Why it matters
Franklin Square sits at the western end of the historic grid, adjacent to City Market and just north of the Telfair Museum district. Its most significant neighbor is the First African Baptist Church, established in 1773 and widely recognized as the oldest African American congregation in the country.
The church's history runs through slavery, Reconstruction, and the civil rights era. Its congregation worshipped in secret during the antebellum period and built their current building using their own labor. Visiting the square without acknowledging this history misses the most important thing about it.
Some of Savannah's most important history is in the squares you almost skip.