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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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Hey, you know what Savannah has plenty of? Tours. Carriage Tours, walking tours, hearse tours, haunted tours, pub tours, haunted pub tours, Civil War tours, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil tours.

Hold on, I’m just getting started! Black history tours, Girl Scout tours, dolphin tours, gates and gardens tours, Paula Deen tours. And trolley tours. Lord, are there trolley tours. There are more trolleys than cars in Savannah! THERE ARE MORE TROLLEYS THAN BLADES OF GRASS. Yesterday, I got hit by a trolley on the street and another trolley rushed me to the hospital, which was itself inside a trolley. The Hospital Trolley Tour. It’s awesome, check it out.

So we’ve done a few trolley tours. How could we not? I won’t mention the less impressive ones … the dumpy ones with plastic covering the windows, you know who you are. No, I suppose if you’re in the city and must do a trolley tour, hunt down the Old Town Trolley. Orange and green. A bit more expensive, but worth it.

First off, the trolleys have sparkly clean glass windows; none of this plastic nonsense. Our driver was good, and managed to be interesting and legitimately funny, which is a tough thing to do when your audience includes a cynical jerk who thinks he’s heard it all before (“me”). He got amusingly frustrated once when our trolley was blocked by an SUV trying to parallel park. While he was complaining, all us tourists pressed our faces to the glass to point and laugh at the dumb-parking idiot. Heh, tourists laughing at locals! Eat it!

The tour is llooooong and comprehensive; perfect for people who don’t have all that much time in the city. You can get on and off as often as you want during the day. As I mentioned, at $25 per person, it’s not the cheapest thing in the world, but package tours are available and I think you can usually find a discount.

Book here and receive a discount: Old Trolley Tours

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If you’re coming into Savannah via Abercorn, the first square you’ll encounter is Calhoun, named after the South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun. Our 7th Vice-President and an influential lawmaker, Calhoun was fiercely pro-slavery and, although he died before the outbreak of the Civil War, served as an inspiration to secessionists.

Calhoun Square is the only square with all its original buildings still intact and accounted for. The most important is the Massie School — Savannah’s first public school, which opened in 1865. Today, it’s the home of the Massie Heritage Center, dedicated to the history of Savannah. Unfortunately for us, the museum was closed for renovations and, according to the construction guy outside it, would be for “a month. Maybe. Maybe three or four”. Grrr… nothing was said about that on their stinking website! I’ve heard the museum is really interesting, and had been looking forward to it.

Apart from Massie, Calhoun Square is most notable for the Greek Revival-style houses which encircle it. It’s the square nearest our house, and we bike through all the time. And every time, we’re creeped out by the empty mansion at 432 Abercorn, with a foreboding dark, empty oval underneath its stairs. This is one of Savannah’s most haunted houses, whose tales of fright include dead and murdered children. Honestly, the very fact that this tremendous building is sitting there unoccupied is disquieting.

Location of Calhoun Square
All 24 Squares Overview

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