Wright Square
This Square, which was laid out in 1733, was originally
named for John Percival, Earl of Egmont, who played a large
part in founding the colony of Georgia. Its name was changed
around 1763 to Wright Square in honor of James Wright, royal
governor of the province of Georgia (1760-1782).
In the Town Hall which was located on the present site of the
Chatham County courthhouse George Whitefield, Church of England
minister at Savannah, preached to large congregations in early
colonial days.
In 1739 Tomo-chi-chi, the Chief of the Yamacraw Indians
who befriended the early Georgia colonists, was buried with
ceremony in the center of this Square, Gen. Oglethorpe acting
as one of the pallbearers.
The monument to William Washington Gordon (1796-1842)
commemorates the founder and first president of Georgia's earliest
railroad, the Central Railroad and Banking Company - an
enterprise which greatly promoted the economy of this State.
Designed by the distinguished architects, Henry Van Brunt and
Frank M. Howe, the handsome monument to Gordon symbolizes the
progress and prosperity of the world by means of commerce,
manufacture, agriculture, and art. It was completed in 1883.
