9 Drayton Street

9 Drayton Street is a historic building in Savannah, Georgia, United States. Located in the northeastern residential/tything block of Johnson Square, part of the Savannah Historic District, the building dates from 1853.[1]

9 Drayton Street
The building's Drayton Street elevation
General information
LocationSavannah, Georgia, U.S.
Address9 Drayton Street
Coordinates32.08020°N 81.090382°W / 32.08020; -81.090382
Completed1853 (1853)
OwnerThe Fitzroy
Technical details
Floor count3

It was built for George Wayne Anderson and later owned by Confederate Army veteran Edward Clifford Anderson Jr. and officer George Mercer.[1]

The building, which has an angled entrance at Drayton and East Bay Lane, is believed to be the oldest continuously operated saloon and restaurant in the city. An oyster bar and public house stood on the same site from 1850 and possibly earlier.[1]

During and after the Civil War, it served as an office building and restaurant. It also has a connection to the Wanderer slave-ship scandal. Charles Lamar, mastermind of the scheme, had offices next door in the Bank of Commerce building. Richard F. Aiken,[2] his co-conspirator, operated a bar, named the "Gem", from 9 Drayton Street after the war.[1]

Today

Churchill's Pub was located here at the time it was featured in the 1996 filming of the Clint Eastwood-directed Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, but it was damaged in a fire seven years later, after which it closed.[3]

The property has been occupied since 2018 by The Fitzroy, the owners of which also run The Collins Quarter on Bull Street and The Deck Beach Bar & Kitchen on Tybee Island.[4][3]

References
  1. Savannah, Immortal City: Volume One of the Civil War Savannah Series, Barry Sheehy, Cindy Wallace, Vaughnette Goode-Walker (2011) ISBN 9781934572702
  2. The Wanderer: a finding aid – National Archives South Region
  3. "City Talk: The Fitzroy brings eclectic menu to Drayton Street" - Savannah Morning News, May 7, 2018
  4. The Fitzroy Savannah - official website
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