Anyone who has spent any significant amount of time in savannah has undoubtedly noticed the squares (whether while admiring their beauty or cursing them for lengthening driving time). But what you may not know, is that each of the squares has its own unique history.
During the development of Savannah, the squares were used as communal spaces for residents. They would celebrate holidays and victories, bake, and gather within the squares.They now house historic monuments and statues, and define Savannah's historic district with their limits.
The original plan for the city included twenty-four squares, four of which are "originals" (Johnson Square, Wright Square, Ellis Square, and Telfair Square) built by James Oglethorpe in 1733. The remaining twenty squares were laid through the 18th and 19th centuries.
Three of the squares, Elbert, Ellis and Liberty, were lost during city renovations. Elbert was lost to construction on Montgomery Street, Liberty Square was lost to the addition of a courthouse, and Ellis Square was lost to a parking garage. Ellis Square was recently resurrected though, when the parking garage was moved underground and a park was rebuilt in its place.
Take a walk through downtown Savannah and enjoy the beauty within our historic squares.
Calhoun Square
Named for: John Calhoun, the "great orator of the south"
Nearby landmarks: George Ash Home, Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, Massie Heritage Center
Other facts: Only square with all of its original buildings and homes completely intact
Chatham Square
Originally laid out in: 1847
Named for: William Pitt, British politician and First Earl of Chatham
Also known as: Barnard Square
Nearby landmarks: Gordon Row
Other facts: One of the last Savannah squares built
Chippewa Square
Originally laid out in: 1815
Named for: Battle of Chippewa (War of 1812)
Also known as: Oglethorpe Square
What you'll see: Bronze statue of James Oglethorpe
Nearby landmarks: First Baptist Church, Savannah Theater
Other facts:The opening scene of the movie Forest Gumpwas filmed in this square. The park bench, however, was only a prop placed for the movie and therefore cannot be seen in the square.
Columbia Square
Originally laid out in: 1799
What you'll see: A fountain from historic Wormsloe Plantation, the estate of early Georgia settler Noble James
Nearby landmarks: Davenport House Museum
Crawford Square
Originally laid out in: 1841
Named for: Treasury William Harris Crawford, who was a US senator for Georgia
What you'll see: A water cistern that was used for fire fighting
Other facts: The smallest square
Elbert Square
Originally laid out in: 1801
Named for: Samuel Elbert, a revolutionary soldier and Governor of Georgia
Other facts: This square was paved over to make way for improvements to Montgomery Street. The square is now represented by a small grassy area.
Ellis Square
Originally laid out in: 1733
Named for: Henry Ellis, the second Royal Governor the of the Georgia Colony.
Also known as: Market Square (because it served as a center of commerce from the 1730s to the 1950s)
Other facts: This square was lost in the 1950s to developers, who constructed a parking lot. This sparked Savannah's historic preservation movement. Recently the parking lot was demolished and the square was restored.
Franklin Square
Originally laid out in: 1790
Named for: Benjamin Franklin, who served from 1768 to 1778 as an agent for the Georgia colony
Also known as: Water Tank Square, Water Tower Square, and Reservoir Square (because it was the site of Savannah's water supply for many years)
What you'll see: The CasseursVolontaires de Saint-Dominguememorial dedicated to Haitian volunteers who fought alongside General Casimir Pulaski in 1779 during the Revolutionary War
Nearby landmarks: First African Baptists Church, City Market
Greene Square
Originally laid out in: 1799
Named for: General Nathanial Greene, the revolutionary war hero who lead southern forces
Other facts: General Nathanial Greene is ironically not buried in Greene Square, he is buried in Johnson Square.
