Monuments

African American Monument

Date of Creation or Erection: 2002

Location: Rousakis Waterfront Property

Responsible Organization:

Physical Description:P The Monument consists of a marble base supporting bronze figures depicting a Black family in an embrace with broken shcakles at their feet. The monument commemorates and honors conributions of African Americans to the culteral, social, educational, economic, and spiritual life of the Savannah communiity.

Monument to Chatham County Seamen

Date of Creation or Erection: 1974

Location: River Street at the head of Abercorn

Responsible Organization: Savannah Chapter of the Women's Propeller Club of the United States.

Physical Description: An anchor and chain on a rectangular base composed of four marble slabs set within a shallow rectangular brick reflecting pool. The Anchor Monument honors Chatham County seamen who lost their lives at sea.

Armillary Sphere

Date of Creation or Erection:

Location: Troupe Square

Responsible Organization:

Physical Description: An armillary sphere created into a sundial. It was chosen for its decorative value as a focal point regarding the landscaping of the square. The sphere is a series of astrological rings with a piercing arrow that, in theory, records the date and time by shadow. It consists of a delicate series of rings mounted with astrological appliqué set on a cast ring which is supported by six tortoises.

Beacon Range Light

Date of Creation or erection: 1858

Location: East end of Bay Street in Emmet Park near the foot of East Broad.

Responsible Organization: United States Light House Board

Physical Description: The light is an ornamented cast iron shaft originally painted a dark bronze green and stands about twenty-five to thirty feet high, the light gives off a red cast.

Additional Information: Its original function was to assist vessel navigating the Savannah River

The Big Duke Alarm Bell~~Oglethorpe Avenue Median

Constructed in 1872, Big Duke is located in the median of Oglethorpe Avenue near the Fire Department headquarters. The fire alarm bell nicknamed "Big Duke" after the Alderman Marmaduke Hamilton, chairman of the City Council Fire Committee (1871-73), when the bell was purchased. It is now a memorial to "firefighters of all nations".

Originally constructed as a fire alarm bell for the City of Savannah the bell soon evolved into a general alarm bell to call police or military. It was also used to announce special occasions such as the end of the Spanish-American War and to welcome home the troops of various wars. In 1985, the bell was dedicated as a memorial to firefighters as it is no longer used for its original purpose.

Bishop Turner Monument

The Bishop Turner Monument is located on the northeast side of the intersection of Fahm and Turner Streets. The monument is of granite stone construction with center cast aluminum tablet. The monument stands five feet tall and is six feet wide. The granite base is ten inches tall and twelve feet long.

Button Gwinnett Monument~Colonial Park Cemetery

Erected in 1964, the monument is located in one of the oldest parts of Colonial Park Cemetery. Button Gwinnett was one of the three Georgia signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The monument is a 15 foot tall structure of veined Georgia marble. Three rectangular marble platforms each successively smaller, ascent to form the base and steps. Four long narrow Doric columns support an entablature with the name Button Gwinnett inscribed in gold mounted on top of a marble pedestal.

Because of its rarity Gwinnett's signature is valuable and it is highly probable that this is the only tribute to him in the world.

The Chatham Artillery Monument~Emmet Park

In 1986, the Chatham Artillery placed a monument inspired by the 101st Airborne Memorial in Arlington Cemetery within Emmet Park. The monument is a light gray polished granite shaft with raking sides and is also slightly larger at the top than on the bottom and rests on a seven-foot square dark gray granite base which sets on a ten foot square foundation. A bronze eagle with wings spread is mounted on the pedestal which has a slightly mounded unpolished top. The total height, eleven feet could not exceed the height limitations set forth by the Park and Tree Commission.

The Old City Exchange Bell On Bay Street

The Bell, considered the oldest bell in the state was constructed in 1802. The bell hung in the bell tower of the City Exchange Building on Bay Street until the turn of the century when the old building was razed to make way for the "new" CIty Hall. The bell now hangs in a replica steeple located just east of City Hall on Bay Street. The replica steeple is a memorial to Mabel Clair Speth Hand, first president of the Pilot Club of Savannah (1932-34) and president of Pilot International (1935-36).

The Old City Exchange Bell was used to signal all important occasions, to announce city council meetings and the close of the business day, however the bell was used primarily to alert the public in the event of fire.

