Johnson Square Sign

Savannah's Johnson Square was the first of Savannah's squares and remains the largest of the twenty four.

The first four squares were laid out by James Oglethorpe in 1733, the same year in which he founded the Georgia colony and the city of Savannah. The first four squares were Johnson, Wright, Ellis, and Telfair.

Johnson Square was named for Robert Johnson, colonial governor of South Carolina and a friend of General Oglethorpe. Robert Johnson also served as chief of staff to General George Washington. Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene is buried in Johnson Square.

Johnson Square contains a fountain, as well as a sundial dedicated to Colonel William Bull, the namesake of Savannah's Bull Street. Bull assisted Oglethorpe with the establishment of Savannah and, as a surveyor, laid out the original street grid. The sundial has four panels, one on each side of its square granite base. The dial itself is bronze, set atop a marble shaft. One of the base panels reproduces a 1734 map of Savannah.

Johnson Square is one of the 24 squares that was designed and incorporated into the plan for the city of Savannah.

While buried in Johnson square, nearby Greene Square is named for General Nathanael Greene. Greene died in 1786 and was buried in Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery. His son, George Washington Greene, was buried beside him after drowning in the Savannah River in 1793. Following vandalism of the cemetery by occupying Union forces during the Civil War the location of Greene's burial was lost. After the remains were re-identified Greene and his son were moved to Johnson Square. An obelisk in the centre of the square now serves as a memorial to Gen. Greene.

The cornerstone of the monument was laid by Lafayette in 1825. At that time the obelisk did not yet commemorate any specific individual or event. In fact, due to financial restrictions the unmarked obelisk served for several years as a joint monument to both Greene and Casimir Pulaski. Inscriptions honoring Greene were added in 1886, but the Greenes' physical remains did not arrive until 1901, following their "rediscovery."

Notable Buildings on Johnson Square:

The Christ Church (Episcopal) is located on Johnson Square. The current building is the third located on the church site selected by General Oglethorpe. It has been called the "Mother Church of Georgia." The 1819 Revere bell that chimes before services bears these words: "The living to the church I call, and to the grave I summon all." The classic Greek temple design came from architect James Hamilton Couper. First minister to the colonists was the Reverend Dr. Henry Herbert, chaplain on the ship Ann. Later ministers included the Reverend John Wesley and the Reverend George Whitefield, impassioned preacher and founder in 1740 of the Bethesda Orphan Home. Other "firsts" at Christ Church include America's first Sunday School and the first hymnal in English, both credited to John Wesley in 1736.

First Union Bank Building -- The Savannah Bank Building, now First Union, was the City's first "skyscraper." It was built in 1911 on the Northeast corner of Bull Street and Bryan. This is the banking square and many of the City's banks are located here.

Location:

Johnson Square is located on Bull, between Bryan and Congress Streets.

The Squares of Savannah Georgia:

Savannah was originally laid out around four open squares. The plan anticipated growth of the city and thus expansion of the grid; additional squares were added during the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries, and by 1851 there were twenty four squares in downtown Savannah. Three of these have been demolished or altered beyond recognition, leaving twenty-one squares at the present. One of those, Ellis Square, is currently being rebuilt. Most squares are named in honor or in memory of a person, persons, or event, and many contain monuments, markers, memorials, statues, plaques, and other tributes. The first squares were originally intended to provide colonists space for military exercises. All of the squares are a part of Savannah's Historic District and fall within an area of less than one half square mile. Savannah's city plan was designed by General James Oglethorpe, and his layout has been hailed as the most intelligent grid in America. The American Society of Civil Engineers has honored Oglethorpe's plan for Savannah as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and in 1994 the plan was nominated for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The squares are a major point of interest for millions of tourists visiting Savannah each year, and they have been credited with stabilizing once-deteriorating neighborhoods and revitalizing Savannah's downtown commercial district.