THE PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE       GEORGIA   1790 RESTAURANT (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: The oldest hotel in Savannah, built in 1820 by a Virginia planner, Steele White, as a boarding house. White was killed in a riding accident before the building was finished and at some point after it became a hotel, with the name 17 Hundred 90. PHENOMENA: It’s most famous ghost is that of of “Anne” who has been seen on the top floor of the inn, in Room 204 . She toys with people and their belongings as guests who stay in 204 report having their luggage and personal items disturbed, rearranged or totally missing. The phone will ring in the room with no one on the other end and guests claim to feel her presence there. Sheets are pulled and the sound of a woman crying comes from the corners of the room late at night. A different spirit is mainly noticed in the kitchen and isn't fond of women being there. Pots are thrown, people are pushed or touched and female employees are always having tricks played on them. Staff alone in the building hear the sounds of someone moving around, pots banging together or metal jingling. They believe it’s the ghost of a servant who lived in the house as a domestic and was a practitioner of Voodoo. ANDERSONVILLE NATIONAL HISTORICAL SITE (ANDERSONVILLE) BACKGROUND: Located near Andersonville, Georgia, it preserves the former Camp Sumter (also known as Andersonville Prison), a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the final twelve months of the Civil War. As well as the former prison, the site contains the Andersonville National Cemetery and the National Prisoner of War Museum. The prison was made in February 1864 and served to April 1865. The commander was Captain Henry Wirz, who was tried and executed after the war for war crimes. It was overcrowded to four times its capacity, with an inadequate water supply, inadequate food rations, and unsanitary conditions. Of the approximately 45,000 Union prisoners held at Camp Sumter during the war, nearly 13,000 died. The chief causes of death were scurvy, diarrhea, and dysentery. PHENOMENA: At night the echoes of gunfire are reported along with feelings of fear and desperation. Visitors have heard loud cries, faint whispers and men yelling while exploring the prison. The overwhelming odor of human waste is a common experience. Distinct figures are seen walking in the fog that often covers the grounds of the prison site and the ghost of Cmdr. Henry Wirz sometimes wanders the roads around Andersonville. ANTEBELLUM PLANTATION (STONE MOUNTAIN) BACKGROUND: Several buildings have been moved onto the property which serves as a museum and tourist attraction. PHENOMENA: The spirit of a young girl haunts the slave quarters along with a young boy who wanders the grounds. Visitors claim an overwhelming feeling of sadness walking the property and in the barn, people get the feeling they are not alone. The Thornton House is the oldest restored home in Georgia, built in 1784, and has been moved multiple times and is now in the Stone Mountain Park. The ghost of an adolescent girl who is rumored to have died from polio has been spotted on the stairs by staff and guests and will pull the hair of teenage girls who visit the home. Candles will blow out throughout the home. B. MATTHEWS EATERY (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: One of the oldest public taverns still existing in America today. The building’s date listed in tax records is 1790, but documentation on the building reflects its sale in 1791. The basement was allegedly once used for slave smuggling, and still has iron tether rings set into the floor. PHENOMENA: One of the owners was presented with a expensive knife set commemorating the restaurant’s opening but two of them disappeared and it was first thought someone had made off with them. The knives were eventually found in plain sight embedded in the floor behind the bar. A portion scale went missing at one point and when a thorough search revealed no sign of the expensive item a new one was reluctantly purchased. During installation, the old one was found sitting in the middle of a table, impossible to have been missed by anyone. During renovations, tools and toolboxes would go missing for hours only to show up in clear view in places that had already been searched. Salt and pepper shakers have been thrown across the restaurant before slamming against a wall. An uneasy feeling sometimes affects people venturing into the basement and a presence is felt after hours when staff are cleaning up. It is so pronounced that it has been spoken to and at one point, asked for assistance. BALLASTONE INN (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: General James Oglethorpe founded the original settlement of Savannah in 1733 and this historic inn sits on land that is part of the settlement’s southern boundary. It was inherited by Major George W. Anderson, the commanding officer at Fort McAllister which fell to General Sherman in 1864. He used the residence as a townhouse while maintaining Lebanon Plantation south of the city. Before it was an inn, the private home was also a