Oglethorpe Square

Located in Savannah are The Squares which the city was created around, they were originally created as a space for military exercises. Over the centuries many squares have been created in the honor of persons or historical events and contain markers or monuments. This square is on Abercorn Street between State and York Streets.

It was laid out in 1742 and named for the founder of Georgia, James Edward Oglethorpe. In its earliest days it was referred to as "Upper New Square." On the East side of this square there is the Owens-Thomas House, which many feel is the finest example of Regency architecture in the United States. Originally the Unitarian Church, now the Baptist Center (Jingle Bells Church), sits on the square.

On the Southwest corner is the Urban Health Center, originally built in 1907 as the Marine Hospital. Also located on the square is a 16-rrom historic bed and breakfast along with a pedestal which honors Moravian missionaries who arrived in Savannah from 1735 to 1740.

Each square is approximately 200 feet from north to south and is intersected north-south and east-west by two-way streets. All traffic flows counterclockwise around the squares. The squares have been called, the most intelligent grid in American and is one of the finest diagrams for city organization and they are listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.