Taylor Square (Savannah, Georgia)
Public square in Savannah, Georgia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Taylor Square is one of the 22 squares of Savannah, Georgia, United States. Laid out in 1851 south of Lafayette Square, west of Whitefield Square, and east of Monterey Square, it was originally named Calhoun Square for the American statesman John C. Calhoun. The square was renamed Taylor Square in 2023 to honor the Civil War nurse, educator and memoirist Susie King Taylor.[1]
Calhoun Square (formerly) | |
Namesake | John C. Calhoun (1851–2022) Susie King Taylor (2023–present) |
---|---|
Maintained by | City of Savannah |
Location | Savannah, Georgia, U.S. |
Coordinates | 32.0707°N 81.0925°W / 32.0707; -81.0925 |
North | Abercorn Street |
East | East Wayne Street |
South | Abercorn Street |
West | East Wayne Street |
Construction | |
Completion | 1851 (173 years ago) (1851) |
The oldest buildings on the square, the Adam Short Property and the Alexander Bennett House (both on East Taylor Street), date to 1853.[2] The square is sometimes informally called Massie Square due to the presence of Massie Common School House, which was built in 1855 and lies just outside.[3] The Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church, founded in 1868, is located directly across the street from the square's western side.
The square had previously been used as a "negro burial ground"; in 1855, the bodies of enslaved residents Emily and Rinah were removed to Laurel Grove Cemetery.[4] In 2004, a skull was found by utility workers outside the Massie Heritage Interpretation Center on the square's southeastern side.[5] This legacy prompted a 2021 movement to rename the square after the Sankofa bird, a Ghanaian symbol expressing the "importance of knowing one's history."[6] City councilors voted unanimously on November 10, 2022, to remove Calhoun's name from the square.[7]
In August 2023, after discussion and debate, the Savannah City Council settled on a new name, Taylor Square.[8] The council approved the installation of a new granite marker, which will note that the square once named for John C. Calhoun will now be named for Susie King Taylor.[9]