boarding house and a bordello. It is built directly over a former cemetery. PHENOMENA: The ghost of Sarah Anderson, the original owner's wife, has made her presence known here. She has been seen in the hallways on the second floor, in the elevators, the laundry room and near the front door. BARNSLEY RESORT (ADAIRSVILLE) BACKGROUND: The original manor at Barnsley Resort was built for Godfrey Barnsley’s wife Julia. Before it was completed, Julia fell ill and died, and Barnsley suspended its construction. Later, he said he felt her presence at the site telling him to finish the house for him and his children. During the Civil War, the mansion had been the site of a battle, and much of the house and Barnsley's possessions were ransacked by the Union Army. Barnsley lost his fortune during the War and later moved to New Orleans before he died in 1873. Barnsley's descendants continued to live at Woodlands until the roof of the main house was blown off by a tornado in 1906. Barnsley's granddaughter, Miss Addie, and her family who were living there at the time, moved into the kitchen wing and the main house was never restored and eventually fell to ruins. In 1988 Prince Hubertus Fugger purchased the estate and began a major project to stabilize the ruins and rescue and restore the gardens. The original boxwood hedges planted in the early 1840s still survived and had grown up into a thicket of small trees and vines. These were carefully cut back over a number of years to reveal the interweaving paths and flower beds of the original parterre garden. This is now one of the few surviving antebellum gardens of the southern United States. PHENOMENA: Many have spotted Julia’s ghost wandering the gardens, particularly near the fountain. The ghost of a Confederate soldier, possibly Colonel Robert Earle who was shot and killed in the garden, has been spotted on many occasions by visitors. One of Barnsley’s descendants who was shot and killed on the property in 1935, still haunts the mansion ruins. The are reports of a man in a suit and a top hat standing with his arms crossed, staring straight ahead, at the Rice House. Doors open and close in the middle of the night and a small girl has been seen flicking the lights on and off in the attic of the Adair House. Employees tell of leaving toys in one part of the attic and returning to find them in a different place, as if someone played with them. BONAVENTURE CEMETERY (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: The cemetery is located on the site of a plantation originally owned by John Mullryne. On March 10, 1846, Commodore Josiah Tattnall, Jr., sold the 600-acre Bonaventure Plantation and its private cemetery to Peter Wiltberger. Major William H. Wiltberger, the son of Peter, formed the Evergreen Cemetery Company on June 12, 1868. On July 7, 1907 the City of Savannah purchased the Evergreen Cemetery Company, making the cemetery public and changing the name to Bonaventure Cemetery. PHENOMENA: It’s most renowned spirit is little Gracie Watson who died of pneumonia at the age of 6. A statue carved in her honor stands in front of her grave site and many people place coins and toys at its base. Those who’ve stood close to her grave report seeing the little girl while others claim to have seen tears of blood streaming down from the statue’s eyes. There are several other elaborate statues in the cemetery and guests relate their accounts of seeing them grimace or smile at them when standing in front of them. There are also strange sounds, like that of a baby crying near an infant’s grave, children giggling and the sound of a pack of dogs snarling and barking angrily. TRIVIA: The cemetery became famous when it was featured in the 1994 novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt, and in the movie, directed by Clint Eastwood, based on the book. CASWELL HOUSE (NEWNAN) BACKGROUND: The house dates back to the early 1900's with many owners over the years, but names and dates are difficult to come by. The house evolved into a slave museum and the headquarters for the African American Alliance of Coweta County. The house was moved from its original location and now sits adjacent to an old slave cemetery. PHENOMENA: It is believed that pagan (or even satanic) ceremonies took place in the house in the 1980s and it may now be occupied by the spirit of Ruby Caswell and her brother Hoyt. The house is said to be protected by “Aunt Ruby” who is there to keep evil away, and it’s believed that she’s proud of the home's new use as a museum. Children visiting the museum will often be seen “playing” with an unseen woman who may be Ruby, who loved children. CHETOOGETA TUNNEL (TUNNEL HILL) BACKGROUND: The Chetoogeta Mountain Tunnel refers to two different railroad tunnels passing through Chetoogeta Mountain in Tunnel Hill, Georgia, United States. The first tunnel, known as the Western and Atlantic Railroad Tunnel at Tunnel Hill, was completed on May 7, 1850, as part of the construction of the Western & Atlantic Railroad, the first state road in Georgia. It was the first major railroad tunnel in the South and was renovated in 1998-2000 and is now open to the public as a privately owned historic