After the original City Exchange burned in the great fire of 1796, a new building was constructed, (1799-1802) by a joint stock company as the city was one of the chief stock holders. In 1802, the Exchange Trustee and Alderman Robert Bolton were authorized by City Council to import a bell and eight day clock to place in the Exchange Steeple, the cost for both was $990.63. A watchman was then hired to ring the bell, signaling the location of fires. In 1804, a resolution of council ordered the ringing of the bell to signal closing time for business. The bell at that time was also used for announcing meetings of city council, the arrival of ships carrying important dignitaries, and occasions of great importance to the general public.

City Hall Rotunda Fountain

With the building of the "new" City Hall in 1906 came the installation of the City Hall Rotunda Fountain. It is located on the first floor, centered beneath the central dome. The fountain sits within a circular tiled pool surrounded by a polished stone copping and a mounted brass rail. A bronze centerpiece of four dolphins is supported by four shells and resting on that shell basin is a pedestal displaying a cherub looking upward and holding a cornucopia in the air. Below the left foot of the cherub is a shield bearing the shield of the City of Savannah.

The fountain was eventually converted into a Japanese Garden with a fiberglass lining installed over the tile pool basin. At some point the shield of the city was lost but by 1987 when City workers discovered the tile underneath the liner, Oglethorpe Marble and Granite was called in to remove the fiberglass and install white glazed tiles the shield was found, restored and reattached.

Civil War Memorial in Forsyth Park

The Civil War Memorial was erected by the Savannah Ladies Memorial Association as a memorial to Savannah’s Confederate dead and was dedicated in 1875 in Forsyth Park. The Memorial originally featured two statues, “Silence” and “Judgement,” but was altered in 1879 with their removal, the enclosing of the middle section of the memorial’s shaft, and the installation of a bronze statue of a Confederate soldier on the top. 

The Cohen Humane Fountain~~Victory Drive Median at Bull Street

Freight used to be hauled by animals over streets that were either unpaved or paved with bricks/cobblestones. In 1880, the Louise King Association for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals donated a "large and ornamental" fountain, the previous fountain had been broken for a couple of years. This particular fountain was erected at West Broad and St. Julian Streets, because that was the line of travel between the Central Railroad Depot and the Bay and it was also convenient to the West Broad Street sewer.

In 1933, the Cohen drinking fountain for animals was placed in the median of Bay and Whitaker Streets. This fountain created by artist and Savannah Architect Henri Wallin at the request of Percival Randolph Cohen's will. The fountain is an octagonal pool about 12 feet in diameter and about a foot deep. Each side of the fountain is separated from the other by a short octagonal post with a partial globe on top. In the center of the pool rises an octagonal pedestal on a base, topped with a round birdbath and four small outlets on the edges to allow the water to overflow into the pool below. A bronze plaque is attached to the exterior of the pool base.

By 1937 the mule drawn wagon and horses gave way to cars and one could see an unobstructed view of the Savannah River from the fountain in the center of Bay and Whitaker Streets. By autumn 1945, the fountain was moved from the previous location to its present location at Bull Street and Victory Drive. However in 1960, the fountain was moved yet again while the State Highway Department straightened out the intersection of the two streets.

The Colonel William Bull Sundial~~Johnson Square

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the colony of Georgia in 1733, a sundial was erected in memory of Colonel William Bull who helped choose the site of Savannah and lay it out. From the historical records it is not clear whether the pedestal on which the bronze sundial sits is of black marble or granite, however the records show that it is more than likely granite. The terrace on which it sits should be made of gray granite. Four panels of mosaic marble are set in the terrace around the pedestal. The original design was changed a bit due to a fault in the stone for the pedestal, thus the original description published in the newspaper at that time did not match what was eventually built. This also caused problems with payment which in turn led to lawsuits being filed. The architect Henrik Wallin insisted on hand cutting the design which is labor intensive, as he disliked the more modern method of sandblasting designs.

Colonial Road Markers in Madison Square

On the south end of Madison Square lie two adjacent yet separate markers, both face south and each has a cannon mounted on stone pedestals. These are mounted on rough granite bases, their general shape is rectangular. On the eastern pedestal inscriptions read, "HERE, IN 1735, WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE ROAD TO DARIEN NOW CALLED OGEECHEE ROAD, PROBABLY THE FIRST ROAD LAID OUT IN GEORGIA, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF TOMOCHICHI. ERECTED BY THE SAVANNAH CHAPTER DAUGHTERS OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION 1920."

Inscribed on the marker placed in the west reads "NORTHWEST OF THIS SPOT, ON LIBERTY AND WEST BROAD STREETS, BEGAN THE AUGUSTA ROAD, ONE OF THE OLDEST IN GEORGIA. ERECTED BY THE SAVANNAH CHAPTER DQAUGHTER OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION. 1735-1920."

