Savannah is a city in and the county seat of Hardin County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 7,213 at the 2020 census. Savannah is located along the east side of the Tennessee River.

Savannah hosted the NAIA college football national championship game from 1996 to 2007, and is home to several places of historical significance, including the Cherry Family Mansion.

History

The city's original name was "Rudd's Ferry", named for James Rudd, an early settler who established a ferry at the site in the early 1820s. Rudd's Ferry was later purchased by a wealthy landowner, David Robinson. The city was renamed "Savannah" after Savannah, Georgia, the hometown of Rudd's wife, Elizabeth.

Battle of Shiloh

Hardin County was the site of the 1862 Battle of Shiloh (also known as the "Battle of Pittsburg Landing") during the Civil War. The battleground site is southwest of the city of Savannah. Union General Ulysses S. Grant commandeered the Cherry Mansion just off the city square for use as a headquarters during the battle.

thumb|304x304px|Savannah Courthouse

Pickwick Landing State Park

Pickwick Landing State Park is south of Savannah. Originally a steamboat stop, the Tennessee Valley Authority bought the site in the 1930s during the Great Depression and constructed a dam and Pickwick Lake so electricity could be generated. In 1969, Tennessee bought from the TVA and made it a state park.

Geography

Savannah is located just west of the center of Hardin County at (35.223674, -88.237011), on the east bank of the Tennessee River. The CDP of Olivet borders Savannah to the East. U.S. Route 64 passes through the center of town on Bridge Avenue, Main Street, and Wayne Road. US 64 leads east to Waynesboro and west to Selmer. Tennessee State Route 69 leads southeast to the Alabama border. Florence, Alabama, is southeast of Savannah via SR 69 and Alabama State Route 20.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Savannah has a total area of , all of it recorded as land.

Demographics

thumb|250px|left|County courthouse dedication plaque at the city square

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Savannah had a population of 7,213, and the median age was 40.9 years; 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 84.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 79.5 males.

As of the 2020 census, there were 2,990 households in Savannah, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 33.4% were married-couple households, 18.6% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 39.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 35.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 17.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. There were 1,622 families residing in the city.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 6,159 || 85.4%

|-

| Black or African American || 501 || 6.9%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 31 || 0.4%

|-

| Asian || 68 || 0.9%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 1 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 68 || 0.9%

|-

| Two or more races || 385 || 5.3%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 174 || 2.4%

|}

2000 census

As of the census

|-

! Role !! Member !! Term Expires

|-

| Mayor || Robert E. Shutt || 2028

|-

| Vice Mayor || Matthew Smith || 2028

|-

| Commissioner|| Kent Collier || 2028

|-

| Commissioner|| Stephen Johnson || 2026

|-

| Commissioner|| Blake White || 2026

|}

Notable people

  • John Barnhill, football player, coach, and collegiate athletics administrator
  • Stubby Clapp, Major League baseball player and coach
  • Geron Davis, musician and composer
  • Hank DeBerry, Major League baseball catcher in the early 20th century
  • Otis Floyd, President of Tennessee State University and the first African American Chancellor of the Tennessee State Board of Regents
  • Simon Haley, college professor and administrator and father of author Alex Haley
  • W. S. Holland, rock-and-roll or rockabilly drummer for Carl Perkins and Johnny Cash
  • Jim Hardin, Major League pitcher from 1967 to 1973, World Series champion in 1970
  • Tom Hampton, Multi-instrumentalist, session musician, sideman, singer, and songwriter
  • Bolden Reush Harrison, naval officer and Medal of Honor recipient
  • Chad Harville, Major League pitcher
  • Granville Hinton, politician
  • Myles Horton, educator and civil rights activist
  • Vernon McGarity, Army Technical Sargent and Medal of Honor recipient
  • Elizabeth Patterson, actress in films and on I Love Lucy
  • Randy Rinks, businessman and politician
  • Herman L. Wolfe, Sr., politician
  • Darryl Worley, country music performer

References

  • City of Savannah official website