This area is the oldest planned part of the city. The colonial town established by James Oglethorpe comprised six virtually identical wards, with Johnson Square in Derby Ward being slightly larger than the other five squares. He laid out four wards in 1733 (Derby, Decker, Percival, and Heathcote) and the other two (Reynolds and Anson) soon after for a total of 240 town (tything) lots and 24 public building trust lots. Throughout the history of Savannah, this area has remained the heart of the city. Commercial development initially focused on Bay Street and around Ellis Square, site of the city’s market since at least 1757 (as documented on the De Brahm map; see page 8), and then gradually spread to Broughton Street. Despite the formation of Savannah’s first fire company in 1759, the area has been devastated by fire five times—in 1796, 1820, 1865, 1883, and 1889 (destroying 229, 463, 100, 300, and 50 buildings, respectively)—as well as enduring a six-day bombardment from October 3–8, 1779, during the Revolutionary War.
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