Fountain in Columbia Square

In late 1971, an ornamental fountain, sometimes called the "rustic fountain" or the "Wormsloe fountain" was placed in the center of Columbia Square by the Park and Tree Commission and the Trustees Garden Club through a donation from Eudora Derenne.

The fountain is a metal probably cast iron, about four feet in height and painted "swamp root" green. The pedestal resembles a tree trunk, with an arched hole on either side rather like a root hole. Small figures lie at the base of the tree trunk, but without getting too close they cannot be identified. The pedestal-trunk and the basin are decorated with vines, leaves, and flowers. The inside of the basin is probably made to look like closely laid leaves, which seems to be customary for fountain design. The water shoots straight up for about two feet, falls into the basin then overflows into a pool of classical shape, and four sided with the corners cut out by semi-circles, which are filled in with flower beds of low growing plants. The coping is rustic brick, topped with stone or cast-stone. A brick herringbone pattern patio surrounds the fountain.

The Cotton Exchange Fountain

Also known as the "Lion's Fountain", by those that live and work in Savannah. This winged lion fountain, created in 1889 of red terra cotta, sits on the north side of a brick fountain basin in front of the Savannah Cotton Exchange Building. The fountain and building faces Bay Street.

The lion or griffon, is seated on his hind quarters looking out over a pool and stands approximately 5'2" tall with an intregral 5' 6" wide base. A single stream of water exits from the lion's mouth. The site is also surrounded by an ornamental fence containing silhouettes of selected presidents and authors. This fence originally was located at the Barclay-Wetter House.

The original fountain was completely destroyed from a single car accident in 2008. It was reconstructed over 10 months to form a mold for a new concrete replica and rededicated in December 2009.

Forsyth Park Fountain

As one of the most photographed fountains in Savannah, the Forsyth Fountain sits on a direct line of continuation along the Bull Street corridor. The fountain was originally conceived as the focal point of a landscaped park initially called Forsyth Place. Installation of the “largest fountain of its kind in the United States” began July 1858, and to the delight of many, was turned on for the first time in August of that same year. The Forsyth Fountain, not a custom design does have duplicates in Poughkeepsie, New York, Madison Indiana, and Cusco, Peru. Patterned, designed, and copied after J.P. Iron Foundry, near Paris, France, the fountain was ordered from the Janes, Beebe & Co catalog as “Model # 5”. Throughout the years; including ice storms and vandalism, the fountain has endured many changes.

Bartow and McLaws Busts~~Forsyth Park

The bronze busts of Confederate leaders Francis Stebbins Bartow and Lafayette McLaws are situated north and south of the Civil War Memorial in Forsyth Park. Colonel Francis S. Bartow of Savannah was killed at the Battle of Manassas in July 1861. Major General Lafayette McLaws served as president of the Savannah chapter of the Confederate Veterans Association (CVA). After McLaws death in 1898, the CVA formed a monument committee to erect monuments to both men. The bronze busts were originally erected north and south of the fountain in Chippewa Square and dedicated in June 1902. They were relocated to their current site in Forsyth Park in 1910 to make way for the Oglethorpe Monument in Chippewa Square. 

The Georgia Volunteer, A Memorial to the Georgia Veterans of the Spanish American War

The Spanish American War Memorial was erected in 1931 by the United Spanish War Veterans and auxiliaries of Georgia. The memorial is located on Bull Street at Park Avenue. It consists of a heroic scale bronze statue of a soldier (typically called the "Hiker") mounted on a stone pedestal. Bronze inscriptional plaques are mounted at the sides of the monument.

The Third Georgia Regiment was the only one to go to Cuba as a distinctively Georgia organization. Company K. commanded by Henry Kolshorn of the German Volunteers, an old militia company, was composed of about fifty Savannahians.

The German Monument~~Orleans Square

An ornamental fountain which commemorates the early German Immigrants to the colony of Georgia was established in Orleans Square in 1989. The five foot fountain, composed of a cast iron basin decorated with leaves and frogs atop a cast stone pedestal finished in granite was created by Cut Art Stone Company. It stands in a circular reflecting pool. The monument was erected by the German Heritage, German Friendly, and Georgia Salzbuger Societies. the fountain dedication ceremony fell on the same day a year after the first German-American Day in Savannah, on October 6, 1988 and 1989.

The Gordon Monument

Located in the center of Wright Square this monument was created to honor William Washington Gordon. The monument depicts the significance of the Central Railroad, the first railroad to be established in Georgia and it was erected in 1883.

