Haunted Places in Savannah
When it comes to haunted cities in the United States, few hold a candle to the Hostess City of the South. A stroll down Savannah’s historic sidewalks, shadowed under canopies of Spanish moss, reveals a city teeming with spectral activity. Founded in 1733, much of the city’s original architecture still stands, the memories of yesteryear festering within. If it’s an encounter with the otherworldly you’re looking for, then Georgia’s oldest municipality is a good place to start.
From the cries of an unseen child to the residual echoes of a time long past, Savannah presents visitors and locals with ample opportunity to cross the veil. There is a catalog of locations in Savannah where the dead creep and ethereal visions appear in a flash. For those short on time, though, that directory can be shrunk down to an itinerary of seven haunted Savannah hotspots sure to scratch that itch of curiosity.
17 Hundred 90 Inn & Restaurant
There are few better places in Savannah to grab an exquisite dinner, bookended by fresh salads and southern classics like princess pineapple cake and pecan pie. The food isn’t the only reason to put 17 Hundred 90 on the radar, though. It’s also a classic inn that offers simple comforts with timeless accents, like red-brick fireplaces and floral drapery, as well as the opportunity to sleep amongst the dead.
Anne Powell tends to be the most notable and active haunt at 17 Hundred 90. Her tragic story changes from time to time, but the horror of it remains quite similar. Her spirit longs for a lost love, either an opportunistic sailor who returned to sea or a scallywag who left her pregnant and alone. In all versions, save for one, the heartbroken maiden threw herself into the brick courtyard. A more sinister version has her murdered by her jealous beau. Anne’s spirit remains primarily tied to room 204, where her apparition has been spotted and her forlorn presence felt quite heavily.
Another spirit is said to have taken up shop in the kitchen and restaurant. The unnamed African American servant targets women, teasing them with small flicks and slaps. When she’s not moving silverware and pots, the mischievous woman has her sorrowful moments and can be heard crying.
Hamilton-Turner Inn
Under the cover of dense greenery, this French-style inn sits partially obscured from view. Within the shadows cast by the surrounding foliage, darkness pulsates, fueled by the energy amassed over 150 years. Today, the Hamilton-Turner Inn is a place of luxury, its renovated rooms capturing the original style with a touch of contemporary comforts. Rewind the clock a spell, and you’ll find the former home of Samuel Pugh Hamilton a place of secrets and tragedy.
Blood has seeped into the inn’s foundation, soaked through the framework after the unsolved murder of Samuel’s guard and the slip-and-fall accident of one of Dr. Francis Turner’s children. Turner’s practice brought death into his home often, as the basement doubled as an autopsy facility. Guests have noted disembodied footsteps creaking at the foot of their bed and the sounds of a hard ball rolling across the floor of the billiard room. It’s believed the death of Turner’s daughter replays, the thuds of her small body falling down the stairs a chilling and unforgettable sound.
Bonaventure Cemetery
Savannah has a few cemeteries that curious-minded travelers will want to check out. Bonaventure just tends to get the most attention for its eerie appearance and bounty of roaming apparitions, phantoms, and wraiths. Spanning 160 acres, it’s the largest of Savannah’s cemeteries. Though not the oldest burial ground in the city (that title belongs to Colonial Park), its first grave, that of Harriet Tattnall, dates back to 1802.
Legends have circulated about Bonaventure for years, with some of the many statues throughout taking center stage. The marble memorial to 6-year-old Gracie Watson, who was stricken by pneumonia, is believed to attract the young girl’s spirit. Appearing in a white dress, her heavenly aura brings peace to a place otherwise known for sorrow.
During especially quiet nights, the haunts of Bonaventure are rather vocal. A cacophony of the dead fills the air. Pained cries, echoes of laughter, and the wails of an infant all call out from beyond.
Mercer Williams House Museum
From the outside, one could never guess the gruesome history tied to the Mercer Williams House. Today, it’s a museum that transports visitors to an earlier age through original architecture and an antique collection that belonged to one of the home’s namesakes: James A. Williams. There’s a shocking past being shadowed by the impressive exhibits, though resident specters ensure guests experience a sample of the bloodied events that unfolded within.
