SAVANNAH: Shaded Squares and Southern Charm by Day, Spooky Ghost Stories by Night Story and Photos by Richard Varr
The shadows of tree limbs snake along the grounds of Chippewa Square as the sun filters through the thick Spanish moss. I’m walking within one of Savannah’s most popular city squares where I can’t help but notice the imposing bronze statue of sword-wielding Gen. James Oglethorpe, the Englishman who founded the city and, in fact, Georgia. However, I’m more interested in finding the bus stop bench where Forrest Gump contemplated life through a box of chocolates. It doesn’t take long to realize that the Tom Hanks character’s bench is not here. The bench was just a prop used during the filming of the American classic of the same name. A quick look in my Savannah guidebook reveals the scene was shot somewhere on the square’s northern edge—vague, but I get the idea. Nonetheless, strolling through Chippewa Square is a great introduction to one of the South’s most charming and historic cities, also noted for its blockbuster movie heritage and seemingly unending ghostly hauntings.
“It’s interesting to note that Savannah was the first planned city in America, laid out in a grid but also around these squares that were working squares,” explains former city tour guide Harriet Meyerhoff. The linear grid pattern of squares surrounded by stately homes and inns—many cornered by landmark columned churches with towering steeples—came about from Gen. Oglethorpe’s initial city design. In 1733, he claimed the area along the Savannah River as the first city of the 13th colony for England’s King George. Oglethorpe’s plan created four initial squares with surrounding blocks which expanded to 24 by 1851, 22 of which—now mostly luscious with greenery—remain today. They make Savannah a uniquely walkable city with another square just a few minutes jaunt from the last, and many with park benches and shade for a rest or a cooling break from summer heat. Many pay tribute to momentous historical events, war heroes, and key figures taking part in the city’s founding and culture. I see a passerby, for example, posing with a statue of Savannah favorite son and songwriter Johnny Mercer in bustling Ellis Square, just opposite the pedestrian street along the City Market. In nearby Johnson Square, a 50-foot marble monument marks the grave of Maj. Gen. Nathanael Greene, a friend of Gen. George Washington and commander of the Southern colonies’ Revolutionary War forces. And just two blocks south in Wright Square, a granite boulder from Georgia’s Stone Mountain marks the grave and honors friendly Yamacraw Indian chief Tomochichi who welcomed Oglethorpe and his settlers to their new riverside colony. My next stop is Reynolds Square, named after Georgia’s first Royal Governor, with a center statue of John Wesley, the founder of Methodism who came to Savannah in 1736. On one corner sits the 1771 Habersham House, a Georgian mansion that’s now one of the city’s most popular restaurants. It soon became known as the “Olde Pink House” when the colors from the façade’s native brick leaked
Chippewa Square with Gen. James Oglethorpe statue
Jones Street is one of the most scenic neighborhoods in Savannah
Savannah City Market teems with activity
SAVANNAH
COAST TO COAST MAGAZINE FALL 2022 | 17
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