Savannah City Squares

The City of Savannah was designed by its founder James Oglethorpe around the concept of neighbourhood squares. His design had four squares but by the 1850’s there were 24. The original concept was related to the purpose of Savannah’s founding, which was to be a military buffer for Charleston from the Spanish in Florida. The town’s militia were organized around the squares, where they met and trained. Today there are 22 squares in the Historic District in downtown Savannah.
One of things in common with most of the squares is magnificent trees, like these in Columbia Square. Columbia is a historic and poetic name for America.

Most of Savannah’s squares also have a monument or plaque, to make it unique. For Columbia Square, it is the Wormsloe Fountain, which was added in 1970 to honour the DeRenne Family. They were descendants of one of the first settlers in Georgia.

Chippewa Square is named to commemorate the Battle of Chippewa, which took place on the Niagara Peninsula in Canada, during the War of 1812. The square also has a statue of General James Oglethorpe, the founder of Savannah. The General is facing south, as his enemy was the Spanish who were south of Georgia, in Florida.

The Squares are surrounded by magnificent churches, homes and commercial buildings such as this building, the First Baptist Church.

Just behind our hotel is Franklin Square, named for Benjamin Franklin.  It commemorates Chasseurs volontaires de Saint-Domingue – the Haitian volunteers who aided Savannah during the Siege of Savannah in 1779.

On the west side of the Square is the First African Baptist Church, which dates from the late 1780’s. This building was constructed in the 1850’s by freeman and slaves and was also part of the Underground Railroad.

One of the four original squares, Johnson Square, is named for Robert Johnson, who was Governor of South Carolina twice in the early 1700’s.  The monument is for General Nathaniel Greene who was killed during the revolutionary war near Savannah in 1786.

The General is now interned below his monument, but that had not always been the case. The historical plaque, shown below, explains how he finally came to rest here.

This square is referred to by locals as the Banking Square, as it is surrounded by financial institutions such as the Coastal Bank building, on the west side of the Squire.
This last picture is of Washington Square where George Washington gave a speech, according to our tour driver.

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