Originally, Abercorn Street was a spur south of town that ended near Hunter Air Force (now Air Reserve) Base. It was not until 1964 that the state saw fit that the road to it should be a state highway. When first commissioned, Abercorn Street became GA 359, extending around 9 miles from present-day Montgomery Street (then U.S. 17/80) back to what appears to be Montgomery Street again on the south side of Savannah. The actual original end is unclear since the road there has long since been extended.

GA 359 in its final year in 1968. Note how the road is essentially a highway to nowhere. Also note the differences of the highways in 1968 versus today in Savannah. GA 26 Loop is now I-516 and county-maintained DeRenne Avenue, GA 167 is Chatham Parkway and Toll U.S. 80 is no longer toll nor U.S. 80.

GA 359 was renumbered as GA 204 in 1968 when the "Abercorn Extension", which is today the expressway portion of GA 204 to I-95, was proposed and under construction. The renumbering to GA 204 occured because at the western end of the Abercorn Extension, the new route tied into existing GA 204, and apparently GDOT did not want two highways ending into each other. In other words, one route number had to take precedence. Work on the Abercorn Extension was completed in 1972, and short-lived GA 359 was then forgotten.

When GA 204 was proposed between then under-construction I-95 and the end of Abercorn Street, the GA 359 designation was removed from Abercorn in favor of GA 204 (1969 GDOT Map).