Savannah Squares

The Savannah city plan laid out by James Oglethorpe set up the ward as the basic organizational unit. Each ward would have 1 square, four trust lots, and 8 tithing block. The trust lots were laid out to the east and west of each square and were reserved for churches, schools and community buildings. The tithing blocks were laid out to the north and south of the squares. Each tithing block had 10 individual 60' X 90' lots for houses.

Each square, at the center of each ward, measures 270' x 315'. The Savannah squares were originally designed to be areas with community uses such as public gardens, wells and ovens. Some of the squares were also used as animal stockades. One military use for the square was to have a place of soldiers to muster in the case of attack.

During Oglethorpe's tenure in Savannah, he laid out a total of 6 of the total 24 Savannah squares. Each of the 24 squares is named after a figure central to Savannah's history.

Below is a list of the 24 squares and wards with a little information about each:

Johnson Square/Derby Ward - square was built in 1733 and named for Robert Johnson, the governor of South Carolina who helped Savannah to get started. This was the first square laid out by Oglethorpe. The first public mill and first 40 houses were built in this ward.

Wright Square/Percival Ward - this square is the second oldest in Savannah, built in 1733, and includes a monument to William Gordon, the founder of the Central of Georgia Railroad Company (and Juliette Gordon Low's grandfather). The square is named for Sir James Wright, the royal governor who restored prosperity to Georgia. The boulder in the square, taken from Stone Mountain, marks the grave of Tomochichi, the Yamacraw Indian chief who helped Oglethorpe and his settlers get established.

Ellis Square/Decker Ward - this is the third of six squares laid out by James Oglethorpe. The square was built in 1733 and is named after the second royal governor of Georgia, Sir Henry Ellis. Many of the first Jewish settlers were granted lots in this ward.

Telfair Square/Heathcote Ward - built in 1733, the square was renamed after a famous Savannah family that had produced a governor and a Revolutionary War hero.

Reynolds Square/Reynolds Ward - this square was laid out in 1734 and named after Georgia's first, and least favorite royal governor, John Reynolds. The ward still includes the oldest Savannah building, the James Habersham house built in the eighteenth century.

Oglethorpe Square/Anson Ward - this was the last square laid out by Oglethorpe. It was built in 1742 and is aptly named after Georgia's founder.

The remaining Savannah squares and wards are:

Calhoun Square - laid out in 1851 and named for John Calhoun, a South Carolina statesman.
Chatham Square - named after the Earl of Chatham during the time Georgia was a royal province.
Chippewa Square - named after the Battle of Chippewa during the War of 1812. The square contains a bronze statue of James Oglethorpe. It is currently famous for having temporarily housed the bench where Forrest Gump waited for a bus.
Columbia Square/Columbia Ward - laid out in 1799 and named after the female personification of the new United States.
Crawford Square - named after William Crawford, a governor of Georgia.
Elbert Square - named after Samuel Elbert, a Revolutionary patriot and eventually a Georgia governor.
Franklin Square/Franklin Ward - laid out in 1790 and named for Benjamin Franklin, one-time agent representing Georgia in London.
Greene Square/Greene Ward - built after the Revolutionary War and named after a war hero, General Nathanael Green.
Lafayette Square - laid out in 1837 and named after the Marquis de Lafayette who was an important ally in the Revolutionary War and visited Savannah in 1825. The ward includes the Andrew Low house (where Juliette Gordon Low created the Girl Scouts). It also was the first ward to have a house with electricity (the Hamilton-Turner House).
Liberty Square - named after the Sons of Liberty.
Madison Square - named for the fourth President of the United States, James Madison. The ward includes the Green-Meldrim house built in 1853 and General Sherman's headquarters in Savannah.
Monterey Square - laid out in 1847 and named after the Battle of Monterey in the Mexican Ward. The square includes a monument to Casimir Pulaski, a Polish nobleman killed in the Revolutionary War. Both the Mercer House and the Temple Mickve Israel are located in this ward. (Click here for more about the Mercer House.)
Orleans Square - named for the Battle of New Orleans during the War of 1812.
Pulaski Square - named for Casimir Pulaski, a Polish count who fought in the Revolutionary War and was killed at the Seige of Savannah.
Troup Square - named for George Troup, a Georgia governor.
Warren Square/Warren Ward - built in 1790 and named after General Joseph Warren, a hero of Bunker Hill in the Revolutionary War.
Washington Square/Washington Ward - originally named Firehouse Square because of the firehouse in the center, this square was later renamed for George Washington. Built in 1790.
Whitfield Square - named for George Whitfield, one of the founders of the Bethesda orphanage.

footer for savannah squares page