Washington Square (Savannah, Georgia)

 park, place with historical importance, historic town square

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Built in 1790, Washington Square was named in 1791 for the first President of the United States, who visited Savannah in that year. Washington Square had been the site of the Trustees' Garden, named for the trustees of Oglethorpe's colony. The garden was the proving ground for a variety of experimental crops—including mulberry (for silkworms), hemp, and indigo—viewed as potential cash crops for the new colony. Most of these experiments proved unsuccessful. Washington Square is on Houston, between Bryan and Congress Streets. Washington Square was one of only two squares named to honor a then-living person; Troup Square was the other. Washington Square was once the site of massive New Year's Eve bonfires; these were discontinued in the 1950s.