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Savannah is a beautiful, fascinating, historic city in southern Georgia. Home to 22 squares, cobblestone streets and a bustling river front, Savannah is filled with southern charm and hospitality. It is also considered one of the most haunted cities in the US. Savannah claims so many haunted locations, in fact, that I had a difficult time narrowing my stories down to five.
Check out these ghost stories from Savannah. And discover the possible reasons for the city’s haunted reputation.
Why is Savannah so Haunted?
Savannah was Georgia’s first city and it has a long, and often somber, past. According to historians and paranormal researchers, the following reasons contribute to the high number of hauntings in Savannah.
Many catastrophic battles occurred in the area. From the Siege of Savannah in 1779 to Sherman’s capture of the city during the Civil War, battles left behind energetic residue and hundreds dead around the city.
Yellow Fever epidemics in the 1800s decimated the population in Savannah, leaving restless spirits clinging to their former homes.
Deadly fires swept through the city in 1796 and again in 1820, destroying almost 900 houses and buildings and resulting in many untimely deaths.
Savannah was heavily dependent upon slave labor and the port played a part in the horrific Atlantic slave trade.
And, Savannah has known its share of mysterious murders, from the death of Danny Hansford in the Mercer House to the controversial deaths of three sisters in a house near Taylor Square. Souls who met such unfair deaths often stay earth bound.
Now, five of Savannah’s most haunted locations.
Moon River Brewing Company
Today a place to grab a hand crafted beer or dine on excellent food, Moon River Brewing Company resides in what began as the first hotel in Savannah. Built in 1821, by Elazer Early, over the years the building also offered the first post office in the city, served as a warehouse for lumber and coal, housed the dying during Yellow Fever epidemics and eventually became a supply store with a printing press. It is estimated that hundreds of fever patients died on the upper floors of the building.
The building then sat empty until the mid 1990s, when it was renovated and turned into the brew pub. Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures have shot episodes here, helping it to develop the reputation as the most haunted building in Savannah. Moon River Brewing Company boasts so many ghosts that I’ll take the building floor by floor, sharing some of the stories.
Moon River Brewing Company Basement
Toby is one of the most well known ghosts in the building and he prefers to haunt the basement. This ghost prowls the underground space and likes to brush up against people playing in the basement billiards room. Sometimes he gives more of a hard push! Patrons and staff report sudden cold spots in the basement, bottles falling off of shelves or flying across the room and being touched and then realizing no one is near.
Moon River Brewing Company Main Floor
A man named James Stark was shot and killed on this floor by Dr. Minus. His angry spirit makes bottles fly and he is deemed responsible for more violent acts such as grabbing, hitting and pushing people.
In the main floor dining area, guests report being touched when no one is around. Women complain about getting locked in stalls in the restroom or of feeling extreme cold there.
Moon River Brewing Company Top Floors
The top floors in the building are considered the most haunted. A full body apparition, known as the woman in white, appears here. She is referred to as Mrs. Johnson.
The third floor is the site of the yellow fever hospital. Many, many children died here of the disease. Workers and visitors report hearing children talking and playing on this floor or running up and down the halls. This floor is so haunted that construction workers do not like to work here. Some have complained of being pushed on the stairs. One said his wife was pushed so hard she fell all the way down the stairs. He quit that day.
There is also a dark energy that permeates the fourth floor, at the top of the building. More fever victims died here and perhaps their feelings of hopeless and despair remain behind.
Kehoe House
This Queen Ann mansion was built on Columbia Square in 1892 by William Kehoe. This enterprising Irishman made his fortune in iron and became one of Savannah’s most prominent businessmen. His home showcased his iron trade. Much of the exterior details are made of iron.
The Kehoes had ten children. It is reported that two of those children, twin boys, died in the house, possibly of yellow fever. Later the mansion became a funeral home and it was owned for a short time by football player Joe Namath. Today it is a popular bed and breakfast that does not hide the fact that it’s haunted.
Guests and staff report the sound of ghost children playing in the house. Several staff members tell of hearing a boy’s voice in an empty room, asking for someone to come play with him. A guest in the front sitting room heard a disembodied voice whisper in his ear as the room suddenly grew cold.