W.W. Gordon died at the relatively young age of 46 before the railroad was finished and the railroad itself was to be his monument. After a decade of prosperity in the 1850s the railroad was almost completely demolished by Sherman's army in 1864. The rebuilt railroad survived unprecedented competition during the Reconstruction period, and a severe national depression in the 1870s, often by sacrificing the payment of dividends to stockholders and reducing the pay of employees from the president down.

Gordon's son, W. W. Gordon, Jr. was elected to the Central's board of directors for the first time in 1877. In 1880, a faction of directors wanted to change the conservative fiscal policies of the Central and lease it to the L&N Railroad of Louisville, which would temporarily enrich the stockholders; however t would have ended the Central's independence. W.W. Gordon, Jr. was a staunch ally of William Wadley, the railroad's president. The timing of the monument is a reminder of the battle over railroad policies; it also represents the apex of the Central's power, independence, and prestige in the 1880s.

The Greene Monument~~Johnson Square

Constructed in 1825, the Greene Monument is located in the center of Johnson Square. A tribute to General Nathanial Greene (1742-86) of Rhode Island, a Revolutionary War hero. Greene was second to Washington, head of the Southern Department and commander of the Carolina Campaign 1780-81. He was called the "Savior if the South". The white New York marble monument to Greene is a fifty foot tall obelisk. This was the first monument erected by Savannahians and the first to General Nathanial Greene

Hussars Memorial

The Hussars Memorial is an artifact from the Siege of Savannah, a British six pounder, case iron cannon strapped to a simple concrete block. The artifact and mount sit on a cement pad.

Located in Emmet Park, the Hussars Memorial was erected in 1960 by a group of Savannahians. The cannon, recognized in 1958 while embedded in a sidewalk at the southwest corner of Bull Street and Broughton Lane was excavated and placed in Emmet Park.

The Georgia Hussars, a troop of mounted rangers, was raised by General Oglethorpe to patrol and protect the colony of Georgia from the Spaniards and Indians. The Hussars fought at Bloody Marsh in 1742 and at the Siege of Savannah in 1779. Its record during the Civil War is unsurpassed as was its service in Mexico, World War I, World War II, and Korea. It remained horse Calvary until 1940. From Colonial times to Vietnam, the Hussars have represented Savannah in all our wars. It is still an active unit in the Georgia Army National Guard.

Irish Monument~~Emmet Park

In 1983, a Celtic cross, commemorating Georgians of Irish ancestry, was placed in Emmet Park on East Bay Street at Habersham Street.

The "Irish Limestone Celtic Cross" was hand carved in County Roscommon, Ireland. The total of die and base was intended to be nine feet, six inches in height, but the finished stone was somewhat smaller. It is described as having interlaced face and sides, and roped front and back with the bands sunk front and back. There is a nine-inch cap on top; it is mounted on a round base faced with Savannah grey brick.

The Jasper Monument in Madison Square

Erected in 1888, the Jasper Monument is located in the center of Madison Square. The monument represents the memory of Sergeant William Jasper of the Second South Carolina Regiment, who was killed at the Siege of Savannah on October 9, 1779.

Sergeant Jasper was memorialized for three acts of heroism during the American Revolution. In 1767, Jasper emigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania. He married Mary Wheatley, a woman from Pennsylvania. Together they settled on Sullivan Island near fort Moultrie in Charleston, South Carolina, where they had three children. In July of 1775, Jasper enlisted in the Continental Army. His first memorialized act occurred on the 28th of June 1776, when he rescued the flag of his regiment while defending Fort Moultrie. For his act of bravery, Governor Rutledge of South Carolina (later, a signer of the United States Constitution) offered Jasper a commission. Jasper, feeling he was unworthy of such an honor due to his illiteracy, instead accepted a sword from the Governor. Soon after this event, Jasper's second memorialized act occurred. At a site now known as Jasper Springs, Jasper and John Newton valiantly rescued twelve American prisoners from British soldiers. The third and final act Jasper was mortally wounded while rescuing his regimental flag from a dying Lieutenant. This seige, where General Count Casimir Pulaski was also mortally wounded, was a painfully unsuccessful attempt to seize Savannah back from the British.

Jasper Springs Marker

The Jasper Springs Monument was erected in 1932 by the Federal Government. The Lachlan McIntosh Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution is given credit for originating the idea of the monument.