Johnson Square
Originally laid out in:1733
Named for: Robert Johnson, the colonial governor of South Carolina, who was a friend of General Oglethorpe
What you'll see: The gravesite of Nathanial Greene, Revolutionary War hero
Other facts: This is the first and largest of Savannah's Squares
Lafayette Square
Originally laid out in: 1837
Named for: Marquis de Lafayette, revolutionary war hero
What you'll see: A fountain
Nearby landmarks: Andrew Low House, Hamilton Turner House, Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Flannery O'Connor childhood home
Liberty Square
Originally laid out in: 1799
Named for: The Sons of Liberty and the victory over the British in the Revolutionary War
What you'll see: The Flame of Freedom sculpture
Other facts: The square was paved over to make way for a courthouse
Madison Square
Originally laid out in: 1841
Named for: James Madison, fourth president of the United States
Also known as: Jasper Square
What you'll see: Statue of Sargent William Jasper
Nearby landmarks: Saint John's Episcopal Church, Green-Meldrim House, Sorrel-Weed House, Masonic Temple
Monterey Square
Named for: The capturing of the city of Monterey by General Zachary Taylor
What you'll see: Bronze monument of Casimir Pulaski
Nearby landmarks: Mercer-Williams House, Congregation Mickve Israel
Oglethorpe Square
Originally laid out in: 1742
Named for: James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah
Also known as: Upper New Square
What you'll see: A pedestal honoring Monrovian settlers who arrived in Savannah with John Wesley in the 1730s
Nearby landmarks: Owens-Thomas House
Other facts: The home of John Reynolds, the first Royal Governor, was once located here
During the development of Savannah, the squares were used as communal spaces for residents. They would celebrate holidays and victories, bake, and gather within the squares.They now house historic monuments and statues, and define Savannah's historic district with their limits.
The original plan for the city included twenty-four squares, four of which are "originals" (Johnson Square, Wright Square, Ellis Square, and Telfair Square) built by James Oglethorpe in 1733. The remaining twenty squares were laid through the 18th and 19th centuries.
Three of the squares, Elbert, Ellis and Liberty, were lost during city renovations. Elbert was lost to construction on Montgomery Street, Liberty Square was lost to the addition of a courthouse, and Ellis Square was lost to a parking garage. Ellis Square was recently resurrected though, when the parking garage was moved underground and a park was rebuilt in its place.
Take a walk through downtown Savannah and enjoy the beauty within our historic squares.
Calhoun SquareNamed for: John Calhoun, the "great orator of the south"
Nearby landmarks: George Ash Home, Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, Massie Heritage Center
Other facts: Only square with all of its original buildings and homes completely intact
Chatham Square
Originally laid out in: 1847
Named for: William Pitt, British politician and First Earl of Chatham
Also known as: Barnard Square
Nearby landmarks: Gordon Row
Other facts: One of the last Savannah squares built
Chippewa Square
Originally laid out in: 1815
Named for: Battle of Chippewa (War of 1812)
Also known as: Oglethorpe Square
What you'll see: Bronze statue of James Oglethorpe
Nearby landmarks: First Baptist Church, Savannah Theater
Other facts:The opening scene of the movie Forest Gumpwas filmed in this square. The park bench, however, was only a prop placed for the movie and therefore cannot be seen in the square.
Columbia Square
Originally laid out in: 1799
What you'll see: A fountain from historic Wormsloe Plantation, the estate of early Georgia settler Noble James
Nearby landmarks: Davenport House Museum
Crawford Square
Originally laid out in: 1841
Named for: Treasury William Harris Crawford, who was a US senator for Georgia
What you'll see: A water cistern that was used for fire fighting
Other facts: The smallest square
Elbert Square
Originally laid out in: 1801
Named for: Samuel Elbert, a revolutionary soldier and Governor of Georgia
Other facts: This square was paved over to make way for improvements to Montgomery Street. The square is now represented by a small grassy area.
Ellis Square
Originally laid out in: 1733
Named for: Henry Ellis, the second Royal Governor the of the Georgia Colony.
Also known as: Market Square (because it served as a center of commerce from the 1730s to the 1950s)
Other facts: This square was lost in the 1950s to developers, who constructed a parking lot. This sparked Savannah's historic preservation movement. Recently the parking lot was demolished and the square was restored.
Franklin Square
Originally laid out in: 1790
Named for: Benjamin Franklin, who served from 1768 to 1778 as an agent for the Georgia colony
Also known as: Water Tank Square, Water Tower Square, and Reservoir Square (because it was the site of Savannah's water supply for many years)
What you'll see: The CasseursVolontaires de Saint-Dominguememorial dedicated to Haitian volunteers who fought alongside General Casimir Pulaski in 1779 during the Revolutionary War
Nearby landmarks: First African Baptists Church, City Market
Greene Square
Originally laid out in: 1799
Named for: General Nathanial Greene, the revolutionary war hero who lead southern forces
Other facts: General Nathanial Greene is ironically not buried in Greene Square, he is buried in Johnson Square.