The ghosts remain part of the museum’s legacy, with James Williams being most active. Accused of murdering his boyfriend, Danny Hansford, Williams’ life fell apart. His latter years, up until his death from pneumonia, were spent defending his name. The tragedy of Danny’s murder remained a persistent black cloud over the home, and both James and his love are a lingering presence.
They’re not alone, though, as the museum is also home to the spirit of Tommy Downs, an 11-year-old boy who mysteriously fell to his death while exploring the then-abandoned property. Some believe he fell chasing birds. Others explore a more sinister twist to the story and believe his ghost lingers because he was pushed.
The Pirates House
The Pirate House may sound like a corny attraction found in a quaint seaside village, but this 250-year-old structure is no tourist trap. Legend has it, a tunnel once ran from the restaurant’s basement to the shore and was once used to forcibly draft crewmembers. More than a few drunkards who passed out at the old tavern woke up on a ship, waiting to be put to work or sold to other captains.
Pirates aren’t well known for being even-tempered, and it’s likely that many a body once lay lifeless on the floor of the tavern. It explains the shadowy figures and ethereal forms that still patrol the Pirate House, possibly looking for a brawl or someone to steal for crew work. On particularly quiet nights, employees may hear the screams of someone being dragged through the now-closed tunnels.
Though renovated for a cozier vibe, it’s impossible to fully remove the aura that embedded itself within the Pirates House many moons ago. The spirits anchored to the old space ensure their legacy is never forgotten, whether it's by smashing glasses or startling guests.
12 West Oglethorpe
During the spread of yellow fever, local legend states that a doctor and his family inhabited the original home that stood at 12 West Oglethorpe. Every day was a ticking time bomb as the doctor dreaded the day the plague would afflict his loved ones. Sadly, yellow fever did spread through his home, claiming everyone, until only the doctor was left alone and broken. Guilt-ridden over the loss of his children and wife, believing himself responsible for their horrid ends, the doctor locked himself in his youngest child’s room. He allowed time to eat away at his mind and body until all that remained was an emaciated corpse.
Though a new home was built on the grounds at the turn of the 20th century, the doctor’s anguish never faded. Rumors of a curse on the property circulated, though warnings remained ignored by the couple who moved in years later. The joy of a new home and a new baby quickly soured as their infant, who was healthy before the move, developed symptoms that mimicked yellow fever. Just like the doctor’s children, the baby couldn’t fight the infection, and just like the doctor, the mother couldn’t bear the grief. It’s said she took her own life in her baby’s nursery, the very same room the doctor wasted away in.
Shadows wander the grounds at 12 West Oglethorpe as the air hangs heavy with feelings of guilt and sorrow. Neighbors have even claimed to hear the cries of a man fading into the night, an echo of the doctor’s immense pain.
The Marshall House Hotel
It’s not every day that a hotel embraces its potential for haunts, but the Marshall House Hotel is more than proud of its spectral guests. From the original staircase to the finishings dating back to the 19th century, the owners of the former boarding house have kept its history intact. All that’s missing are the floors coated in blood, gory medical instruments, and the sobs of dying soldiers.
Long before it welcomed travelers with open arms, the Marshall House Hotel was a field hospital during the Civil War. Both Confederate and Union forces had claims to the property, and during both occupations, it housed the dead and the dying. As the war continued outside its walls, doctors worked feverishly to save whom they could. Many who succumbed to their injuries became a part of the house, lingering for centuries as an ethereal presence far from home. While the apparitions of Civil War soldiers wander the hotel, Room 414 is believed to house a surgeon still desperately trying to keep his patients alive. Directly two floors below, guests have spoken of child laughter carrying down the hall, possibly a remnant of the old boarding house.
Visit More of Haunted Savannah
As one of the nation’s oldest and most haunted cities, Savannah is not short on ways to explore the otherworldly. If you’re looking to cross the veil and try to make contact with the dearly departed, these seven locations have a strong connection with the realm of the dead. However, this list is far from exhaustive, and virtually everywhere you turn in haunted Savannah presents the chance of a spectral encounter. For a chance to view Savannah’s most haunted locations, join a local Savannah ghost tour.
