Forsyth Park Fountain - The Grand Finale
Photo: Jennifer Morrow from San Francisco, CC BY 2.0 (cropped)
A stop on Savannah, a free self-guided tour.
You have reached the end of the squares and the start of Savannah's great park. By the 1840s the ward plan had nearly filled the old town common, and the city set aside this land for a large park. In 1851 it was expanded and named for John Forsyth, a former governor of Georgia.
The white cast-iron fountain in front of you was installed in 1858. Its design echoes the grand fountains of Paris, and the ironwork was ordered from a New York foundry. Water-spouting figures and stacked basins make it the city's favorite meeting spot and photo backdrop.
Forsyth Park covers about 30 acres, with a long walk shaded by live oaks and Spanish moss, playing fields, a cafe and monuments. On many weekends you will find a farmers market here. Find a bench, rest your feet and enjoy the view of the path you came down.
Getting here: Continue south on Bull Street two blocks to Gaston Street and enter Forsyth Park. The fountain is just ahead on the main path.
Did you know?: Each year around St. Patrick's Day, the water in the fountain is dyed green.
Photo op: Stand on the main path north of the fountain and frame its white tiers under the arching live oaks.
More on Wikipedia: Forsyth Park · John Forsyth
Stops on this tour
- Johnson Square - Where the Plan Began
- River Street and Factors Walk - Built on Cotton
- City Market and Ellis Square - A Square Won Back
- First African Baptist Church - A Congregation's Own Bricks
- Wright Square - Tomochichi's Resting Place
- Owens-Thomas House - Regency Mansion and Slave Quarters
- Chippewa Square - Oglethorpe Stands Guard
- Madison Square - Battle Lines and a Christmas Gift
- Cathedral of St. John the Baptist - Twin Spires
- Taylor Square - A New Name for an Old Square
- Monterey Square - Pulaski and the Mercer House
- Forsyth Park Fountain - The Grand Finale