The Jasper Springs Marker is a monolith with neoclassical elements set on a stepped granite base. The monolith is ornamented with an entablature, pilasters, and bronze plaque commemorating Sergeants W. Jasper and J. Newton for heroic rescue at the site of 12 American prisoners from British soldiers. The back of the marker contains granite steps with corner posts and ball finials which decent into the Jasper Spring Pool. A wooden pavilion extends over the spring.

Jewish Cemetery Marker~~Oglethorpe Avenue

During the 250th anniversary of the city's founding along with the colony of Georgia, several ethnic monuments were erected. In 1733 General James Edward Oglethorpe allotted a burial plot to the Savannah Jewish community as one hundred and forty Jewish emigrants, most refugees from the Inquisition of Spain and Portugal arrived on the second ship to reach Savannah. In 1983 the Trustees of the Mordecai Sheftall Cemetery Trust placed a marker in the median of Oglethorpe Avenue to memorialize these emigrants.

John Wesley Monument~~Reynolds Square

John Wesley, the founder of Methodism came to Savannah in 1736 as an Anglican clergyman to the Colony of Georgia. Wesley returned to England in 1738.

The monument, erected in 1969 by the John Wesley Monument Committee stands in the center of Reynolds Square.

The Marine Monument on Bull Street at Forsyth Park

In 1947, a memorial to the 24 United States Marines from Chatham County killed in World War II was erected on Bull and Gaston Streets at the entrance to Forsyth Park. Later on, plaques with names were added to honor Marines killed in the Korean and Vietnam Wars.

Attached to a large piece of Georgia white marble are bronze plaques and an emblem of the United States Marines (earth, anchor, and eagle) are attached. The monument is 4 feet, 3 inches tall and eight feet long. This monument was dedicated on Armistace day November 11, 1947, two years after the end of World War II.

Memorial to Tomochichi~~ Wright Square

Tomochichi, chief of the Yamacraw Indian Tribe, greatly assisted Oglethorpe in establishing the British settlement in Georgia. The monument to him was erected in 1899 by the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames in America the Memorial to Tomochichi consists of a granite fragment displaying a inscriptional bronze plaque. The roughness of the granite represents Tomochichi's strong and rugged character. The memorial preceded by the gravesite of Tomochichi which formed a monumental mound in the center of Wright Square. This mound was destroyed in 1883 to make room for the erection of the Gordon Monument. A bit of controversy was sparked from the proposal to locate the Gordon Monument on the Tomochichi mound; however it was not enough to halt the plans.

Moravian Monument~~Oglethorpe Square

The Moravians, members if a Protested sect founded in Saxony immigrated to Savannah in 1735 to create a mission among the natives. The original mission site in Savannah was located on Broughton and Habersham Streets. Due to the war with Spain they left Savannah in 1740. Subsequently a Moravian settlement was established in Pennsylvania.

The marker is located in Oglethorpe Square northeastern corner, the inscription reads, " In memory of the Moravian colonists in Savannah 17-35-1740 who maintained a mission to the Indians. "This memorial is presented to the City of Savannah by the Wachovia Historical Society of Winston-Salem, N.C."

The Myers Drinking Fountain

Donated to the City in 1897 by the former Mayor Herman Myers the fountain was originally located in Forsyth Park. It was constructed of bronze standing nine feet five inches and included a three foot tall female figure. At some point the fountain was removed for repairs and never replaced at some point became missing. A cast iron replica without the female is now installed in Troupe Square. It is called the "Canine Fountain" because dogs living near, around, or just visiting drink out of the drip bowls.

Nathanial Greene Monument~~Johnson Square

In 1825, the Marquis de Lafayette laid the cornerstone for this monument. The architect William Strickland who also designed the Tennessee State Capital Building did not receive rave reviews for the design of this monument in 1830. The Egyptian Needle format received chronic complaints by the public and in 1866 bronze plaques were added and unveiled at a large ceremony with Jefferson Davis as guest of honor.

In 1901, the Society of the Cincinnati of Rhode Island felt that they should see to it that their distinguished member General Greene was properly buried under the monument. When they arrived in Savannah to do this, local historians and records did not indicate where in fact General Greene had ever been buried. After much searching they found in one of the brick vaults in Colonial Cemetery, a coffin plate with his name on it. They assumed but could not prove that these remains were General Greene. The presumed General's remains were buried along with his son under the monument to Greene in Johnson Square.