Other paranormal phenomenon includes the scent of perfumes from ages past wafting through hallways and bedrooms, lights flashing on and off, doors locking and unlocking, shadows flitting by and the doorbell ringing when no one is there. Guests also report feeling someone touch them, waking them from sleep. Others wake up feeling someone unseen sitting on the bed and noticing an indentation appear on the bed.
Colonial Park Cemetery
Called one of the most haunted locations in Savannah, locals nicknamed this cemetery Paranormal Central.
The oldest burial ground in Savannah, Colonial Park Cemetery opened in 1750 and within its six acres lie more than 10,000 bodies…not all of them at rest. Visitors walking past the cemetery at night report shadowy shapes and ghostly figures moving among the gravestones and a greenish mist hovering around vaults.
Visitors report strange or dark energy in the area. Before the cemetery began to close its gates at night, voodoo practitioners performed ceremonies there. And grave robbers disturbed graves to obtain human bones. Before it was outlawed in Savannah, duelists squared off on cemetery grounds and the surrounding area. Often the duels resulted in one or both men dying. All of these occurrences created low vibe energy that contribute to hauntings.
Ghost hunters using recorders pick up ghostly voices and sounds from within the cemetery, especially in the northeast corner.
Sorrel-Weed House
Located on the edge of Madison Square, the Sorrel-Weed House is stunning. Built in 1841 in the Greek Revival style, the house was constructed by Francis Sorrel and later passed to his son, Moxley.
When Francis’ first wife passed away he married her younger sister Matilda AND continued an ongoing affair with a young slave girl named Molly. Francis even moved Molly into special quarters he made in the carriage house.
When Matilda found out about Molly, she leapt to her death from the house’s second floor balcony. Two weeks later, Molly hung herself in the carriage house. There are many reported paranormal occurrences in this house.
Matilda and Molly haunt the house, appearing as dark shadows walking through rooms or caught as reflections in mirrors. Visitors report the sensation of nausea or chocking while on the property and others enter the house with a fully charged phone and leave with a dead battery. People claim to hear voices coming from the empty living room at the front of the house. The voices stop when anyone enters the room.
Another contributing factor to this location’s haunting is that the Siege of Savannah, a very bloody American Revolution battle, took place here leaving more than 1000 dead. Some believe there are fallen soldiers buried beneath the house. Passersby at night claim to hear the sounds of that long ago battle and feel a dark energy.
Andrew Low House
Andrew Low built his house in 1848 for his wife and growing family. Unfortunately, his wife died just a year later, in childbirth. Andrew remarried three years later and remained in the house until his death.
William Low inherited the house and he and his wife Juliette lived there until she caught him with his mistress. After the divorce, Juliette kept the house and lived there until her death in 1927.
The ghosts of the Andrew Low House are considered the friendliest in Savannah.
Andrew loved his home and roams it still. He is often spotted in a rocking chair in his study, slowing rocking back and forth. Some visitors only see the chair rocking on its own. Staff members in the house have heard the sound of someone coming up the basement stairs and then continuing on throughout the house. Except, no one can be found.
Visitors sometimes see Juliette lying peacefully on the bed in the room where she died. And Tom, the faithful family butler, can be heard walking down the hall, checking doors and rooms. He is known to move items around or put furniture back where it once sat, when he was alive.
Guests to the house also report catching ghostly images reflected in mirrors.
Would You Visit Savannah?
With its reputation as one of the most haunted cities in the US, would you visit Savannah?
For me, that was one of the draws to Savannah…the hauntings and the history. It is a beautiful old city, full of charming ambience and perhaps, characters from the past.
Don’t let that stop you from exploring all that Savannah has to offer. As a solo traveler, I did well there. And yes, I had a few ghostly encounters of my own. I’m an intuitive however, sensitive to spirit, experiencing unusual things wherever I go.
I know this…I will most definitely return to this city.
Check out the rest of this year’s ghost stories:
Bigfoot Stories from Blue Ridge GA
And, check out my favorite map of the Savannah Historic District. I used this fun map EVERY day while there.
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