Savannah Historic District, National Historic Landmark District in Savannah, United States.
Savannah Historic District is a protected old-town neighborhood in Georgia that extends over several dozen city blocks and preserves numerous buildings from the 18th and 19th centuries. The streets run in a grid pattern between landscaped squares, lined with tall oaks often draped in moss.
James Oglethorpe laid out the city plan in 1733 with a symmetrical arrangement of squares and streets considered an early example of urban planning in North America. During the 19th century the neighborhood expanded and gained many residential buildings and churches from the period before the Civil War.
Each of the historic squares carries its own name and monuments that honor earlier figures or events. Visitors often see locals sitting on park benches or walking beneath the trees, giving daily life a calm note.
Paths between the squares are flat and easy to walk, with shade under the trees helpful in summer. Many sidewalks consist of uneven stone, so visitors should wear sturdy footwear.
The original plan included lanes between the blocks intended to serve as firing fields in case of attack, and some of these narrow passages remain today. Several gravestones from the 18th century were used as paving slabs in the decades after the city was founded and still carry readable inscriptions.
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