80 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
80 lines
3.1 KiB
Markdown
# Ghost of Squares Past
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| Category | OSINT |
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| Challenge creator | @RP-01? |
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| Author | 0xAntton |
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## Introduction
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We know we are looking for squares in Savannah, Georgia, USA. A quick search leads to the Wikipedia page listing all of the city's squares, with their location and the year each one was laid out. This list will be our main reference:
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[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squares_of_Savannah,_Georgia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squares_of_Savannah,_Georgia)
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The challenge tells us the five locations form a compass: Point 1 = North, Point 2 = East, Point 3 = South, Point 4 = West, Point 5 = Center.
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## Point 1 - Riddle (North)
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> "First of them all, where the city began"
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Savannah's squares were designed by James Oglethorpe, the founder of the colony. We are looking for the very first square he laid out: **Johnson Square**.
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> "A banker's green heart in Oglethorpe's plan"
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Johnson Square sits in the heart of Savannah's financial district, surrounded by banks. "Green" is also a pun on **Nathanael Greene**.
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> "A Quaker from Rhode Island sleeps under stone here"
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Nathanael Greene, a Revolutionary War general born into a Quaker family in Rhode Island, is buried under the Nathanael Greene Monument in Johnson Square. Every clue matches.
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**First date: 1733**
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## Point 3 - Riddle (South)
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> "A battle of a northern frontier gave its name to this ground, eighteen-twelve drawing near"
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We are looking for a square named after a battle of the War of 1812 on the northern frontier. In the list, **Chippewa Square** is named after the Battle of Chippawa (1814), fought in what is today Ontario, Canada.
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> "Where a feather once drifted and a founder stands tall"
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Two confirmations:
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- The opening scene of *Forrest Gump* (the floating feather and the bench) was filmed in Chippewa Square.
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- The statue of James Oglethorpe, the city's founder, stands in the middle of the square.
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> "Mark the year it was laid out, the newest of all"
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Chippewa Square was laid out in 1815. As we will see, it is indeed the most recent of the five squares in this challenge.
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**Third date: 1815**
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## Point 5 - Center
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Before working on the pictures, let's use a map. Johnson Square (North) and Chippewa Square (South) are both on Bull Street. The square located between them is the center of our compass: **Wright Square**.
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> "Seek the lone name carved in the stone where their center lays claim"
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The main monument in Wright Square honors William Washington Gordon. On Google Street View, we can read the name engraved on it: **GORDON**.
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## Points 2 and 4 - Locations (East and West)
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Now that we have the center, the two remaining points are the squares directly east and west of Wright Square:
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- East: **Oglethorpe Square**, laid out in 1742.
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- West: **Telfair Square**, laid out in 1733 (originally named St. James Square, renamed later in honor of the Telfair family).
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Google Street View confirms both pictures:
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- Point 2 (Oglethorpe Square)
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- Point 4 (Telfair Square):
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**Second date: 1742**
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**Fourth date: 1733**
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## Final Flag
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Putting the years in the order of the clues (North, East, South, West), then the surname from the center:
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```
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deadface{1733-1742-1815-1733-gordon}
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```
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