Learn about Benjamin Franklin

The only square on Montgomery Street to survive into the present day is Franklin Square. Like the lost squares of Liberty and Elbert, Franklin Square had been a victim of urbanization, but was fortunately restored in the 1980s.

The most western of Savannah’s squares, Franklin is also one of the oddest. The tourist hub of City Market is nearby, meaning grease-caked gawkers hunting for Paula Deen are a constant presence, as are the panhandlers who’ve established a constant presence. Franklin is definitively not among Savannah’s most enchanting squares, but it does boast an incredible memorial to the Haitian Volunteer Army. The Haitians played an invaluable role in the US Revolution, particularly during the Siege of Savannah. Soon after our freedom was won, they returned home and staged a revolution of their own. In 1804, Haiti became the first independent republic in Latin America, and the first black-led nation in the world.

At the western end of the square is the First African Baptist Church, which we recently took an excellent tour of. Back in the days of slavery, the church’s priest would regularly be brought into Franklin Square and whipped. His crime? “Educating” other slaves with his sermons. I’m sure Benjamin Franklin, an abolitionist and all around humanitarian, would have just loved that.

Enjoy our pictures of this interesting corner of Savannah.

Location on our Savannah Map

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BUY Your Gazebo Here

With a distinctive gazebo in its center and gingerbread houses surrounding it, Whitefield Square feels like a throw-back to Victorian times.

On Habersham and Wayne, Whitefield was one of the final squares to be laid out in Savannah, in 1851. It was named after George Whitefield, a British priest who came to the colonies and was largely responsible for the First Great Awakening. A movement which left a permanent imprint on American religion, the Awakening eschewed quiet contemplation and somber services in favor of loud, bombastic preaching, and put a heavy emphasis on personal guilt and the need for redemption. So when you see present-day televangelists screaming and crying and carrying on about the devil inside all of us… well, you can thank Whitefield for that. Stupid cross-eyed limey.

But Whitefield also put great worth in the importance of public deeds, and did his part by establishing the Bethesda Orphanage just outside Savannah. Still in use today, this was the very first orphanage in all North America.

Whitefield Square is fun to explore, as long as you don’t mind the occasional pan-handler. The gazebo in the center is usually the exclusive domain of vagabonds, and some of the housing surrounding the square is decidedly low-rent. But, there are plenty of gorgeous homes. And the Congregational Church on the square’s west side is a handsome building, consecrated in the late 19th century.

Location on our Savannah Map

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Books on: Black Church Beginnings

On Franklin Square, the First African Baptist Church is the oldest black church in North America. Founded by slaves in 1775, the church has a history nearly as old as Savannah itself.

From the outside, the church isn’t all that impressive, but that changes once you step indoors. It’s beautiful, with curved pews pointing towards the pulpit and a pair of upper balconies for busy days. The church was built by slaves who, as you might imagine, didn’t have much money or time. Over the course of four years, they worked at night on the construction. That’s some faith — after a day of back-breaking work in the fields, to come and toil even longer.

Their first preacher was a slave, and since slaves educating each other was forbidden, he would regularly be taken out into Franklin Square and whipped, until his owner stepped up for him and forbid further punishment. Our tour guide was full of interesting anecdotes like this, and our hour long visit flew by.

The church was built with a secret floor underneath its real floor, and was a stop on the Underground Railroad. Never discovered by authorities, the crawlspace hid hundreds of runaway slaves and a tunnel led them to the Savannah river. To mask their true purpose, the floor’s breathing holes were bored in the shape of the Kongo Cosmogram; an African spiritual symbol often used by American slaves.

At first glance, the church’s ceiling looks rather plain — squares like waffles, as one kid on our tour said. But our guide explained that they represented the Nine-Patch Quilt, which served as beacons to slaves on the run. I never knew about that… so the ceiling is a touching tribute to the noble and secretive purpose of the church. Another interesting thing new to me was cursive Hebrew. The original pews built hundreds of years ago are still in use. On the ends of each pew, cursive Hebrew has been scratched into the wood. Our guide wasn’t able to translate any of it, but he did tell us how a few African tourists had visited recently and instantly recognized it. Apparently, it’s still used by Jewish communities in Africa.

Now this is the kind of stuff that totally interests me… Kongo Cosmograms, Underground Railroad Patchwork, Cursive Hebrew. If you’re the same, make sure to visit the First African Baptist Church, either for the tour (daily, at 11am and 2pm) or for Sunday service.

First African Baptist Church
23 Montgomery Street
Location on our Savannah Map
912-233-6597