Savannah's Lafayette Square

Lafayette Square is named for the Marquis de La Fayette, the French hero of the American Revolution. The square contains a fountain commemorating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Georgia colony, donated by the Colonial Dames of Georgia in 1984, as well as cobblestone sidewalks, and one of the most beautiful homes in Savannah, the Hamilton-Turner House.

Adjacent to the square is the Roman Catholic Cathedral of St. John the Baptist; given this proximity Lafayette Square features prominently in Savannah's massive St. Patrick's Day celebrations. Water in the fountain is dyed green for the occasion.

The Marquis de La Fayette'se full name was Marie Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert de Motier. Aide to George Washington in the War for American Independence, the Marquis visited Savannah in 1825 and spoke to cheering Savannahians.

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

Lafayette Square dates from 1837. The fountain was given by the Savannah Town Committee of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia. Colonial Dames headquarters, overlooking Lafayette Square, is the Andrew Low House Museum.

Notable Buildings on Wright Square:

Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist -- Abercorn Street at Lafayette Square on the North side of the square. Oldest Roman Catholic Church in Georgia.

Andrew Low House Museum -- 329 Abercorn Street. Headquarters of the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in the State of Georgia. Until 1846, the City jail was located here; but when it was moved, Andrew Low purchased some of the land and built in 1849 what we now refer to as the Andrew Low House. This house, on the West side of the square, is next to the Battersby-Hartridge House.

Battersby-Hartridge-Anderson House -- (1852) 119 East Charleton Street. A brick residence in a design that's typical in Charleston, rare in Savannah.

Flannery O'Connor Childhood Home -- (c.1855) 207 East Charlton Street. High-stooped house museum with a schedule of lectures and readings. This home is where the renowned Georgia author lived as a child. It is open to the public.

Hamilton-Turner House -- (1873) 330 Abercorn Street. Outstanding example of Second Empire architecture with four iron balconies; house museum and gift shop.

Location:

Lafayette Square is located on Abercorn, between Harris and Charlton 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.