No other square in all of downtown boasts the benefits of a small park like Crawford Square. It offers a basketball court for play but also a gazebo for a relaxing spot to sit.
It is also unlike most of its counterparts because it is the only square with a fence around it. All 24 squares did at one time. It was designed in 1841 and named in honor of William Harris Crawford, a previous state governor and senator. Crawford Square was once – during the Jim Crow period – the only square that allowed African-Americans to pass through and their kids to play.
In 1946, the city of Savannah hosted a basketball tournament with a prize of a brand new paved basketball court. The Crawford Square team emerged victorious, and in 1947 they were honored with the court- one that would foster recreational growth for kids across the community. Even today, this historic site remains one of few active squares still operating in Savannah.
By hosting a variety of activities over the years, both the square and basketball court have become symbols of unity for this neighborhood. Encouraging neighborly gatherings, these two features provide an important sense of pride and spirit to all who live in it.
The square still contains part of a water cistern from the nineteenth century. Many of the city’s squares contained these water cisterns to help fight fires. They were built throughout the 1830s and 1840s. Their depth ranged from nine feet, two inches to 13 feet, five inches.
