The Southern Live Oak is the most iconic tree of Savannah, Georgia. The evergreen Live Oaks with their drooping, curvaceous branches, draped in Spanish moss create the most atmospheric Southern quality to Savannah’s streets and public squares.
When you roam around the squares, ramble the streets and lanes in the historic and Victorian Districts in Savannah, the color, size, texture and charm of so many doors invite you to stop on the sidewalk and take a closer look.
The original four squares (Johnson, Wright, Ellis, Telfair) of Savannah date to 1733 and were a distinctive part of James Oglethorpe’s plan for the city. Eventually squares were located in the center of each of the city’s 24 neighborhoods or “wards.” Savannah’s remaining 22 squares are located across a one-square-mile area of downtown. Each square is typically 200 feet north to south and 100 to 300 feet east to west.
Wright Square was designed in 1733 and named for Sir James Wright, Georgia’s third and last colonial governor. The monument in the square honors William Washington Gordon, an early mayor of Savannah who established the Central of Georgia Railroad. The large boulder marks the grave of Tomochichi, the Yamacraw Indian Chief who welcomed General Oglethorpe and the first colonists.