Johnson Square
Originally laid out in:1733
Named for: Robert Johnson, the colonial governor of South Carolina, who was a friend of General Oglethorpe
What you'll see: The gravesite of Nathanial Greene, Revolutionary War hero
Other facts: This is the first and largest of Savannah's Squares
Lafayette Square
Originally laid out in: 1837
Named for: Marquis de Lafayette, revolutionary war hero
What you'll see: A fountain
Nearby landmarks: Andrew Low House, Hamilton Turner House, Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist, Flannery O'Connor childhood home
Liberty Square
Originally laid out in: 1799
Named for: The Sons of Liberty and the victory over the British in the Revolutionary War
What you'll see: The Flame of Freedom sculpture
Other facts: The square was paved over to make way for a courthouse
Madison Square
Originally laid out in: 1841
Named for: James Madison, fourth president of the United States
Also known as: Jasper Square
What you'll see: Statue of Sargent William Jasper
Nearby landmarks: Saint John's Episcopal Church, Green-Meldrim House, Sorrel-Weed House, Masonic Temple
Monterey Square
Named for: The capturing of the city of Monterey by General Zachary Taylor
What you'll see: Bronze monument of Casimir Pulaski
Nearby landmarks: Mercer-Williams House, Congregation Mickve Israel
Oglethorpe Square
Originally laid out in: 1742
Named for: James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah
Also known as: Upper New Square
What you'll see: A pedestal honoring Monrovian settlers who arrived in Savannah with John Wesley in the 1730s
Nearby landmarks: Owens-Thomas House
Other facts: The home of John Reynolds, the first Royal Governor, was once located here
Orleans Square
Originally laid out in: 1815
Named for: The Battle of New Orleans (War of 1812)
What you'll see: The German Memorial Fountain, which pays tribute to early German immigrants
Nearby landmarks: Savannah Civic Center, Champion-McAlpin House
Pulaski Square
Originally laid out in: 1837
Named for: General Casimir Pulaski, Revolutionary War hero
Other facts: Was originally paved to allow traffic to drive through its center
Reynolds Square
Originally laid out in: 1734
Named for: Captain John Reynolds, who was the colonial governor of Georgia
Also known as: Lower New Square (until 1750s)
What you'll see: A bronze statue of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism and the first Sunday school in America
Telfair Square
Originally laid out in: 1733
Named for: The prominent Telfair family
Also known as: Saint James Square (until 1883)
What you'll see: A tribute to the Girls Scouts of America
Nearby landmarks: Telfair Academy of Arts and Science, Trinity Methodist Church
Troup Square
Originally laid out in: 1851
Named for: George Troup, Georgia Governor, Congressman, and Senator
Also known as: Dog Bone Square
What you'll see: Victorian bronze armillary and a cast iron fountain
Nearby landmarks: Unitarian Universalist Church, McDonough Row Houses, Kennedy Row Houses
Warren Square
Originally laid out in: 1791
Named for: General Joseph Warren, who was a Revolutionary War hero killed at the Battle of Bunker Hill
Washington Square
Originally laid out in: 1790
Named for: Georgia Washington, the first President of the United States (who visited Savannah the year the square was built)
Other Facts: Once the site of the Trustees' Garden, which provided experimental crops (such as, mulberry, hemp and indigo)
Whitefield Square
Originally laid out in: 1851
Named for: Reverend Bethesda Orphanage, the founder of the Bethesda Home for Boys
What you'll see: A gazebo
Wright Square
Originally laid out in: 1733
Named for: James Wright, the third (and last) royal governor
Also known as: Percival Square (until 1763)
What you'll see: Gravesite of Tomochichi, the leader of the Creek nation
Other facts: The second Savannah Square
CUSTARD BOUTIQUE
Oliver's Lunch ($10.10) comes with a choice of rice or mashed potatoes (I get half and half) topped with sliced chicken breast and a choice of smoked or homemade sausage (I recommend the homemade), a spinach salad, a piece of French bread, and Zunzi's special sauce (I recommend both the red and white sauces). If you're not a pork-lover, a slight variation is the Baked Chicken Breast ($8.95), it's the same as Oliver's Lunch, minus the sausage.
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