Oglethorpe Memorial Bench on Yamacraw Bluff

The bench was erected in 1906 by the Georgia Society of Colonial Dames of America, and it sited 75 feet east of Whitaker Street and 23 feet north of Bay Street in the spot where General James Oglethorpe pitched his tent and rested the first night he spent in Georgia. It is a curved granite bench with scrolled ends and has two semi-circular steps leading up to it. The top step is decorated with a stone tile mosaic, oval shaped, with a scroll motif around the perimeter and created in Mediterranean style.

The desire to erect a monument to General Oglethorpe gathered momentum for many years. The 1890s saw the formation of many patriotic societies such as the Sons of the Revolution, The Daughters of the American Revolution, The Colonial Dames, The Daughters of the Confederacy, etc. In 1901, the ad hoc Oglethorpe Monument Association was incorporated with representatives these patriotic societies. However, by 1905, they had still not been successful getting an appropriation from the statue for a statue. It seems probable that the Colonial Dames decided to go ahead with this memorial rather than wait any longer.

Oglethorpe Monument-Bull Street~~Chippewa Square

In 1901, the Colonial Dames, the Daughters of the American Revolution and other patriotic associations began to plan for a monument to the colony's founder. The Georgia Legislature allocated $15,000 for this project. The very prominent well regarded Daniel Chester French and his associate Henry Bacon were given the commission. French is famous for designing and creating the seated Lincoln in Washington, D.C.

The statue depicts Oglethorpe in a heroic pose, attired in the uniform of a British General of his period, with his sword unsheathed, point held down. As was custom, it is facing his enemy, which in this instance is South to Florida where the Spanish were.

The figure of Oglethorpe is bronze and rests on a stepped, inscribed, pink gray marble pedestal with garlands and pine cones. In the corners is a Lion Rampant presenting shields at each corner. The shields show the following:

1. Coat of arms of Oglethorpe

2. Seal of the Colony of Georgia

3. Seal of the State of Georgia

4. Seal of the City of Savannah

Two Italian Renaissance stone benches are on either side of the site. The statute itself is ten feet high. It was unveiled at a ceremony on November 23, 1910.

The Olympic Torch

Erected in Morrell Park August 1996, the torch consists of five columns representing the five Olympic rings, form a pedestal upon which the Olympic Torch burns. The five classical looking columns make reference to historical Olympic Greece and are enhanced with convex fluting. Surrounding the flame are billowing sails symbolizing the sailboats in the Olympic Yachting events held in Savannah.

The Police Officers Monument~~Oglethorpe Avenue

A memorial to local police officers killed in the line of duty stands in front of city police headquarters in the Oglethorpe Avenue median at Habersham Street. The base was placed at the location in 1964 and the statue in 1982.

This stainless steel memorial of a uniformed police officer stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and city patrolman R.I. Ketterman was used as the model. The blue granite is rigidly cubic and bears the outline of a police officer’s shield on all four sides. Engraved inside of this cartouche are the names of police officers killed in the line of duty in Chatham County from 1869 to present.

During the trial for murdered Patrolman Harry H. Akins in 1963, Neil Fountain, president of the Police Officers’ Wives Association, promised Officer Akins’ wife that something would be done to perpetuate the memory of police killed in the line of duty. The Association formed a monument committee; they began researching the records to find the names of all police officers killed in action, and to publicize their efforts to erect a monument. Mr. Graham Leggett offered to donate and carve the granite die.

It was perhaps the first monument dedicated to the memory of police officers who have given their lives while serving and protecting.

The Pulaski Monument in Monterey Square

General Count Casimir Pulaski began his military career by rebelling against the last king of Poland, Stanislaw II. Having been condemned to death for his actions in Poland, he escaped and made his way to Paris. It was there in Paris where Benjamin Franklin recruited Pulaski to join the American cause for liberty. Upon arrival in America July 1777 Pulaski was recruited as a brigadier-general to assist with the cause for freedom from the crown. Before organizing his own legion in Maryland, Pulaski fought with General Washington in Brandywine and Germantown.

General Pulaski was mortally wounded on the 9^th of October 1779 while fighting with the Pulaski Legion during the Siege of Savannah, he died two days later. In testimony to Pulaski’s loyalty, John Stevens, who also served under Washington wrote, “the brave Pulaski who despairing of the cause of liberty in his own country had…sacrificed his life while contending for the freedom of ours…. .”

Until 1852, the monument served as a memorial to Nathanial Greene and To Casimir Pulaski, both Revolutionary heroes. The cornerstone for the proposed Pulaski monument had been laid in Chippewa Square by Lafayette during his historic tour of the United States in 1824-25. By 1852, enough additional money was earned by the lottery to erect a high-style monument to great man. The two surviving commissioners, William Bowen and William Robertson asked the state legislature to appoint Dr. Richard D. Arnold to serve with them for the purpose of choosing a sculptor and design for the Pulaski monument. They left it to the Sculptor, Launitz, to choose a site, and he chose Monterey Square.

