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Mid-December 2024, my wife and I decided that we needed a bit of a pre-holiday break. An escape from the festive madness that had become a touch too stagnant since Thanksgiving. We needed a road trip and we needed the kind of road trip that included great food, great libations and of course, haunted history. Our usual jaunts to St. Augustine or New Orleans have become too familiar (or too expensive for the season), so I suggested a destination that we had yet to explore. Historic Savannah Georgia isn’t completely new to myself (its been over 20 years since my last visit), but my wife had never stepped foot on its ballast-stone streets. So we booked a room at a centrally located (we like to explore by foot), historic and haunted (The 17Hundred90 Inn) hotel; and set out for a weekend adventure.
The 17Hundred90 Inn
307 E. President st. Savannah, GA
Expedia rating: 9.2
I chose our lodgings based not only on its reviews and central location, but because of its history. While the primary building that houses the Inn and restaurant was constructed after the great Savannah fire of 1820, the lower levels that comprise the bar and tavern areas date from a much older structure. In its current state it boasts 14 guest rooms, a restaurant and a very cozy tavern. Our room was located across the street on York, in an adjacent guest house that was built in 1875. If you crave the creak of original 1870s wood flooring, narrow staircases and high ceilings, the guest house on York has it all and then some.
But is the Inn haunted? Famously so it seems.
While many ghosts are said to roam the halls of the 17Hundred90, its most famous is the specter of Anne Powell. Anne’s story is one of lost love and possible suicide. Said to have leapt from the window of room 204 when the sailor she loved left her (and their possible unborn child) at port, Anne has become a permanent and tragic resident of the Inn. Guests sometimes glimpse her figure watching them from dark corners and she is often blamed for guest’s belongings; women’s in particular, going missing and turning up in odd places.
Another, less benign spirit is reported to haunt the restaurant and tavern. The ghost in question is always referred to as being male in presence, and he apparently has a penchant for chaos. He is rumored to throw about pots and pans in the kitchen and has even been said to lock women in the restroom on occasion. My Wife and I spent a portion of two evenings in the tavern and did not witness any kitchen mayhem, nor did she find herself locked in restroom. I believe the over-all mood was to blame. It seems we chose the weekend when everyone was having their respective Christmas parties, and the tavern proved to be a popular local destination. The fireplaces were warm, the drinks were flowing and everyone (living or dead) seemed to be enjoying the fun.
So did anything go bump in the night during our stay? Absolutely.
Once we had retired to our guestroom after our first night in Savannah, my wife and I noted that the guests in the room adjacent to our bathroom where rather active. Late into the night the sounds of moving furniture and faint mumbles seeped through the plastered walls of the guesthouse. When leaving our room the following morning, a quick investigation revealed that the door at the end of the hall was simply a linen closet. Our second night was mostly quiet until the early morning hours when I was awakened by a strange feeling and an even stranger sound. I heard what can only be described as the sound of a large coin being dropped from the ceiling onto the hardwood floors. The “coin” struck the floor with a metallic “clunk” and wobbled to rest. I half dozed until sunrise, but once I had awakened and imbibed a bit of coffee, I conducted a thorough search for the “coin” and found nothing. Curious indeed.
The Olde Pink House/ Planters Tavern
23 Abercorn st. Savannah, GA
$$$
The second haunted location on our list is the infamous Olde Pink house, or rather Planters Tavern which lies beneath the main house. Built in the 1770s by James Habersham Jr., The Olde Pink house is one of few buildings to survive the fire of 1796 and has endured in several incarnations through the decades. Currently the mansion serves as a fine dining destination with its opulent rooms serving as the main dining areas. The basement was refurbished in the 1970s and the tavern there-in was opened soon after. Chief among the reported ghostly happenings at The Olde Pink House is the wandering specter of James Habersham Jr. himself and the spirits of mischievous children who passed during the yellow fever epidemic of 1820, but now prowl the basement tavern.
Being a bucket list destination, my wife and I decided to dine at Planters Tavern our first night in Savannah. Just a week shy of Christmas, we found it packed with patrons, but cozy and welcoming none the less. Surrounded by the original 1770 foundations of the mansion, this dining experience was a history buff’s dream come true, but I’m sad to say that I failed to get the supernatural tingle. I lay no blame on the spirits however, between the close quarter holiday revelry and the flow of drinks from the bar, my empathetic radar was effectively nullified. All in all it was a great visit, a wonderful meal, and we departed with full bellies, a warm buzz and a desire to return for the cheddar grit cakes.
