It looks like we’re going to reach exactly 91 posts of Savannah. That’s in addition to over 1200 photos! It’s been a very busy three months. If you’d like to get a print of one of our photos, or get a license for printing a magazine or another use, just get in touch with us!

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Books on German Immigration

Orleans Square, on Barnard Street, might as well be called Parking Lot Square. Sadly, it’s one of Savannah’s squares most negatively impacted by the thoughtless development boom of the mid-20th century.

The square itself is quite charming, with a large central fountain dedicated to the German immigrants to Savannah that was installed on the 250th anniversary of the founding of Georgia. But once you take your eyes off the ground and look around the square, the charm vanishes. The biggest blight is the Civic Center, whose backside and rear parking area mars the western end of Orleans Square. Five of the eight lots which surround Orleans are dedicated to parking. Another is occupied by SCAD’s gym.

Luckily, the houses which do survive on Orleans are beautiful, particularly the Harper Fowlkes House on 230 Barnard. Built in 1842 in the Greek Revival style, this house is occasionally open for tours and also serves as the Georgia headquarters for the Society of the Cincinnati. Another noteworthy home on Orleans is the Stephen Williams House, constructed in 1834 in the Federal style. It’s currently an inn with individually designed rooms.

Location on our Savannah Map
Harper Fowlkes House
Stephen Williams House Inn
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Historical Sketch Of Tomo-Chi-Chi

The second of Savannah’s squares to be laid out was Percival Square, later renamed to honor Georgia’s last royal governor James Wright.

The marble monument in the middle of the square is to William Washington Gordon, a successful businessman and politician, highly-regarded in Savannahian society. When he died, his influential friends demanded that the city honor him with a lavish memorial in Wright Square. “There should be no trouble”, they reasoned, “right now, there are just some troublesome Injun bones. Move them away!”

They were the remains of Tomochichi, who had been buried in the center of the square 144 years ago, as a way to thank the Indian chief for helping out the colony in its harrowing first years. Citizens were outraged about this insult to one of the city’s most important founders. In consolation, a memorial stone was placed in a corner of Wright Square, and the nearby Tomochichi Federal Building was named in his honor.

There’s always something going on in Wright Square. During our time in Savannah, the northernmost bench in the square has been the hocking place of a big old man who sings the blues, all day long. Last time we were there, he was singing, “Girl, you done me wrong. GIRL, you done me so wrong. Girl, I wish you was dead”. We had just bought delicious (and outrageously overpriced) sandwiches at a nearby shop called Zumzi’s, and sat down on the other side of the square to listen to a scraggly old guitar player howl out classics like Desperado.

Location on our Savannah Map

- One of the movies filmed in Wright Square is “Cape Fear”