Hauntings in Savannah.
Before I dive too far into my time in Savannah I just want to start off by saying that I sat where Forrest Gump sat. At least in the same spot, the bench isn’t there anymore. Honestly, it’s an absurd place for a bus stop; along the side of the park and in the middle of an intersection. If you’re ever there looking for it I’ll save you the detective work, it’s on the east side Chippewa Square and so worth it. If you’re a fan of the movie, that is. Savannah has 22 squares throughout the small downtown area. Almost all have their own statue and each one has huge trees decorating them. The entire downtown area is about a mile in each direction so it doesn’t take too long to really see everything. After three days, I pretty much knew where I was going without my map.
I can see why it’s considered one of America’s most haunted cities, the whole place was built upon burial grounds / cemeteries / bodies. It’s basically inviting spirits to stay forever and haunt people. I’m more than ok with that; the macabre fascinates me. I do believe in ghosts, in case you were wondering. One thing I really wanted to do was to visit a home that was considered to be haunted, if for nothing else than to hear the stories of the families and what has taken place in the residence. In Savannah that’s not hard. Literally every other building has a resident ghost or two. Saturday night I couch surfed with a really cool guy named Gino. He’s a very inquisitive person who likes to know a lot and also wanted to explore Savannah with me even though he lives there all the time. We ended up going to the Sorrel Weed house that night for a “ghost tour”. Sounds cheesy, I know. I liked it though because we got to go through the house at night not just walk around the outside, looking in and wondering. Two hours later, and some new stories to tell, I really felt like I got my money’s worth.
One story we were told on walking portion of the tour stuck with me. I’ll give you the cliff notes. The Hamilton Turner Inn is a stunning home that is now a boutique bed & breakfast. They really did a wonderful job restoring it. The couple that owned the home in the 60s-70s had a friend, a young man, come to visit for a weekend. Well, the man got in very late and retired to his room for the evening without much socializing. While in bed he heard what sounded like a cocktail party happening downstairs and thought nothing of it. At breakfast he apologized for being rude and not coming down to greet her company and the woman responded ‘what party? we went to bed right after you did.’ She then proceeded to tell him about the first family who owned and built the property, how they enjoyed throwing parties and how a few people had died while attending them. Intrigued, the man started drawing the house from every angle, careful not to miss anything. Do you know who that man was? Walt Disney. The Hamilton Turner Inn was part of the inspiration for The Haunted Mansion ride in Disneyland. I hope this is true, because I love that story. Behind Pirates of the Caribbean of course, The Haunted Mansion is my second favorite ride.
I thought I had put the ghosts on hold for the day on Sunday when I happened to walk past Colonial Park Cemetery, which I now know is not the oldest cemetery in Savannah, but it is the second oldest. At the entrance stood a man named Colin Young. He looked very official. Light, straw brimmed hat, long black overcoat, brown and beige tan vest, beautifully knotted tie, tan slacks, and a really perfect southern accent to top it off. We got to talking briefly and he told me he'd be doing a free 12 o'clock tour of the cemetery. I mean, you heard my description, right? I was definitely not going to miss it. For the next 45 minutes, myself and two other couples walked around hearing stories about everything that had happened there and it’s history. For example, how there’s 9,000 people buried in the small city block of space and how there’s a mass grave from victims of yellow fever in the corner of the park. I spent most of the tour listening and taking pictures of Colin, he's really a very fascinating person. If you’re ever there on a Sunday afternoon, I suggest going to see if he's there.
Fun Fact; no bars are open on Sundays in Savannah. You have to be a restaurant that serves food as well as a bar. I overheard this from a local and immediately panicked. I had to watch the Super Bowl. As luck would have it, the hotel I splurged on Sunday night had a bar downstairs that was open. The 17hundred90 Inn and Bar, a local pub with a Cheer’s vibe. The bar was packed so I leaned in and ordered my free drink that came with my room and ended up speaking with a very nice couple, Lois and Bill. Originally from Cape May and Cherry Hill, the two quickly adopted me for the evening. Lois makes amazing spicy cheese sticks and would hide them and break them out at the right time to make sure everyone she knew got one. I had three over the course of the evening. Needless to say, my Super Bowl was very memorable even without the epic comeback by the Patriots
As Colin would say, I will leave you with this;
"Remember me as you pass by. As you are now, so once was I. As I am now, you too shall be. Remember death and follow me."
Heading into Florida for the week, Everglades National Park awaits!
- G.
The Photo:
A beautiful street in Savannah, GA.
2/05/17.
