Photo: Alecconnell · CC BY-SA 3.0 · via Wikimedia Commons
Chippewa Square
One of Savannah's 22 squares, laid out in 1815, with a statue of founder James Oglethorpe. Its park bench scene appears in Forrest Gump.
- Address
- Bull St & McDonough St, Savannah, GA 31401
- Hours
- Check the official website or call ahead for current hours.
- Admission
- Free (public square).
- Access
- open to public (city square)
About
Chippewa Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. It is located in the middle row of the city's five rows of squares, on Bull Street and McDonough Street, and was laid out in 1815. It is south of Wright Square, west of Colonial Park Cemetery, north of Madison Square and east of Orleans Square. The oldest building on the square is The Savannah Theatre, at 222 Bull Street, which dates to 1818.
The square is named in honor of American soldiers killed in the Battle of Chippawa during the War of 1812. (The "Chippewa" spelling is correct in reference to this square.)
In the center of the square is the James Oglethorpe Monument, created by sculptor Daniel Chester French and architect Henry Bacon and unveiled in 1910. Oglethorpe faces south, toward Georgia's one-time enemy in Spanish Florida, and his sword is drawn. Busts of Confederate figures Francis Stebbins Bartow and Lafayette McLaws were moved from Chippewa Square to Forsyth Park to make room for the Oglethorpe monument. Due to the location of the monument, Savannahians sometimes refer to this as Oglethorpe Square, but that is located just to the northeast.
The "park bench" scene which opens the 1994 film Forrest Gump was filmed on the north side of Chippewa Square. The bench was a fiberglass prop, rather than one of the park's actual benches. One of the prop benches used in the film is on display at Savannah History Museum. The other original prop is kept in Paramount Studios, Los Angeles.
Text from Wikipedia, Chippewa Square (Savannah, Georgia), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
What to see
- Independent Presbyterian Church
- Honora Foley Property
- Julius Perlinski House
- First Baptist Church
- Philbrick–Eastman House
- John Stoddard House
- Stoddard Row
- Board of Education Building
Named in the Wikipedia article cited below.
Tips
- Savannah's squares are public spaces you can walk through at any time.
- Featured on 2 ghost tours; see the links below.
- Check hours locally before visiting.



