Spooky Savannah Squares

Aren’t the squares downtown delicious day or NIGHT?  Savannah has been voted the most haunted city in the US.  I have no trouble believing it!

Meet Florence Martus

One of Savannah’s legends is Florence Martus.  She is probably known more by her knickname, The Waving Girl, memorialized by sculptor Felix de Weldon.  Her monument faces the Savannah River from Morrell Park on the riverfront.  Martus was born in 1868 on Cockspur Island and was the daughter of one of Fort Pulaski’s sergeants. From the age of 19 until age 63, Florence served as the unofficial greeter for all ships that entered or left the port of Savannah.  For those 44 years, she waved her handkerchief by day or lantern by night to greet passing sailors and never missed a ship.
No one is sure why she decided to be the Waving Girl.   She lived were her brother on Elba Island, where he was the light keeper.  Life in her remote island cottage was lonely and Florence had a collie as her companion, who stood watch with her.  She died in February of 1943 and shortly thereafter, a 1943 Liberty ship SS Florence Martus was named in her honor.

Veterans Park in Effingham County

Just about 30 minutes from downtown Savannah is a sleepy little burg called Springfield, GA.  it’s a small community consisting of a main street with a handful of storefronts, a 25-bed hospital, a county jail, and a lot of farmland.  Slowly but surely, Springfield is stretching and trying to attract industry, such as the 2010 addition of Efacec, a Portuguese manufacturer that makes power transformers.  One of the surprises I’ve discovered in the area was the Veterans Park.  Given that there is a high concentration of military in the tri-county real estate market, it wasn’t a surprise to find monuments or sites honoring veterans.  However, Effingham County’s Veterans Park did hold a few items I didn’t expect.

For example, there were monuments dedicated to wounded veterans, MIA/POWs, and many of the unsung support for armed conflict such as the merchant marines who ferried supplies to various theatres of war.  Peacekeepers were also honored.  The entire Park is lovely, with a beautiful lake, lots of places to sit and consider, all nestled within a wooded vista that is calm and peaceful.  In many veteran-honoring displays, one would expect to see tributes to local fallen soldiers from recent combat, including Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam and the World Wars.  These were there as expected, with names inscribed on a large curved wall.  However, Effingham County didn’t stop there.  Tributes were included for Effingham County soldiers from the Spanish-American War, Civil War, and the American Revolution.  In walking along the wall, I felt the pull and weight of history.  I recognized family surnames that are still present in Effingham.

If you’re ever in the area, the Park is worth a few minutes. 

Park Yourself in Style

Savannah’s downtown parks are a delight.  If you take a seat and just watch what happens, it’s amazing who might pass by.  Can you guess where this stylish park bench resides?

Meet Johnny Mercer

People strolling along Ellis Square sometimes do a double-take when crossing paths with Savannah’s own Johnny Mercer.  Mercer, a prolific songwriter and award winner, is just hanging out on the Square checking out his newspaper.  I’ve heard more than a handful of folks say, “excuse me” when they bump into him, especially in the evening after a beer or two.  Once they figure out that he’s not real, they sidle up for a photo opp.  Johnny’s good natured about it.  He always has time for picture-taking. 

Meet John Wesley

In the continuing series of Savannah monuments, let me introduce you to John Wesley, who oversees Reynolds Square in downtown Savannah.  The monument is bronze, set atop a rectangular granite base.  It was crafted by Marshall Daugherty and dedicated in 1969.  John Wesley, who is considered the founder of Methodism in America, played a role in the early days of Savannah.  In fact, he came to the city as General James Oglethorpe’s secretary. 

Wesley also served as the rector of Christ Church.  While in Savannah, his life was plagued with a little romantic drama.  After all, isn’t Savannah well known for scandals?  The breadth of his congregation was a challenge to Wesley, both ethnically and geographically.  He had so far to go to serve his parishioners that he is considered the first “circuit riding” preacher.  Ultimately, Wesley returned to England.

The sculpture shows Wesley in his Church of England vestments, holding his Bible.  You almost expect him to start preaching any second.  One side of the base is inscribed:

“My heart’s desire for this place is not that it be a famous or rich, but that it may be a religious colony; and then, I am sure, it cannot fail of the blessing of God.”

Wesley’s influence is seen in the number of Methodist churches still standing and influential in the community.

Meet The Red Lion

Savannah is home to many structures that are well over 100 years old.  One of these is the Old Savannah Cotton Exchange.  The Cotton Exchange, constructed in 1889, was the center of Savannah commerce during a time when cotton was king.  Over two million bales of cotton were shipped through the Savannah port each year.  The building was (and still  is) unique in its Romanesque architectural style.  The Exchange was designed by Boston architect, William Gibbons Preston (1844-1910), and is one of the few structures in the world erected over an existing public street, Factor’s Walk.

Perhaps equally well known is The Red Lion, a beautiful red terra cotta winged lion fountain that sits in front of the Cotton Exchange building on Bay Street.  The seated lion continues to overlook the city’s downtown commerce.  It is around 52 inches high and is inset in the north end of the fountain’s base.  A single stream of water flows from its mouth.  The entire collection pool is surrounded by an ornamental fence containing silhouettes of famous statesmen and authors.  The Red Lion is as memorable as the Exchange itself and is one of the most photographed iconic images of Savannah.
 

Meet General James Oglethorpe

Savannah is the first planned city of America.  Its grand design of patterned streets and squares was developed by General James Oglethorpe in the drawing rooms of his native England.  Oglethorpe arrived on a small ship ANN with 115 colonists and a plan.  The city was founded in 1733.  The colonists were a hodge-podge of the poor from England; Jewish groups from Germany & Poland; Salzburgers from Central Europe; Scots and Moravians from Bohemia.  The colonists settled comfortably with Tomochichi and the native Yamacraw Indians.
Oglethorpe’s vision for Savannah was realized and the city layout remains the envy of many modern-day city planners and is a pleasure for area tourists and residents alike.
In 1910, Savannah erected a monument, sculpted by Daniel Chester French, in Chippewa Square.  Facing south in the Square, Oglethorpe ‘keeps watch against the Spanish in Florida.’  The statue of Oglethorpe is one of the most photographed icon of Savannah history.