Obscure ordinances – Fruit punch
Fruit punch is a favorite sweet drink for many, so why would its sale and production be heavily controlled by a Savannah City Ordinance? As part of the Municipal Archives’ Obscure Ordinances series, we look at this 1922 local law prohibiting the sale, handling, and production of fruit punch not containing dairy without first obtaining a permit from the city health officer.
A subsequent ordinance required anyone with a fruit punch permit to also submit to inspections of their facility. The ordinance makes a point to prohibit any punch-related activity from occurring in a private dwelling. This seems strange to those of us accustomed to the Hi-C and Hawaiian Punch varieties, but the 1920s were smack dab in the middle of Prohibition and many creative laws were enacted to try to limit the sale and distribution of illegal alcohol.
While the goal was increased connectedness and economic prosperity, often the new highways decimated urban neighborhoods. In Savannah, I 16 and the I-16 flyover spanning West Broad Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) and Montgomery Street transformed Savannah’s westside forever; buildings were torn down, families and businesses were displaced, and the historic street grid was rerouted to support the increased number of vehicles flowing in to Savannah.
In 1967, Montgomery Street, previously two-way, was changed to one-way north bound traffic from Jones to Bay streets. In 1985, to facilitate the restoration of Franklin Square, this street was partially restored to two-way traffic from Bay to Broughton.