SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – A ground penetrating radar survey has confirmed that graves likely remain at Whitefield Square, the site of a historic burial ground that served Savannah’s enslaved and free people of color from 1763 to 1844.
The City of Savannah received the final report from The LAMAR Institute following the survey conducted in December 2025. The study was undertaken in preparation for installing a historical marker recognizing the square as the site of the burial ground known historically as the “Negro Burial Ground.”
The report identified more than 80 potential burial anomalies within Whitefield Square and two probable burial clusters where the exact number of potential graves could not be determined. The majority of these anomalies are likely either intact human burials or empty burial shafts where remains were removed and relocated in the mid-19th century.
Historical background of the burial ground
Historical maps and records indicate the burial ground served as the public cemetery for Savannah’s enslaved and free people of color from circa 1763 until 1844. A portion overlapped what is now modern-day Whitefield Square…