Abercorn Street

Prominent street in Savannah, Georgia

Abercorn Street

Abercorn Street at Oglethorpe Avenue, looking northeast, 2011

Namesake| James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn
Length| 7.8 mi (12.6 km)
Location| Savannah, Georgia, U.S.
North end| East Bay Street
South end| Harry S. Truman Parkway (SR 204)

Abercorn Street is a prominent street in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located between Drayton Street to the west and Lincoln Street to the east, it runs for about 7.8 miles (12.6 km) from East Bay Street in the north to Harry S. Truman Parkway (State Route 204) in the south. It is concurrent with SR 204 from 37th Street south.[1] The street is named for James Hamilton, 6th Earl of Abercorn, a financial benefactor of the Georgia colony.[2] Its northern section passes through the Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District.[3]

On the northern side of Bay Street, the Abercorn Street Ramp leads down through Factors Walk to River Street at the Savannah River.

Abercorn Street goes around four of Savannah's 22 squares. They are (from north to south):

* Reynolds Square
* Oglethorpe Square
* Lafayette Square
* Taylor Square

For five blocks between and Oglethorpe and Lafayette Squares, Abercorn Street forms the western boundary of Colonial Park Cemetery,[4] which was established in 1750 (274 years ago) (1750).

## Notable buildings and structures

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See also: Buildings in Savannah Historic District

The Hamilton–Turner Inn in Lafayette Square

Below is a selection of notable buildings and structures on Abercorn Street, all in Savannah's Historic District. From north to south:[5]

* The Olde Pink House, 23 Abercorn Street (1789)
* Oliver Sturges House, 27 Abercorn Street (1813)
* Planters Inn, 29 Abercorn Street (1913)
* Lucas Theatre, 32 Abercorn Street (1921)
* Owens–Thomas House, 124 Abercorn Street (1819)
* Mary Marshall Houses, 127–129 Abercorn Street (c. 1850)
* Andrew Low House, 329 Abercorn Street (1849)
* Hamilton–Turner Inn, 330 Abercorn Street (1873)
* Clary's Cafe, 404 Abercorn Street
* Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, 429 Abercorn Street (1890)
* John Mingledorff Property, 439 Abercorn Street (1856)
* Algernon Hartridge House, 516 Abercorn Street (1870)

John Houstoun, Savannah's first mayor, lived in the Houston–Johnson–Screven House, at 32 Abercorn Street, which was built around 1784. The home was demolished in 1920 to make way for the Lucas Theatre.[6]

## References in popular culture

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The street is featured several times in John Berendt's 1994 book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

> We drove south on Abercorn Street. Within a few blocks, the restrained architecture of the historic district gave way to late-Victorian flights of fancy — big old wooden houses with romantic towers, gables, and elaborate gingerbread trim. A few were restored, but most were in very poor condition.

> — John Berendt, on a drive with Lee Adler[7]

In the subsequent 1997 movie, The Lady Chablis says her fourth boyfriend "is a mechanic over there on Abercorn", to which John Cusack's character John Kelso replies, "I know where that is." A celebration of the life of The Lady Chablis took place at the Lucas Theatre on Abercorn Street in November 2016, following her death two months earlier.[8]

## References

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1. ^ "Route of SR 204" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved June 18, 2013.
2. ^ Cope, Tony (2016). It's Not That Lincoln. The Abercorn Press.
3. ^ James Dillon (1977) National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: The Savannah Georgia NHL Historic District, National Park Service and Accompanying 25 photos, from 1964, 1973
4. ^ Colonial Park Cemetery – City of Savannah
5. ^ Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District – Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011)
6. ^ Spracher, Luciana M. (2003). Lost Savannah: Photographs from the Collection of the Georgia Historical Society. Arcadia Publishing. p. 11\. ISBN 978-0-7385-1487-1.
7. ^ Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt (1994) ISBN 9780679751526
8. ^ "The Lady Chablis, March 11, 1957 – September 8, 2016 (age 59)" – Adams Funeral Services

* v
* t
* e

Major streets of downtown Savannah, Georgia

North–south running|

* Abercorn Street
* Barnard Street
* Bull Street
* Drayton Street
* East Broad Street
* Habersham Street
* Houston Street
* Jefferson Street
* Lincoln Street
* Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
* Montgomery Street
* Price Street
* Tattnall Street
* Whitaker Street

East–west running|

* Bay Street
* Broughton Street
* Bryan Street
* Charlton Street
* Congress Street
* Gaston Street
* Gordon Street
* Harris Street
* Hull Street
* Jones Street
* Liberty Street
* Oglethorpe Avenue
* Perry Street
* River Street
* State Street
* Taylor Street
* York Street

*[c.]: circa
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