site. The railroad was intended to provide passenger and freight services by hauling the freight and allowing passengers to walk over the mountain. The area surrounding the tunnel was known as a prominent site of Civil War battles and the tunnel itself has seen its share of tragedy. PHENOMENA: Among claims here are the apparitions of soldiers sitting around campfires, lantern lights, phantom campfires, blood-curdling screams and the putrid smell of rotting flesh. The activity escalated to such a degree that some of the reenactors who stage historical battles won't return. The apparitions for the most part are described as dark figures with faces that are hard to distinguish. One reenactor who was sitting in a firing position watched a Confederate soldier he at first thought to be a fellow actor appear out of nowhere and crouch beside him. He was proven wrong when the figure vanished before his eyes. Another group came across a Union solider lying beside the road asleep with his head on a backpack. They politely crept by him in an effort to not awaken him, but then they glanced back, he was gone. CHICKAMAUGA NATIONAL PARK (CHICKAMAUGA) BACKGROUND: The newly created Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park was utilized during the Spanish–American War as a major training center for troops in the southern states. The park was temporarily renamed "Camp George H. Thomas" in honor of the union army commander during the Civil War battle at the site. Starting in 1890, the Congress of the United States authorized the establishment of the first four national military parks: Chickamauga and Chattanooga, Shiloh, Gettysburg, and Vicksburg. The first and largest of these, and the one upon which the establishment and development of most other national military and historical parks was based, was authorized in 1890 at Chickamauga and Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was officially dedicated in September 1895. PHENOMENA: The battlefield’s most famous ghost goes by the name of “Ol’ Green Eyes” or “Chickamauga Green Eyes”. Legend has it that he was a Confederate soldier who was decapitated by a cannon ball before a group of horses rode by, crushing his head and carrying it with them for several yards. Soldiers discovered his headless torso and buried him without his destroyed skull. His spirit is said to wander the former battlefield on horseback searching for it. It’s a subject of speculation that this is the ghost of Lt. Colonel Julius Garesché because others maintain it is in fact an inhuman entity that haunted the area long before the battle. A spectral lady in white has been reported roaming the park whose husband, according to legend, died in battle compelling her to spend eternity searching for his body. She moves in and out of the grave sites and open fields before disappearing into the woods. Visitors also report strange, flickering lights off in the distance that are believed to be lanterns carried by wives and fiancées searching for their dead and wounded loves. There are also feelings of being watched, especially in the woods at night. COLONIAL PARK CEMETERY (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Located in the center of Savannah’s famed Historic District, the 10,000 souls that are buried here are primarily victims of fire, disease, murder or war. Revolutionary War hero General Nathanael Greene died in 1786 and was buried here. His son, George Washington Greene, was buried beside him after drowning in the Savannah River in 1793. Following vandalism of the cemetery by occupying Union forces during the Civil War the location of Greene's burial was lost, but after the remains were re-identified, Greene and his son were moved to Johnson Square. PHENOMENA: At 7 feet tall, the ghost of Rene Rondolier is said to be seen walking through the cemetery or hanging from the tree where he was allegedly executed after killing two small girls in the cemetery. It should be noted there is no historical record of his existence. Then there is the legend of the maid from the Old City Hotel who was in tears at the gates of the cemetery because the young man she was with walked onto the grounds and disappeared. Visitors report shadowy figures and mists that morph into human form. A popular video is in circulation of a small boy walking between the headstones and appearing to vanish. Before the cemetery was closed at night, early morning visitors would often find remnants of Voodoo rituals performed the night before with soil from the graves used in specific types. Sometimes graves were opened in order to obtain human bones. ELLIS HOTEL (ATLANTA) BACKGROUND: Formerly known as the Winecoff Hotel, the building has a dark claim to fame. It was the site of a tragic fire on Dec 7, 1946 that claimed the lives of 119 people. This resulted in the hotel being dubbed ‘The Titanic of Peachtree’, based on the owner’s claims back in 1913 (one year after the Titanic sank) that is was ‘fireproof’ similar to the Titanic being portrayed as “unsinkable”. Many were burned alive or died of asphyxiation, but a significant number  lost their lives by jumping to their deaths from windows in an attempt to escape. The