The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-23
TDER eoRDoN'S MONUMENT.
.uoCHICHI's LAST RESTING
PLACE IDENTIFIED.

.as the spot in the Exact Gem
of the Square Where the Cor
10, Monument Now Stands-Many
o.,.or landmarks Located by This
o,a Map-The dwelling of the
,,onument to TOmOchichi to Take
,,,oce Thursday AfternOon-HOn.
,V,Itcr G. Charlton VIII Deliver
the Address.
The remains of Tomochlchi, the king of
~ yamacraws, and the friend of Ogle-
- do not rest under the large frag-
.,t of granite, by courtesy called a boul-
A. which has recently been placed in po-
-.tior in his honor In the southeastern por-
-, n Wright square. but in the center
/ = the SQUARE beneath the Gordon monu-
/ ment.
For many years local tradition re-
,r+ad the resting place of Tomochichi to
/ Ia about where the boulder now rests.
| oglethorpe. after having buried his friend
/ with distinguished honors. ordered his
crave marked with the pyramid of stones.
/ bean of stones, which was removed from
The SQUARE a number, of years ago, was
supposed by some not acquainted with the
facts. to be the remnants of this pyramid,
/ and therefore tradition ascribed Tomochi-
cbis burial place to the southeast corner
Of the square. Persons who gave the sub
/ iect serious consideration were inclined to
believe the grave to be located in the CEN
Ter Of the square as the spot which would
naturally be selected in seeking to give
the grace a prominent position.
Percival square, as Wright square was
/ then called, was the center of the city, and
was selected as place of interment as an
/ honor to Tomochichi because of his great
friendship for Gen. Oglethorpe and his
many valuable services to the infant col
ony.
The evidence that the place of interment
/ was directly in the center of the square,
and, therefore, beneath the Gordon monu-
ment, reposes safely in the archives of the
4 Georgia Historical Society and in printed
form A few persons, in fact, were aware
4 that such was the case, but though the
/ subject of the location of the grave has
4 heen several times mooted, this informa-
n ZION seems never to have reached the pub
4 1c
over half a century ago George Wynn
bsrly Jones, and who was one of Savan-
nah's most distinguished citizens, deter
mined to make an investigation on his own
account of the historical records of the
colony of Georgia, preserved in the state
4 department Of the English government.
4 Mr. Jones was a cultured gentleman, much
4 gwen to literary and historical research,
and he was moved to undertake this work
by a desire to add to his own knowledge
4 Of the colony's history and he also had the
f,rFT nf a historical
publication with which he was not in SYM
pathy. He succeeded in finding a number
of value records of the early history of
/ the colony in the English state department.
the more valuable of which he had copied
/ and afterwards published at his own ex-
/ pense These publications were private and
/ we're circulated only among Mr.. Jones
intimate friends. Perhaps the most inter
4 esting of these discoveries was the writings
/ Of John William Gerard deBrahm, Ger
man. who was appointed by his majesty
King George II to the post of surveyor Tor
a the southern district of America, includ-
A inc Georgia and South Carolina, the writ
ings being in the nature of memorial to
the King for the evident purpose OF calling
attention to his work
DeBrahm's report or memorial gives an
account of the conditions which he touhd
4 In the colony on his arrival in 175l, ana
a its progress for a number of years after
and, in fact up to the time of Gov. Wrlghl.
II Is of interest as corroborating other
historical data and for the quaint style
of thought and expression in describing
the conditions in the colony. As surveyor
for the district, it was DeBrahms duty TO
draw up maps and plans for Gen. Ogle-
thorpe and his successors. There are
several of these maps, one being of Sa-
vannah in 1857. This is undoubtedly the
Oldest map extant of the city, though per-
haps not the first made, as Savannah was
settled in 1888, and Oglethorpe, being
military man, laid out the city according
4 to a plan.
This map does not differ greatly from
\ those of more recent date, among which
4 was one by Peter Gordon, a surveyor,
copy of which now hangs in the city ex-
/ change
DeBrahms map is chiefly of interest be-
cause of the positive manner in which 1T
locates the ancient landmarks. 1t shows
SIX squares including the Market square,
which is designated as the BEEF Market"
with hve streets running north and south,
ana nine running east and west, Bull
street being then, as now, the principal
street and Broughton street the next in
prominence. There were no houses on the
north side of the Bay, but at the spot at
---HI occupied Dy Ine CITY exchange 10 a
building marked Exchange. This corrob
orales the tradition that building used
LOT trading purposes occupied the site be-
lore the foundation for the present build
ing was laid, nearly 100 years ago. In the
center OF the principal square, now known
d. Johnson square, was a dial, and in the
center Of the square below, now known
as wright square, is small, tomblike fig
uie' with the inscription, "Tomochichrs
lohD The tomb is indicated to be at
l'le exact spot now occupied by the Cor
uon monument
s,Dehrahm's map shows this square to be
1'a''hgulshed by other historical associa-
,.ols' On the lot now occupied by the new
re once building was the council house
~ across the street from it, where the
si5y OF the Chatham Artillery now
55,aiils' was the ''old prison." new prison
lug already been erected in the east
MI. part Of the city. Across the street,
60 the court house and the Lutheran
81 now stand are indicated the "Old
rr a.l-.'la and New Basilica" These were
vsr.a'DS pubic meeting places. There are
r,,, us 10 o,ner landmarks estab lished by the
ie me present site Of Christ Church
-, GATED as a church. while an indie