In 1912 the Park and Tree Commission noted that the Pulaski monument was in need of some unspecified repairs and again in the 1960s. In 1990 some of the ornamentation fell off due to deterioration. The Monument had numerous cracks and patched places. On October 11, 1958, the anniversary of Pulaski’s death, the first annual pilgrimage of Polish Americans to Savannah took place, and in 1986 the Pulaski Society performed honors at the monument in 1986. In 2001, the Pulaski Monument Restoration was complete.

For years it was thought that Pulaski had been killed aboard the Wasp, however in 1996, while dismantling the monument to repair certain damage, workers came upon a metal box. Inside this rusted metal box were human remains and attached to the top of the box was a silver-plate inscribed with the name “Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski” The County Coroner, Dr. James Metts, Jr., and Dr. Karen Burns, a forensic anthropologist from the University of Georgia in Athens, found DNA from the bones highly conclusive as Pulaski's. He was reinterred at the base of the monument. The 226th anniversary of the Siege of Savannah, the city organized special funeral services and a final reinterrment ceremony at Monterey Square to honor the fallen hero.

Salzburger Monument~~Salzburger Park

The Salzburger's arrival in Savannah came shortly after Oglethorpe landed, in 1734. Soon after, they relocated to Ebenezer, Georgia which became their permanent home. They accomplished several firsts within the State of Georgia such as the first saw, grits, and rice mills. Ebenezer was also the first Sunday school and orphanage in the state. The Salzburgers' teaching abilities were so great that many people in Savannah sent their children to Ebenezer for their education.

In 1994, the State of Salzburg, Austria donated the monument to the City of Savannah and in 1996 the Salzburger Society petitioned City Council to have a half acre on Bay Street, between Lincoln and Abercorn Street named Salzburger Park. In a unanimous decision on June 6, 1996, the park was officially named Salzburger Park.

Semi-Quincentennial Fountain in Lafayette Square

The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America in commemoration of the Founding of Georgia's the Anniversary, placed a fountain in the center of Lafayette Square.

The cast-iron three tiered Verde antique fountain has naturalistic and picturesque details. Some of which are leaves that compose the three basins, the long necked water fowl around the pedestal between the middle and bottom basins, and the four frogs poised to leap off four equidistant points around the round base on which the pedestal is mounted. The pedestal has four scrolled supports and stands in the center of a brick pool, topped with a stone coping.

Siege of Savannah Monument

January 2000 a Revolutionary War Monument that marked the 1779 Siege of Savannah site where Brigadier-General Casimir Pulaski was mortally wounded was donated to the City of Savannah. Seven hundred soldiers lost their lives on October 9, 1779, in one of the bloodiest battles in the war for independence.

The seven foot stone marker sits in Battlefield Park off of Louisville Road.

St. Andrews Monument~~Oglethorpe Avenue Median

The St, Andrews Society chapter in Savannah placed a monument in 1987 to honor the Scottish forbears. The monument sits in the Oglethorpe median at Bull Street.

An Elberton Blue granite obelisk, with rock pitched finish on the obelisk and steeled smooth finish on the base rises 8'10 feet above the 4' base, 6 inches thick which also sits on a 7' square base, it is 8 " thick. The total footage is 10 ft. On the obelisk are iron emblems taken from the St. Andrews Cemetery Lot in Laurel Grove Cemetery.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial~~Emmet Park

Erected in 1991 by the Vietnam Memorial Committee the Vietnam Memorial is located in Emmet Park. The memorial consists of a reflecting pool surrounded by steps and a marble block inscribed with the names of the savannah/Chatham County soldiers killed in the war. There is a marble replica depicting the country of Vietnam in the center of the reflecting pool. A bronze battlefield grave marker consisting of an M-16 rifle and bayonet positioned between combat boots topped with a helmet on the rifle is mounted on top of the rifle.

World War I Memorial on Victory Drive at Daffin Park

The monument sits on the northwest corner of Daffin Park/Victory Drive. The marker was established in 1929 by the Savannah Woman's Federation in loving honor of the soldiers, sailors, and marines who died in the Great War. The marker, originally was located on the center plat of Victory Drive.