hotel was immediately closed and was empty for many years before reopening as The Ellis. The fire remains one of the deadliest hotel blazes in history and was responsible for a major revamp of the building code. PHENOMENA: Apparitions are often sighted here and the screams of women and children, perhaps those who perished in the fire, are heard. Sometimes the hotel’s fire alarm activates at 2:48 am, which is the exact time that the 1946 fire broke out. FACTOR’S WALK (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: In the mid-1800's, Savannah was the leading exporter of cotton in the world and “Factors' Walk” got its name because prices for cotton and other exports were set by individuals called “Factors” who made those decisions. In the 1700s and 1800s hundreds, perhaps thousands, of slaves were unloaded from ships and brought to Factors' Walk. PHENOMENA: Though not accessible anymore, the tunnels located in the Factors’ Walk area are the scene of disembodied moans and shadowy figures at night. Melonie’s Antique Shop is a hot spot for these sightings and also plays host to a mischievous poltergeist who is blamed for breaking merchandise in the store. There was a story of a woman dressed in blue walking into the shop on multiple occasions and each time vanishing into thin air. Footsteps are heard from where a now-sealed staircase once stood and doorknobs in empty rooms are known to turn on their own. Objects are often thrown a great distance from where they were originally kept. FORT PULASKI (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Following the War of 1812, U.S. President James Madison ordered a new system of coastal fortifications to protect the United States against foreign invasion. Construction of a fort to protect the port of Savannah began in 1829 under the direction of Major General Babcock, and later Second Lieutenant Robert E. Lee, a recent graduate of West Point. The new fort would be located on Cockspur Island at the mouth of the Savannah River. In 1833, the facility was named Fort Pulaski in honor of Kazimierz Pulaski, a Polish soldier and military commander who fought in the American Revolution under the command of George Washington. Pulaski was a noted cavalryman and played a large role in training Revolutionary troops. He took part in the sieges of Charleston and of Savannah. Though completed in 1847, Fort Pulaski was under the control of only two caretakers until 1860 when South Carolina seceded from the United States and set in motion the Civil War. It was at this time that Georgia governor Joseph E. Brown ordered Fort Pulaski to be taken by the state of Georgia. A steamship carrying 110 men from Savannah traveled downriver and the fort was seized by the state of Georgia. Following the secession of Georgia in February 1861, the state joined the Confederate States of America. Confederate troops then moved into the fort. PHENOMENA: In the late 1980’s, actors involved in the filming of the movie Glory starring Morgan Freeman, Mathew Broderick and Denzel Washington, visited Fort Pulaski en route to the day’s shooting. A young man in a Confederate lieutenant’s uniform approached and admonished them for not saluting him and had them fall into formation as a Union attack was imminent. The actors went along with this for other visitors benefit, and followed orders. When told to perform an “about face” they did so, and when they turned back, the officer had simply disappeared. Staff has reported apparitions in the powder rooms among other places or feeling a cold hand grabbing them. Both Union and Confederate troops have been spotted, poised for an impending battle. Visitors are sometimes overwhelmed by fear or sadness and reacted emotionally or simply fled the area. GAITHER PLANTATION (COVINGTON) BACKGROUND: Built by William Hulbert Gaither, for his wife Cecelia and their children, it was also home to at least 130 slaves. The sheer size of the property led it to known as "Gaither’s District." The Gaither’s were a well-liked family by most, but in 1888 Gaither’s son Henry killed a neighboring farmer with a blow to the head during an confrontation over a fire that destroyed several of the neighbor’s turkey nests. He fled Newton County when a warrant was issued for his arrest and never returned. PHENOMENA: People have reported the image of a woman in an attic window and a downstairs window, but a check of the building yields no one inside. In the dining room, doors on the buffet open and close a caretaker reported observing shadows while cleaning. At times music can be heard, as well as footsteps and the sounds of women arguing. A handle on an indoor well on the ground floor of the home has been seen turning on its own and in a second floor bedroom which belonged to daughter Cecelia, the pages of a Bible have been seen turning and a rocking chair in the corner is said to rock with no one in it. There are occasional reports of seeing her sitting in the chair while rocking a baby. Doors will open and close and a pair of boots belonging to William Gaither move between different rooms. Shadow people thought to be the ghosts of Confederate soldiers are seen walking the grounds and some people report