Ghost Residents  ·  No. 009  ·  Issue No. 1

The First Performer
Nominated for a Color Film
Oscar Grew Up Here.

She was seven years old when the census recorded her here. She left Savannah at fourteen.

1701 Whitaker Street, Savannah, Georgia
Census + Directory + Marriage Certificate
Photograph coming soon
1701 Whitaker Street  ·  Savannah, Georgia

When her parents separated Miriam Hopkins moved with her mother and sister to live with her grandmother Mildred Cutter at 1701 Whitaker Street. The 1910 census records the household — grandmother Mildred, age 60. Her daughter Ellen Hopkins, age 30. Granddaughter Ruby, age 10. Granddaughter Ellen m., age 7.

Ellen m. was Miriam. The census recorded her by her given name. She was seven years old, living on the western edge of Forsyth Park, in a house full of women holding things together after a family came apart.

She left Savannah at fourteen. She became a Broadway actress, then a Hollywood star. In 1935 she appeared in Becky Sharp — the first feature film shot entirely in three-strip Technicolor. Her performance earned her the first Academy Award nomination ever given for a color film.

The house at 1701 Whitaker Street is now a quadplex. No marker. Three documents confirm she was here — the 1910 census, the Savannah city directory listing her grandmother at 1701 Whitaker, and the marriage certificate of her parents confirming the family connection.

She left Savannah and became the first performer ever nominated for an Academy Award for a color film. The house is now a quadplex.
Miriam Hopkins · Hollywood studio portrait · c. 1935
Photograph coming soon
Miriam Hopkins · Hollywood studio portrait · c. 1935
Public domain · Studio publicity photograph · Pre-1928 copyright
7Years old in the 1910 census at 1701 Whitaker Street
1935Becky Sharp — first color film Academy Award nomination
1First performer ever nominated for a color film Oscar
THE RECORD Primary Source
Primary source document
Document coming soon
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1910 U.S. Census · ED 56 · Ward 2
HeadCutter, Mildred — widow — age 60
DaughterHopkins, Ellen M. — age 30
Grand DaughterRuby b. — age 10
Grand DaughterEllen m. — age 7 (Miriam)
Address1701 Whitaker Street
Primary Source Citation
1910 US Census · Chatham County · Savannah City · ED 56 · Ward 2 · Cutter Mildred household · Ellen m., Grand Daughter, age 7 · Savannah City Directory confirms 1701 Whitaker · Marriage Certificate confirms family connection · All documents viewed directly · DEED History, April 2026
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