Victory Drive is 19.82 miles long and runs from Ogeechee Road to Tybee Island. The Drive was established in 1919 as a memorial military boulevard to honor all who died in the war. Part of Victory Drive in 1912 was called Estill Avenue, it was beautifully lined with Palm Trees and lush green grass, and this served as the prototype for the planning and design of Victory Drive.

When the last of the American troops returned from Europe in February 1923, the ship's first stop was Savannah. About 1200 troops were greeted by 75,000 people at the port of Savannah. In honor of the occasion, the Big Duke Alarm Bell was rung, the Washington Guns fired, and the governor present.

In 1932, Victory Drive was paved with asphalt. In 1935, the drive was defined as a boulevard, which resulted in more stringent traffic controls. Also in 1935 the Park and Tree Commission planted 317 palmettos along the Drive from Bull Street to Hopkins Avenue. In 1960-61, the State of Georgia resurfaced a portion of the Drive, around this same time turning lanes and traffic lights were installed in the intersections of Bull Street and Bee Road. By 1983, 360 palmettos remained along the Drive. In 1990, 65 palmettos were removed to accommodate the new Truman Parkway. Recently in 2012, the Park and Tree Department planted 25 more palmetto trees, 20 of these donated to the City by a local family.

World War II Monument

Located in Rousakis Plaza looking over the Savannah River, the World War II Monument honors all Savannah and Chatham County veterans, both alive and deceased. The monument also pays tribute to the whole community for their participation the national war effort.

Conceptualized and created by Eric Meyerhoff, the monument represents all who fought valiantly represented by two case bronze hemispheres surrounded with a symbolic Victory Garden honoring the civilian involvement and sacrifice. Surrounding the monument is a memorial brick walkway, purchased by those individuals that supported the monument, while stone benches and granite tributes to all branches of United States Service. Engraved on a granite wall within the sphere are the names of Savannah/Chatham Countians who lost their lives while serving their country in this war.

Washington Guns on Bay Street

Created in 1756 and 1758 the Guns are located under a canopy east of City Hall on Bay Street. Captured from the British in the Battle of Yorktown and presented to the Chatham Artillery militia company of Savannah in 1791 as trophies of the Revolutionary War. The Chatham Artillery militia is the second oldest military organization in the United States.

The cannons are two bronze six-pounder fieldpieces mounted on oak carriages placed on a platform underneath the canopy. One cast in Alsace is the more ornate of the two; it has dolphin handles at the axis, raised rings, shields and inscriptions. Included on the cannon are Louis XIV's coat of arms, The Sun King Emblem of Louis the XIV, and Latin inscriptions which translates, "Last Argument of Kings". The other cannon was cast in England and contains the inscription, "Surrendered by the capitulation of York Town, October 19, 1781, the imperial crown and another inscription in Latin which translates, "Evil to him who thinks evil."

In 1825, there was an unsuccessful attempt to send the guns to Augusta, and they were put under the canopy in 1825 to protect them from the weather. They were buried in 1861 underneath the floor of the armory and dug up again after federal troops moved out of Georgia in 1872, and in 1881 the cannons were taken to Yorktown for the Centennial of that battle, leading many to believe that they were unique. For the centennial celebration the guns were named "George" and "Martha". In 1936. they were fired in salute of the Sesquicentennial anniversary of the Chatham Artillery. The city leased a site in February 1958 for the display of the guns, and in 1961 the breech was blown off the one made in England during a practice fire. The gun was then repaired; neither of them presumably have been fired since. After the repair and cleaning both were polished then sent back to display.

Chatham Artillery does remove the guns occasionally for cleaning and for certain ceremonies

Waving Girl Monument

The Elba Island light keeper's sister, Florence Margaret Martus waved to all vessels going in and out of the Savannah Harbor for forty-four years. The bronze one and a half times life-size monument to Florence and her collie dog complete with bronze ship's lantern sits on black marble. The memorial is the first monument to a Georgia woman in any city park.

Yamacraw Bluff Marker on West Bay Street

West of City Hall in front of the Hyatt lays a rectangular stone marker which indicates the site on Yamacraw Bluff where Oglethorpe landed in 1733. General James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia and the City of Savannah. The Daughters of the American Revolution (State Chapter and 3 local chapters created the marker), had the marker erected in anticipation of the Bicentennial celebration of the founding of Georgia in 1933..

On the bronze inscriptional tablet reads, "This is Yamacraw Bluff where the Colony of Georgia was founded, February 12, 1733, by General James Edward Oglethorpe. Voted by the Georgia Daughters of the American revolution-The Most Historic Spot in Georgia."