Savannah Historic Hike: Forts, Founders and the Squares
Savannah, GA
- Distance: 4.8 miles (7.8 km)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Loop
- Free
- 20 stops
A loop from the Savannah Visitor Center through the Siege of 1779, Oglethorpe's landing, the cotton riverfront, the Waving Girl and a string of historic squares, with stops at Juliette Gordon Low's birthplace and the house she lived in when she started the Girl Scouts. Finishes at Chippewa Square, where Forrest Gump sat on his bench.
Trail start
Savannah Visitor Center parking lot. Parking available.
Stops
Savannah History Museum (Central of Georgia Railway depot)
This big brick building was the passenger station of the Central of Georgia Railway, built in 1860. Today it holds the Savannah Visitor Center and the Savannah History Museum. The museum covers the whole story of the city. Look for the early 20th-century steam locomotive. Anyone who has seen the…
Battlefield Memorial Park (Siege of Savannah, 1779)
The British held Savannah during the American Revolution. On October 9, 1779, a combined force of 5,500 American, French and Haitian soldiers attacked the British fort called the Spring Hill redoubt, which stood near here. The attack failed. More than 800 people were killed or injured that morning…
Ships of the Sea Maritime Museum (Scarbrough House)
This mansion was built in 1819 for William Scarbrough. Inside, the museum tells the story of the SS Savannah, the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean. The house has had other lives too. From 1873 to 1962 the city owned it, and it housed the West Broad Street Colored School. Today it is full…
Haitian Monument and First African Baptist Church (Franklin Square)
Remember the Haitian soldiers from Battlefield Park? This monument honors them. They were volunteers from Saint-Domingue, the French colony that later became Haiti, and 545 of them came to Savannah for the 1779 battle. Look for the drummer boy. He stands for Henri Christophe, who later became one…
Ellis Square and City Market
This was the city's market square for centuries. It is named for Sir Henry Ellis, the second royal governor of Georgia. In the 1950s the old market building was torn down for a parking garage. People were so angry that it helped start Savannah's historic preservation movement. The garage was later…
City Hall and Yamacraw Bluff (Oglethorpe's landing)
Georgia started here. On February 12, 1733, James Oglethorpe landed at the foot of this bluff with 114 colonists. They had sailed from Gravesend, England, on the ship Anne. Tomochichi, the leader of the Yamacraw people, agreed to let them build their town here. Find the Georgia Historical Society…
Cotton Exchange and Factors Walk
In the 1800s cotton was king in Savannah. Cotton merchants called factors worked in the buildings along this bluff. A factor sold other people's cotton and took a share of the price, called a commission. The Cotton Exchange was finished in 1887. Look under it: it is believed to be one of the few…
The Waving Girl (Florence Martus)
From 1887 to 1931, Florence Martus greeted the ships coming into Savannah. She waved a handkerchief by day and a lantern at night. She is said to have welcomed more than 50,000 ships. The statue by Felix de Weldon went up in 1972. Look at who is beside her. If a big container ship comes up the…
Old Harbor Light (Emmet Park)
This tall light looks like a giant street light, and that's not far off. The federal government put it up in 1858 to guide ships on the river. It burned gas and stood 77 feet above the river. The light helped ships get past the wrecks of vessels the British sank in 1779 to block the harbor from the…
Johnson Square and Christ Church
Johnson Square was the first square laid out, in 1733, and it is still the largest of Savannah's 22 squares. The tall white obelisk honors Revolutionary War General Nathanael Greene. The Marquis de Lafayette laid its first cornerstone on March 21, 1825. Christ Church faces the square. It was the…
Wright Square: Tomochichi's Grave
Tomochichi, the Yamacraw leader who welcomed Oglethorpe, died on October 5, 1739, and was buried here in this square. Find the big granite boulder in the southeast corner. It was placed in 1899 by the Colonial Dames to honor him. Read the copper plate. The tall monument in the middle honors William…
Juliette Gordon Low Birthplace
Juliette Gordon Low, the founder of the Girl Scouts, was born in this house on October 31, 1860. Her family called her Daisy. Girl Scouts celebrate her birthday every year as Founder's Day. The house was built between 1818 and 1821. Look at the walls: the brick is covered in stucco and scored with…
Owens-Thomas House and Slave Quarters
English architect William Jay designed this house, built from 1816 to 1819. In 1825 the Marquis de Lafayette spoke to the people of Savannah from its cast-iron side veranda. Behind the house stand its slave quarters, among the oldest and best preserved urban slave quarters in the American South…
Colonial Park Cemetery
This was Savannah's burial ground from about 1750 until it closed to burials in 1853. In 1896 it became a city park. Button Gwinnett, one of Georgia's signers of the Declaration of Independence, is buried here. Start at the arched gateway at Oglethorpe Ave. and Abercorn St. It was put up by the…
Andrew Low House (Lafayette Square)
Juliette Gordon Low was living here, in her husband's family home, when she started Girl Scouting. The 1928 marker out front calls it her home from 1886 to 1927, though she spent long stretches in England. On March 12, 1912, she registered the first two troops of American Girl Guides here in…
Massie Heritage Center
In 1841 Peter Massie left $5,000 to the City of Savannah to start a school. Massie School became the longest continuously operating public schoolhouse in Georgia. Today it is a museum. Inside is a model of downtown Savannah that shows how the squares and streets you've been walking fit together…
Forsyth Park Fountain
At 30 acres, Forsyth Park is the largest park in Savannah. It is named for John Forsyth, a governor of Georgia. The fountain is cast iron, and it was ordered out of a catalog. It was taken apart for a restoration in 2025 and turned back on in December 2025. Every St. Patrick's Day the water is dyed…
Mercer Williams House Museum (Monterey Square)
Monterey Square was laid out in 1847 and named for the Battle of Monterrey in the Mexican War. The tall marble monument in the middle honors Casimir Pulaski. Its cornerstone was laid on October 11, 1853. Look at the figure on top. The Mercer Williams House faces the square. General Hugh W. Mercer…
Madison Square: Sergeant Jasper
Madison Square is named for James Madison, the fourth president. The bronze statue honors Sergeant William Jasper. He was mortally wounded on October 9, 1779, the same morning as the attack you learned about at Battlefield Park. Look at what he's holding up. He was carrying the colors (the flag) of…
Chippewa Square: Oglethorpe and Forrest Gump
This square was laid out in 1815 and named for the Battle of Chippawa in the War of 1812. The bronze statue is James Oglethorpe, the founder of Georgia, by sculptor Daniel Chester French. It was unveiled on November 23, 1910. Notice which way he faces: south, toward Spanish Florida, the young…
Created by Gregg.