Wright Square, Savannah, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Wright Square is one of the original public squares of Savannah, Georgia, laid out in 1733 and shaded today by old live oaks on Bull Street. It was the colony's place for public punishment and the site of the Georgia colony's earliest executions, and it holds the burial place of the Yamacraw leader Tomochichi, which makes it one of the most layered stops in the historic district.

The story behind it

The square was laid out in 1733 as Percival Square and later renamed for Sir James Wright, the last royal governor of Georgia. In the colonial period it was where the colony carried out public punishments and executions, which is why some locals still call it the Hanging Square.

The best-known case is that of Alice Riley, an Irish servant who arrived in 1733 and was assigned with fellow servant Richard White to William Wise on Hutchinson Island. Wise was found drowned in March 1734, and both servants were convicted. White was hanged first. Riley's sentence was postponed because she was pregnant, and she was hanged in January 1735, the first woman executed in Georgia. Ghost stories about a woman in period dress searching the square are part of local legend, and guides still tell them.

The square also holds a quieter grave. Tomochichi, mico of the Yamacraw, gave Oglethorpe the ground on which Savannah was built and travelled to England on the colony's behalf. He was buried in the middle of the square in 1739, with Oglethorpe among the pallbearers. In 1883 the stones over his grave were removed to make room for a monument to William Washington Gordon, founder of the Central of Georgia Railroad. A granite boulder was placed in a corner of the square in 1899 to mark Tomochichi instead.

What to look for

• The granite boulder in the corner of the square, placed in 1899 as the memorial to Tomochichi.
• The Gordon monument in the centre, which stands over the spot where Tomochichi was first buried.
• The mature live oaks that shade the paths, which make the square a pleasant place to pause.
• The ring of historic buildings around the square, a good example of how Savannah's grid of squares frames its architecture.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 20 minutes for the square itself, longer if you read the markers and linger under the trees.
• It is a public square, open to walk through, so there is no ticket to buy to see it.
• Early morning is the quietest time, and evening gives the best atmosphere if the ghost stories interest you.
• Neighbouring squares lie along Bull Street, so it fits easily into a longer walk through the historic district. Check current opening hours for any building you want to enter.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Savannah is a good fit for a place with a dark past. You reach Wright Square on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

The Haunting File: Savannah - Under the Squares suits the square's ghostly reputation and links it to the neighbouring squares. You walk from place to place, hear the story of each as you reach it, and solve a puzzle in what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.