What would you name the square formerly known as Calhoun? City of Savannah taking ideas

After a successful two year campaign by activists to remove the name of former vice president and outspoken advocate of slavery John C. Calhoun from the Savannah square bearing his name, the second part of the process has arrived: actually renaming the square.

The city is accepting public proposals for a new name for the "square formerly known as Calhoun," as Mayor Van Johnson put it at the November meeting where council voted unanimously to remove Calhoun's name. The city will be accepting completed applications until 11:59 p.m. on May 15.

The vote came nearly two years after an activist group called the Center for Jubilee, Reconciliation and Healing and its founders, Patt Gunn and Rosalyn Rouse, began pushing for the square to be renamed for Suzie King Taylor, a Savannah icon.

But every Savannah resident will have the same opportunity as Gunn and Rouse. The public space naming process outlined in the city codebook will be the guidepost for the open process, and it includes a long list of requirements, including a letter of support for the name from either Mayor Van Johnson, At-Large Post 1 Alderwoman Kesha Gibson-Carter, At-Large Post 2 Alderwoman Alicia Miller Blakely or District 2 Alderman Detric Leggett.

More: Savannah City Council votes unanimously to remove the name of Calhoun Square

Process Guideline to Submit Names for former Calhoun Square by savannahnow.com on Scribd

"Savannah City Council determined public property names shall serve to inspire our citizens to reflect on individuals of outstanding character, values, and achievements in Savannah’s history. The removal of Calhoun’s name from the square offers an opportunity to provide a more inclusive historical narrative meeting these goals," a city press release read.

To submit a name for the process, send a complete application via email to square@savannahga.gov. There isn't an application form for the process, but City Spokeswoman Keturah Greene said as long as the requirements set out in the city code are met in the email, the application will be considered.

Questions can be directed to square@savannahga.gov or 912-651-6401.

Square renaming timeline

The city also included an estimated timeline for the renaming. From May 1 to June 1, the Park and Tree Commission and the Municipal Archives Department will review applications for accuracy and their adherence to the criteria in the codebook.

In June, the city will hold a public meeting to present the applications received. In July, Park and Tree will review applications, take public comment and provide a recommendation to council.

Then the application goes to the Historic Sites and Monuments Commission in August, and if approved, will be heard by council in August or September.

History of the square renaming effort

Gunn, Rouse and their coalition of supporters began pushing for square changes more than two years ago.

The efforts started at Jubilee Freedom Day 2021. Gunn and Rouse, at their observance ceremony in the square, called for the removal of the name because the square is located near the site of a burial ground for enslaved people and because Calhoun was a slaveholders.

Over the next two years, they tried in vain to collect the required number of supporting signatures from adjacent property owners, following the city's renaming process.

They were met with opposition from "anti-woke" proponents of keeping Calhoun's name. And the opponents were successful — Gunn and Rouse and their Center for Jubilee, Reconciliation and Healing did not meet the signature threshold. But eventually, city council stepped in.

More: To rename or retain? Calhoun Square effort receives support, opposition from Savannah

Instead of renaming the square outright, council held a vote to remove Calhoun's name, with the intention of holding a public renaming process at a later point.

At the council meeting where Calhoun's name was removed, the city's Municipal Archives Dept. Luciana Spracher gave a presentation on the history of the square, from the pre-Oglethorpe Native Americans who lived in the area to the naming of the square in 1851.

Spracher's presentation echoed the findings of a study published in 2021 in regards to the location of the burial grounds of enslaved people in Savannah's Whitefield and Calhoun Squares.

According to documents in the city’s municipal archives compiled by Spracher, there were two burial grounds in the area where the two squares now stand — a graveyard for both enslaved and free people of color ran between what is now Lincoln and Habersham streets, with Gordon Street as its southern boundary.

Beside it was the stranger's burial grounds, a cemetery for those who didn't live in Savannah but died here. The stranger's burial grounds was between what is now Lincoln and Abercorn streets, with Gordon Street as its northern boundary.

Spracher says Calhoun Square may slightly overlap with the boundaries of the other stranger’s cemetery, sometimes referred to as Potter’s burial ground.

Previous coverage

➤ Savannah activists seek to rename squares built on slave burial grounds, named for slave owners

➤ A group hopes to change the name of Calhoun Square. Here's how that can happen.

➤Jubilee Freedom Day honors Savannah's enslaved people as group pushes to rename Calhoun Square

➤Calhoun Square to lose its name? What to know about latest plans to address controversy

➤Push to erase names of slaveholders from Savannah squares would be first change in a century

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Calhoun Square is no more, but Savannah is accepting naming applications