Image: Photo by Sunira Moses on Unsplash
There is the famous line, “There is no such thing as ghosts”. Who could ever make such a statement? Ghosts are reminders of America’s past, reverting back to unfortunate events and bygone eras. Candidly, no city in America is more embodied by the supernatural than Savannah, Georgia. Savannah’s haunted nature dates back more than 150 years, to its time of slavery, colonial life, and the Civil War.
Not only has Savannah been graced by its haunted nature, but by the nostalgia of ghost storytelling. To appreciate Savannah’s haunted nostalgia, there is no better way to do so than through the eyes of its residents. No Savannah resident shows a greater enthusiasm for Savannah’s haunted past than Enocha Edenfield.
Enocha has lived in Savannah since 2010. She moved to Savannah to work for NBC’s affiliate as a morning news producer. When asked about “haunted” Savannah, she said:
“Savannah is haunted in two different senses of the word. We (Savannah) are haunted because there are plenty of paranormal experiences here in the city, but we are also haunted by our history. Like many old cities in the United States there are some sordid parts to our past that still affect our present.”
Enocha was asked to share the point in time when she was exposed to Savannah’s haunted side. She answered:
“When I first came to the city for a job interview, my friend was showing me around and pointing out all the different haunted places downtown. When I moved into my first apartment, my neighbour from across the hall came over to give me a heads-up that his apartment was haunted, and the ghost might occasionally wander over into mine. He did assure me that the ghost was friendly though.”.
Savannah is indeed a beautiful city, with much history and charm on every corner. Laden with structures from colonial times, the Civil War, and the industrial era, Savannah shows a face of beauty. And it is haunted by day and by night.
“The ghosts in Savannah are active 24/7. Whether people pick up on their activity all the time, that is another matter. It is much easier to notice paranormal activity at night because things are quieter. There is less car noise. There’s less pedestrian noise. But in my experience, the spirits of Savannah don’t care if it’s daytime or nighttime.”
On a personal tour of Savannah’s haunted locations, she explained that the city’s haunted history is not all traced back to the same time. Some events took place more recently.
These are the most haunted places in Savannah:
1. The Savannah Theatre
The Savannah Theatre is the oldest continuously-operating theatre in the state of Georgia. It first opened in 1818, but unfortunately burned down in 1820. It was rebuilt, but caught on fire several more times throughout the years. In the 1940s, the interior and exterior were heavily remodelled, and it was turned into a movie theatre. In the 1980s, it was turned back into a stage theatre. Since then, many performers and audience members have had some interesting experiences with the spirits.
When Enocha was asked to share what exactly were those haunted entities were, she couldn’t have been more candid. “One very famous ghost is named Elizabeth. She is believed to have been an actress who performed there. People have sworn they have seen a woman in a white dress, either on stage or sometimes behind the stage.” she replied.
She then added, “Another famous ghost there is a little boy named Ben or Benji. He is a very playful ghost, and occasionally likes to play tricks on people.”
The Savannah Theatre has nightly haunted theatre tours. You can book your tour here.
2. Colonial Park Cemetery
Colonial Park Cemetery is the oldest in Savannah. It was used from 1750 until 1853 when it was closed due to being full. Unfortunately, after it closed to new burials, it would be subject to vandalism over the years and many headstones are missing, and there are hundreds of marked and unmarked graves. It is believed to be the most haunted cemetery in Savannah.
People have not only seen and photographed apparitions at night, but some have also had paranormal encounters during the day. Ghost children are a really common sighting there, which makes a lot of sense because, not only are many children buried inside the cemetery, but it was also used as a playground for many decades.
3. St. Vincent’s Academy
St. Vincent’s Academy, once a coed Catholic school, was founded in 1845 due to the large influx of Irish Catholic immigrants. Savannah residents were arriving in droves at the time. Today it is an all-girls Catholic high school.
While nuns no longer teach there, plenty of students have spotted nuns staring at them in the hallways or lurking in the corners of classrooms.
4. The Andrew Low House
Now a museum, the Andrew Low House is where Juliette Gordon Low started the Girl Scouts in 1912. She lived here as an adult, but this was the childhood home of her husband.
Some of the notable ghosts that haunt this home are her husband‘s mother, Mary Stiles, and Harriet Hunter, the mother of her father-in-law’s first wife.
5. The DeSoto Hotel
The DeSoto Hotel was originally built in the 1890s, although the version that people see today was constructed in the late 1960s in the same location. The hotel was a popular stop for not only regular visitors to Savannah, but also visiting celebrities like Katherine Hepburn and Elvis Presley.
Some of the spirits at the DeSoto are believed to be remnants from the older building, as they don’t move around the current building correctly. Do the spirits realise that the original building no longer exists? She answered, “Sometimes they will stop as if there’s a wall where there is no wall, or they will walk through existing walls, as if there were still a doorway there.”.
6. The Sorrel Weed House
Sorrel Weed House, Savannah By Jud McCranie – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=88887243
The Sorrel Weed House is located on Madison Square. Built circa 1840, it is believed to be the most haunted house in Savannah.
“I am not one of them, but I do believe it is very haunted. Plenty of people have had encounters in the basement, which seems to be the most active location in the house. There have been reports of a shadow figure and people even being scratched or pushed by something down there.”
Before continuing the tour, Enocha was asked if any specific details about the Sorrel Weed House would have visitors immediately shivering. She replied, “my favourite ghost that haunts that property is the ghost of the dog.”
7. River Street
River Street is home to many restaurants, pubs, and souvenir shops. Indeed, it does have haunted stories of its own. River Street is one of the oldest areas of Savannah and has certainly seen its fair share of tragedy. While it has burned down and been rebuilt several times, the spirits do linger.
People have reported seeing a woman in 1800s clothing walking down one of the alleys only for her to disappear. Even many of the shops, restaurants, bars, and hotels along River Street had paranormal activity with reports of objects moving, voices echoing through empty buildings, shadow figures running down hallways, and electronics mysteriously turning on or off by themselves.
Once having visited Savannah and having heard about its haunted background, there’s nothing to fear. Savannah’s ghosts are in no way evil or demonic. They’re residual beings dating back to past events. Enocha said “
“Go on at least one ghost tour while visiting. There are walking tours like mine, but there are also hearse tours and trolley tours. There are also tours where they provide paranormal equipment.”.
There are a few haunted locations where visitors can investigate like the Sorrel Weed House or the Savannah Theater. Occasionally, they do offer paranormal investigations at the Graveface Museum located off River Street.”
Further, Enocha strongly encourages visitors to stay at a haunted hotel like the Marshall House, the 1790 Inn, the Kehoe House, the River Street Inn, or at the Olde Harbour Inn. Arrive with an open heart, an open mind, and of course empty stomach (because Savannah has plenty of excellent restaurants.