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Johnson Square

Writer: Savannah Walking ToursSavannah Walking Tours

Updated: Dec 5, 2024



In 1733, James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia and the City of Savannah on the Savannah River.


His original plan started with four neighborhoods, all with a square in the middle. The first square was named after the Royal Governor of South Carolina, Robert Johnson, who was intent on helping the colony get started.


In the middle of the square is what many people believe to be an obelisk. But it is actually a Roman sword called a gladius, basis for the word gladiator.


This is a monument is to Nathaniel Greene, Second in Command to George Washington during the American Revolution.



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