&sq=Qlik&lang=&file=File:GA_Savannah_Owens-Thomas_House01.jpg) The Owens–Thomas House stands on the eastern side of the square | |
| Former name(s) | Upper New Square |
|---|---|
| Namesake | James Oglethorpe |
| Maintained by | City of Savannah |
| Location | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 32°04′38″N 81°05′24″W / 32.0773°N 81.0901°W |
| North | Abercorn Street |
| East | East President Street |
| South | Abercorn Street |
| West | East President Street |
| Construction | |
| Completion | 1742 |
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 and east of Wright Square. The oldest building on the square is the Owens–Thomas House, at 124 Abercorn Street, which dates 1819.[1]
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, although his statue is located in Chippewa Square, 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,[2] a 16-room historic bed and breakfast, is located in the southeastern trust lot.
The square contains a pedestal honoring Moravian missionaries who arrived at the same time as John Wesley and settled in Savannah from 1735 to 1740, before resettling in Pennsylvania.[3][4][5]
A Savannah veterans' group had unsuccessfully proposed erecting a memorial to veterans of World War II in Oglethorpe Square[6] It was instead installed on River Street.
The Unitarian Universalist Church was originally based on the square, prior to its move to the western side of Troup Square, a 0.33 miles (0.53 km) to the southeast.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
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- ^ 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: 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.
- ^ Tour Guide Manual for licensed tour guides in the City of Savannah, accessed June 16, 2007.