"One man and a horse will do more than fifty men with the old machines. 'Tis generally said by those who know anything about it that I shall make a fortune by it."

—Eli Whitney (on inventing the cotton gin)

Factors Walk Located Just Behind River Street 

Eli Whitney ended up being completely wrong in his speculation about making a fortune on his invention of the cotton engine machine, known as the cotton ‘gin’ for short. 

After graduating from Yale in 1792, Whitney traveled south by accepting an invitation to stay on the Mulberry Grove Plantation located just outside of Savannah, owned by Catherine Greene, the widow of American Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene.

Greene Square, home to the Second African Baptist Church (see PFS-102), is named for Nathanael Greene; a monument built in his honor centers Savannah's Johnson Square (see PFS-28 and PFS-29).

In 1794, just after the Patent Act of 1793 was passed — marking the beginning of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office now under the Department of Commerce — the U.S.-born inventor patented his cotton gin machine. The invention revolutionized cotton production throughout the American South by speeding up the process of separating those pesky cotton seeds from the valuable cotton fiber.

Many believe Catherine Greene played a more significant role in the invention of the cotton gin, particularly in its original design and the financing of its creation. But to Eli Whitney goes the credit.

Cotton indeed was an ideal crop for Georgia and other Southern states. It was easy to grow and then store for extended periods. The difficulty was removing the seeds from the fiber. The long-staple cotton plant contained seeds more easily removed but only grew well along the coast. As a result, most cotton farmers had to grow short-staple cotton, which required more labor-intensive seed removal.

Whitney's cotton gin transformed the industry and, in doing so—unfortunately—expanded the demand for more slave labor to grow substantially more cotton. The profit in growing cotton expanded exponentially, as the labor to remove seeds increased from one pound per person a day to fifty pounds. 

Unfortunately for Eli, while every planter demanded and desired the use of a cotton gin, most cotton farmers found ways to construct copies of alternative ginning machines, thus avoiding the need to pay him. Whitney fought the knock-off cotton gins in court but ultimately realized little profit in his creation. He did, however, go on to make a fortune in the manufacture of muskets for the U.S. Army.

The exportation of cotton expanded enormously. In resolving complex business needs for the planters, the cotton-factoring profession and its business service evolved. Factors arranged purchases, transportation, and advanced money against cotton orders to facilitate trade for planters.

Being a port city, Savannah was a natural place for cotton factors to hang their hat. I painted this scene en Plein air on a beautiful February afternoon. It shows an area known as Factors Walk found directly behind the first line of buildings (most built initially as cotton warehouses) just off the Savannah River. Factors Walk is a delightful area to explore while you're visiting the Historic District of Savannah. 

The area is active with many fine shops and restaurants. At night, Savannah's Ghost Tours are busy scaring patrons with tales of the haunting whispers from thousands of enslaved peoples who passed through the Savannah port on their way to nearby cotton plantations. Eli Whitney's invention of the gin was a critical reason why ‘King Cotton’ became a dominant economic force in the American South.