Amidst our tour of Savannah during our pre-trip with the Sons of the Desert, Ashleigh and I encountered Chippewa Square, which is the exact site where they filmed the famous opening and subsequent scenes of Forrest Gump on the parkbench. In reality, the park bench was merely a prop set in front of the cement wall visible in the photo at right. The statue in the background can also be seen in the photo below.
Below is the nearby Independent Baptist Church (founded in 1755). On the left is an opening shot from Forrest Gump – note the feather – and at right, is the photo I snapped.
To continue with our trip through Savannah, click here.
Chippewa Square is about three squares away from the one that Sarah and I lived on. We were just there this past weekend.
The buses that passed Forrest Gump were all going the wrong way on a one-way street.
Chris Tangeman
November 6th, 2006