
Oral histories related to the Benjamin Van Clark Neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia. The research focuses on three themes and their impact on the community during the 19th and 20th centuries: mass transportation and the development of streetcar suburbs; desegregation and the changing population of the community; and the revitalization and rehabilitation of the community as it enters the 21st century., The Benjamin Van Clark Neighborhood is bounded by Wheaton Street on the north, Bee Road on the east, Anderson Street on the south, and Harmon Street on the west. The current neighborhood incorporates the historic neighborhoods of Collinsville, the Meadows, and Eastville. The current neighborhood is also identified with the areas of Wagner Heights, Garden Homes, and Blackshear Homes. The Benjamin Van Clark Neighborhood has a unique and interesting history influenced by the development of the streetcar suburbs of Collinsville and the Meadows, developed by Jacob S. Collins and several prominent Savannah businessmen during the 1890s and early 1900s. These historic areas neighbored lower income, working communities along the Wheaton Street and Waters Avenue business corridors. The introduction of public housing in the form of Garden Homes and later Blackshear Homes impacted the socio-economic composition of the neighborhood during the mid to late-20th century, and influenced the transition from a racially mixed neighborhood to one predominantly African American.

Metadata URL
https://dlg.usg.edu/collection/gsg_bvcoh

Language
eng

Holding Institution
City of Savannah Municipal Archives

Rights