Colonial Park Cemetery
200 Abercorn st. Savannah, GA
Another must on my haunted history list is the storied Colonial Park Cemetery. Established in 1750 as the burial ground for Christ Church Parish, the six acre parcel would eventually welcome burials of all denominations by 1789. Some of its more notable residents include many of Savannah’s founding fathers such as the Habersham brothers (James Jr. was acting royal Governor, John was a member of the first Continental Congress and Joseph was Postmaster General of the United States), Revolutionary war figures such as Lachlan McIntosh (Maj Gen. Continental army), John Berrien, Samuel Elbert (Governor of Georgia), Archibald Bulloch (Governor of Georgia’s provincial congress and great great grandfather of Theodore Roosevelt) and Button Gwinnett who was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. During the yellow fever epidemic of 1820 Colonial Park would become the final resting place for nearly 700 souls (the rumored number is actually 666), interred in a mass grave on the North-east end of the park (and likely under Abercorn St. with several other lost tombs) and would finally close to burials in 1853.
Just 11 years after its closure to the dead, the cemetery would be invaded by the living. During the Union occupation of Savannah, soldiers would use Colonial Park as an encampment for over a year. Tombs were plundered, vaults used as shelters and many graves were altered or outright destroyed. Some of this vandalism can still be seen today in the form of altered inscriptions and the often photographed East wall with its many displaced headstones. It should be noted however, that many of the headstones on the East wall exist as an attempt by caretakers to preserve crumbling markers outside of the decades of vandalism. One of the most glaring examples of lost markers of the cemetery can be seen on the tomb of patriot Button Gwinnett. His inscription reads “Whose remains buried in this cemetery are believed to lie entombed hereunder,..”, as his original marker was presumably destroyed during the British occupation of Savannah.
My visit to Colonial Park did not disappoint and I found myself in both history geek and haunted sleuth modes. My wife let me roam in child-like wonder as I flitted about some of the more famous tombs, taking photos and regaling her with what I know is more historic information than she cares to know, and she allowed me to geek regardless. With scant other visitors and beautiful mild weather, I was able to “feel” more in the park than the Tavern the previous night. From the North-east entrance thru the majority of the cemetery, I was greeted with a feeling of contentment. My head was turned several times to area of the yellow fever mass grave only to see a group of squirrels. Inexplicably, this corner of the park attracted more wildlife than the rest, despite several oak trees dotting the parcel. All was bright, sunny and content; until I crossed the path into East end of the cemetery.
Stepping off the concrete path and onto the grounds before the East wall was like walking through an invisible barrier, a different atmosphere even. A sensation that cannot be described as exactly electric crept from my toes and up my spine. My wife noticed my discomfort as I kept flexing my shoulders and we both noted the slight drop in temperature. This area felt lost. I found the air to be heavy though not oppressive, but rather a feeling of disappointment; as if the spirits attached to the displaced markers were not entirely pleased with the current arrangements. The air of melancholy aside, I found the East wall to be beautiful in a grimly Gothic fashion. Many of the stones, though weathered, are still legible and therefore continue to speak. When visiting Colonial Park cemetery, I highly recommend reading the headstones along the East wall. It is a comfort to those of which they belong.
I must also note that the tract of land beyond the brick wall, now occupied by the police barracks, is believed to be another “lost” section of the cemetery. Older maps indicated this parcel was used for the burials of the indignant and strangers. Perhaps these forgotten souls are responsible for the feelings I experienced.
The Factors and beyond
While no other location in historic Savannah had the same vibes as Colonial Park, we did enjoy exploring a few of the more storied spots around town. Lunch at the Pirate house was amazing with a surprisingly delicious she-crab soup and the fish and chips at Churchill’s was proper and grand. However, we failed to encounter any wandering pirates and there was no one hanging out in the rafters of Churchill’s (But the basement level at Churchill’s definitely had a vibe). We had a perfect chilly night exploring the Factors, complete with a full moon, but the river was popular with everyone so we didn’t get to experience the evening as we would have liked. The ballast stone walkways and storage tunnels certainly appealed to my history addictions, but the supernatural radar remained silent.
All in all we had an amazing time in Savannah. I would recommend a trip to Savannah for anyone who loves the idea of New Orleans, but can’t endure the crime and grime (to truly love New Orleans, one must embrace its faults as well). Old Savannah is impeccably clean when compared to its antebellum counterparts, and the number of street hustlers we encountered was zero. With dining options for every budget, unique bars, history on every corner (right beside the candy store), and of course the haunted southern charm; what isn’t there to love about Savannah?
