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Squares of Savannah

12/30/2015

The founders of Savannah designed the city in a grid pattern. Part of that grid was the creation of 24 small squares that served the dual purpose of small, local, neighborhood market-meeting places, and a military defense network with overlaying fields of fire. Today, 22 of those original squares still remain (with two having been lost to the development of the city). We went out to find those squares that remain and were surprised at how easy and walkable this was. The squares themselves form an approximate two square mile grid around the historic district of Savannah. Each has its own unique look and feel to it, and, yet, their commonality is the quiet atmosphere in which to sit and enjoy the sun or a brief lunch. A lot of history surrounds those squares and their adjacent buildings, and we LOVE to explore history. One thing that Savannah seems to do correctly is to embellish the history of each square with plaques that explain some of the uniqueness surrounding that particular neighborhood.This was a thoroughly enjoyable exploration.

"Johnson Square"- the first of the squares was named after Governor Robert Johnson of South Carolina, a close friend of Georgia. Major General Nathaniel Greene of Rhode Island, a revolutionary war hero, is buried here.

"Lafayette Square"- is named after the French General who served as aide to George Washington. The central fountain commemorates the 250th anniversary of the founding of Geprgia.

"Columbia Square"- is named after "...the poetic personification of America."

"Oglethorpe Square"- is named after the founder of Georgia -James Edward Oglethorpe.

"Wright Square"- the 17th century Creek leader, Tomo-chi-chi, considered to be a co-founder of Georgia, is buried under the central monument.

"Telfair Square"- the Telfair family was very prominent in the early history of Savannah and this square is named after them.

"Chippewa Square"- commemorates a major victory over the British in Canada.

"Madison Square"- is named after the fourth President of the United States.

"Reynolds Square" - the First Colonial Governor of Georgia was John Reynolds. He was not very popular with Georgians. This square served as the center of the Colonial government in the 1700's.

"Warren Square"- is named after General Joseph Warren, who died at the battle of Bunker Hill in 1775.

"Washington Square"- named after the first U.S. President.

"Greene Square"- although Revolutionary War Hero, Nathaniel Greene is actually buried in Johnson Square, Georgia decided to name this square after him.

"Crawford Square"- William Harris Crawford served as a Georgia Senator, Secretary of War, and Minister to France.

"Troup Square"- is named after George Michael Troup, Governor of Georgia in the 1820's.

The composer of "Jingle Bells", James L. Pierpont, served as music director of this church located beside Troup Square.

"Whitefield Square"- is named after the fourth minister of Colonial Georgia, Reverend George Whitefield.

"Calhoun Square"- the "Great Orator of the South", John C. Calhoun, was the inspiration for naming this square.

"Monterey Square"- was named to commemorate the capture of the city of Monterrey, Mexico in 1846.

"Chatham Square"- Savannah serves as the seat of Chatham Countey, named after William Pitt, the first Earl of Chatham.

"Pulaski Square"- is named after Casimir Pulaski, Polish Cavalry officer, who died during the siege of Savannah in 1779.

"Orleans Square"- General Andrew Jackson's victory at the Battle of New Orleans during the war of 1812, lent it's name to this square. The central fountain was built to commemorate the contributions of early German Immigrants to Savannah.

"Franklin Square"- named after Benjamin Franklin, this square was demolished in 1935 and restored during the Preservation Project of the 1980's.

"Ellis Square"- the second Royal Governor of Georgia, Sir Henry Ellis, was commemorated by the naming of this square. It was demolished in 1954 in order to build a parking garage. In 2006, the square was reclaimed and rebuilt.

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Savannah Folks

12/27/2015

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Wherever our travels have taken us during this glorious adventure, we have met some very interesting people. That continues to hold true here in Savannah. Presented below are the wonderful folks with whom we have crossed paths at the beginning of our tour of the southern United States.

Orlando is the very talented creator of the Christmas crèche scene in the Saint John the Baptist Cathedral.

While visiting the historic Davenport House, we met Harriet, the ever knowledgeable docent.

Sitting in his usual spot in Wright Square, James regaled us with his palm leaf sculptures.

Don, one of the staff at the Ships of the Sea Maritime museum, surprised us with a brief tour and history of one of the back room picture galleries.

Many cities throughout the world provide "Bar Crawl" tours. Savannah held one just prior to Christmas. We met this group outside one of the pubs; Dina, Marian, Lisa, Jamie, Katie, and Kristy.

As we were exiting the Lutheran Church of the Ascension, we met Willie, one of its Sextons, who not only filled us in on the church's history, but also that of the Bradley Safe and Locksmith shop across the street.

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Savannah

12/26/2015

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Sooo.....you might be wondering what we have been up to since returning from Europe. We spent the last three months visiting our three children and their families, getting medical checkups, and taking an Amtrak train ride through part of America. With winter rapidly approaching, we had planned on traveling through Central and South America until Europe warmed up. Unfortunately, the U.S. State Department site reported a high level of bandit and kidnapping activities in those areas, especially towards tourists. Discretion being the better part of valor, we changed plans and are now touring the southern United States. Members of our family have been encouraging us to visit Savannah, Georgia for sometime, so that is our first stop. So far, Savannah has been a pleasure. Southern charm has been in abundance; people have been very friendly; the setting has been beautiful; and the weather has been most cooperative.

Our apartment is located in a converted warehouse in the heart of the historic district. The great room is a combination dining room, living room...

...and kitchen area.

The architecture of Savannah is stunning.

Southerners seemed to know how to live well.

In the early twentieth century, singer/songwriter, Johnny Mercer lived and grew-up in this house on East Gwinnett Street.

In another neighborhood not far away, is the home of Juliette Low, founder of the Girl Scouts of the United States of America.

We had the pleasure of attending a very pleasant concert at the Saint John the Baptist Cathedral.

The central aisle and main altar of Saint John the Baptist Cathedral rivals any we saw in Europe.

The crèche scene in the Cathedral filled one of the side altar areas and took nearly ten days to assemble. It was more impressive than anything we saw in Rome last year.

Many of the old mansions were converted into Inns, like the Kehoe House pictured here.

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Christmas Concert

12/8/2015

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The 20 year old Columbus Children's Choir - "The Voice of the City" - performed their annual Christmas concert last weekend, in conjunction with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. The landmark Ohio Theater - built in 1928 as a Spanish baroque "palace for the average man" - served as host venue for this year's concert. Our 13 year old granddaughter, Lucy, is in her third year singing with the Columbus Children's Choir, which is comprised of children from grades three through twelve. This was our first opportunity to see her perform live...and we had front row seats to boot. What a wonderful program and a delightful time! We are very proud of Lucy.