Tennessee State Flag

* Tennessee State Flower
Purple Iris

     Savannah is located in Hardin County, Tennessee. The county is divided nearly in half by the Tennessee River and is situated in Southwest Tennessee near the Alabama and Mississippi borders.  The County is named for Col. Joseph Hardin, who surveyed 2000 acres in the year 1815.  The land was settled by six of Col. Hardin's sons and others.

     James Rudd came to Hardin County in 1821, a year after it was organized, and settled on the East bank of the Tennessee River, south of Cerro Gordo.  He operated a ferry, called Rudd's Ferry.  The county seat was moved to Rudd's Ferry, which had become an impressive river port.  David Robinson bought the ferry, and nearby property, and named the town Savannah in 1827.  By 1829 Savannah had 150 settlers.

     In the 1830's and 1840's, Savannah hosted "The Savannah Male Academy" and  "The Savannah Female College".  Both were destroyed by fire.  After the Civil War, Savannah experienced twenty years of hardship, brought on partially by a failing cotton industry.  Between 1850 and 1880, the towns population only increased by 193.

     Highway 64 was completed through Savannah in the late 1920's and the bridge over the Tennessee River, connecting the East and West halves of Hardin County was completed in 1930.  For the first time, residents could travel the county without a ferry.

     Nearby attractions include Pickwick Lake and Dam, Shiloh National Military Park, the location of one of the biggest battles of the Civil War;  and McNairy County, the home of Buford Pusser of "Walking Tall."

    Savannah is the home of the "Cherry Mansion" the Headquarters of Gen. Grant during the Civil War Battle of Shiloh.   It is said that he knew when the battle began because he was close enough to hear the cannons.

Monument near the Cherry Mansion in Savannah, TN, the site of General Grants Headquarters

** Savannah logo is used with permission from the City of Savannah, TN