The Cotton Exchange

Dear Jake & Amelia,
We have been driving by plantations and cotton fields for several days. We drove into Savannah listening to Nina Simone sing old southern blues. We walked through town past gracious homes and across the park-like squares that interrupt the city grid. 

Down by the  Savannah River is a narrow row of buildings called the Factors Walk. These buildings housed the cotton merchants, or factors. In front of the city side of the buildings are 3 levels of alleys spanned by metal bridges. The factors would stand  on the bridges, inspect and bid on the loads of cotton in wagons on the cobblestone alleys below. If a load was purchased, slaves would load the cotton into the warehouse space below the offices. 

Today the buildings have been renovated into offices and stores. The river side of the buildings  house restaurants, stores and tour companies. The port is still active and traffic on the river is constant.

Nancy & Peter

The Factors Walk

Under the Factors Walk

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