Oglethorpe Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the second row of the city's five rows of squares, on Abercorn Street and East President Street, and was laid out in 1742. It is south of Reynolds Square, west of Columbia Square, north of

Colonial Park Cemetery Colonial Park Cemetery (locally and informally, Colonial Cemetery) is a historic cemetery located in downtown Savannah, Georgia. It became a city park in 1896,Wright Square Wright is an occupational surname originating in England. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a shipwright is ...

. The oldest building on the square is the

Owens–Thomas House The Owens–Thomas House & Slave Quarters is a historic home in Savannah, Georgia, that is operated as a historic house museum by Telfair Museums. It is located at 124 Abercorn Street, on the northeast corner of Oglethorpe Square. The Owens–Th ...

, at 124 Abercorn Street, which dates 1819. Upper New Square, as it was originally known, was laid out in 1742 and was later renamed in honor of Georgia founder General

James Oglethorpe James Edward Oglethorpe (22 December 1696 – 30 June 1785) was a British soldier, Member of Parliament, and philanthropist, as well as the founder of the colony of Georgia in what was then British America. As a social reformer, he hoped to re ...

, although his statue is located in

Chippewa Square Chippewa Square is one of the Squares of Savannah, Georgia, 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the middle row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and McDonough Street, and was laid out in 1815. It is s ...

, to the southwest. The home of Georgia's first Royal Governor, John Reynolds, was located on the southeastern trust lot (now a parking lot of The Presidents' Quarters Inn) overlooking the square. Reynolds arrived in Savannah on October 29, 1754. The residences of the Royal Surveyors of Georgia and South Carolina were located on the northeastern trust lots, the site of today's Owens–Thomas House. The Presidents' Quarters Inn, a 16-room historic bed and breakfast, is located in the southeastern trust lot. The square contains a

pedestal A pedestal (from French ''piédestal'', Italian ''piedistallo'' 'foot of a stall') or plinth is a support at the bottom of a statue, vase, column, or certain altars. Smaller pedestals, especially if round in shape, may be called socles. In ...

honoring Moravian missionaries who arrived at the same time as

John Wesley John Wesley (; 2 March 1791) was an English people, English cleric, Christian theology, theologian, and Evangelism, evangelist who was a leader of a Christian revival, revival movement within the Church of England known as Methodism. The soci ...

and settled in Savannah from 1735 to 1740, before resettling in

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

.City of Savannah's monuments page
This page links directly to numerous short entries, many accompanied by photographs, discussing a variety of monuments, memorials, etc., in the squares and elsewhere. Accessed June 16, 2007.Chan Sieg (1984). ''The squares: an introduction to Savannah''.

Virginia Beach Virginia Beach is an independent city located on the southeastern coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The population was 459,470 at the 2020 census. Although mostly suburban in character, it is the most populous city ...

: Donning.''Our Coast's'' guide to Savannah's Squares
accessed June 16, 2007. Site features an excellent interactive map of Savannah's squares and numerous photographs. A Savannah veterans’ group had unsuccessfully proposed erecting a memorial to veterans of World War II in Oglethorpe SquareTour Guide Manual
for licensed tour guides in the City of Savannah, accessed June 16, 2007. It was instead installed on River Street. The

Unitarian Universalist Church Unitarian or Unitarianism may refer to: Christian and Christian-derived theologies A Unitarian is a follower of, or a member of an organisation that follows, any of several theologies referred to as Unitarianism: * Unitarianism (1565–present) ...

was originally based on the square, prior to its move to the western side of Troup Square, a third of a mile to the southeast.

Dedication

Markers and structures

Constituent buildings

Each building below is in one of the eight blocks around the square composed of four residential "tything" blocks and four civic ("trust") blocks, now known as the

Oglethorpe Plan The Oglethorpe Plan is an urban planning idea that was most notably used in Savannah, Georgia, one of the Thirteen Colonies, in the 18th century. The plan uses a distinctive street network with repeating squares of residential blocks, commercial ...

. They are listed with construction years where known. ;Northwestern civic/trust block *Cluskey Building, 123 Abercorn Street, the now-demolished parsonage for Troup Square's

''Unitarian Congregations in Ante-Bellum Georgia'': The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol. 54, No. 2 (Summer, 1970), p. 163 –

Georgia Historical Society The Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is a statewide historical society in Georgia. Headquartered in Savannah, Georgia, GHS is one of the oldest historical organizations in the United States. Since 1839, the society has collected, examined, and tau ...

*Standard Oil Building, 110 East President Street (1924) ;Southwestern civic/trust block *

Mary Marshall Houses The Mary Marshall Houses is a duplex building in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southwestern civic block of Oglethorpe Square and was built in the 1840sCharles B. Cluskey. ;Southwestern residential/tything block *Marine Hospital, 115 East York Street (1907) ;Northeastern residential/tything block *Graham Apartment Building, 210 East State Street (1924) *216 East State Street (1912) *Michael Lyons Property, 220–224 East State Street (1893) ;Northeastern civic/trust block *

, 124 Abercorn Street (1819) – oldest building on the square ;Southeastern civic/trust block *Gordon–Anderson Building, 127–131 Lincoln Street (1855) – by John Scudder; now the Presidents' Quarter Inn ;Southeastern residential/tything block *Henry Dickerson Duplex, 201–203 East York Street (1853)Historic Building Map: Savannah Historic District
– Historic Preservation Department of the Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission (November 17, 2011), p. 25 *

James Mills House The James Mills House is a home in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the southeastern tything block of Oglethorpe Square and was built in 1855.

, 205 East York Street (1855) *Jane Young House, 211 East York Street (1853) *John Feely Duplex, 217–219 East York Street (1872) *Charles Landershine House, 221 East York Street (1856) *Joseph Sognier Property (1), 133–135 Lincoln Street (1886) – by P.J. Fallon *Joseph Sognier Property (2), 139–141 Lincoln Street (1886) – by P.J. Fallon

Gallery

File:210 East State Street.jpg, Graham Apartment Building, 210 East State Street File:216 East State Street.jpg, 216 East State Street File:220-224 East State Street.jpg, Michael Lyons Property, 220–224 East State Street File:Johnson Square in Savannah, Georgia (4350990934).jpg, Looking west to the Mary Marshall Houses File:Mary Marshall Houses, 127-129 Abercorn Street, Savannah, Chatham County, GA.jpg, Mary Marshall Houses, 127–129 Abercorn Street File:Henry Dickerson Duplex, 201-203 East York Street.jpg, Henry Dickerson Duplex, 201–203 East York Street File:James Mills House.jpg, James Mills House, 205 East York Street File:Jane Young House.jpg, Jane Young House, 211 East York Street File:Owens-Thomas House Slave Quarters.jpg, The rear of the Owens–Thomas House on Lincoln Street File:Gordon-Anderson Building (President's Quarters).jpg, Presidents' Quarters Inn, 127–131 Lincoln Street (viewed from East York Street) File:John Feely Duplex.jpg, John Feely Duplex, 217–219 East York Street File:Charles Landershine House.jpg, Charles Landershine House, 221 East York Street File:Marine Hospital.jpg, Marine Hospital, 115 East York Street File:Standard Oil Building, 110 East President Street.jpg, Standard Oil Building, 110 East President Street File:133-135 Lincoln Street.jpg, Joseph Sognier Property (1), 133–135 Lincoln Street File:139-141 Lincoln Street.jpg, Joseph Sognier Property (2), 139–141 Lincoln Street

References

{{Squares of Savannah, Georgia Oglethorpe Square, Savannah 1742 establishments in the Thirteen Colonies