smelling pipe tobacco or perfume in the upstairs bedrooms. The Tyler Perry movie Madea’s Family Reunion was filmed here and when the director asked for quiet, footsteps were heard upstairs. An assistant was disptached to check but found no one up there. This repeated three times before the director half-jokingly asked the ghost to remain quiet, whereupon the scene was shot without incident. While filming the TV show, Vampire Diaries, an odd thing happened according to star Nina Dobrov who also claims several strange events took place during the 2010 shoot, including a piano playing on its own. On this occasion, the lights began flickering while she was in the restroom and at first she thought her co-stars were playing tricks on her, but she looked to see no one there. “The lights were just spontaneously coming on and off," she said. TRIVIA: The plantation was also investigated by SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. HAY HOUSE (MACON) BACKGROUND:  Built between 1855 and 1859 by William Butler Johnston and his wife Anne Tracy Johnston, the house has been called the "Palace of the South." The mansion sits atop Coleman Hill on Georgia Avenue in downtown Macon, near the Walter F. George School of Law, part of Mercer University. Two families lived in Hay House, the first over four generations. Most of the home's present-day furnishings date from the Hay family's occupancy (1926–1962). The home was a place of comfort for the Johnston family and their daughters until the late 1800s. In 1896 after the death of Mrs. Johnston, their daughter Mary Ellen Felton and her husband lived in the home. The Feltons updated the plumbing and electricity and stayed in the home until the time of their deaths in 1926. After the deaths of William Sr. and Mary Ellen Felton, the house was sold to Parks Lee Hay and his wife, Maude. After purchasing, the Hays redecorated the entire home, updating it to fit the new twentieth-century décor. The home was seen as a local landmark to all in middle Georgia. Mr. Hay died in 1957, and Mrs. Hay died in 1962. PHENOMENA: Staff and visitors report varied paranormal activity but with the most common being the apparition of an elderly woman dressed in an 1800s gown who walks the hallways. Other claims are: unexplained cold spots on the stairs, footsteps in empty hallways, doors slamming themselves shut, breathing over shoulders and the sound of moaning from the master bedroom. JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB (JEKYLL ISLAND) BACKGROUND: Founded in 1886 when members of an incorporated hunting and recreational club purchased the island for $125,000 from John Eugene du Bignon. The original design of the Jekyll Island Clubhouse, with its signature turret, was completed in January 1888. The club thrived through the early 20th century and its members came from many of the world's wealthiest families, most notably the Morgans, Rockefellers, and Vanderbilts. The club closed at the end of the 1942 season due to complications from World War II. In 1947, after five years of funding a staff to keep up the lawn and cottages, the island was purchased from the club's remaining members for $675,000 during condemnation proceedings by the state of Georgia. The State tried operating the club as a resort, but this was not financially successful and the entire complex was closed by 1971 and designated a historic landmark in 1978. It was restored and reopened as a luxury resort hotel in 1985. Today, Jekyll Island Club Hotel is a member of Historic Hotels of America. PHENOMENA: The ghost of Samuel Spencer, a railroad magnate killed in a train collision in 1906 is said to haunt the property. Guests staying in apartment 8 report their coffee cups and daily papers being moved or finding coffee poured or drank when left unattended. A ghostly 1920s-era bellman is known for checking on grooms preparing for their weddings and hand delivering their suits from the dry cleaners personally when in reality, an employee had left the clothes hanging outside the room. J.P. Morgan owned rooms in the Sans Souci building, and those who stay in them occasionally report smelling his cigar smoke. JULIETTE GORDON LOW HOUSE (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Also known as the Wayne-Gordon House, it’s owned by the Girl Scouts of America and is a historic house museum for the Girl Scout national center commonly known as "The Birthplace". The house was built in 1818–1821 for James Moore Wayne, the mayor of Savannah who was appointed to fill an unexpired term in the US House of Representatives, and then to the Supreme Court, whereupon he took up residence in Washington, DC. In 1831, Wayne sold the house to his niece Sarah Stites Gordon, and her husband William Washington Gordon I, the first of four generations of Gordons to live in the house. They were Juliette Gordon Low's grandparents and her parents. Juliette’s parents, William Washington Gordon II and Eleanor Kinzie Gordon made major changes to the house in 1886, adding the fourth floor and the side piazza. Juliette Gordon Low was married in 1886, and spent much of the rest of her life living in England, though visiting her parents and other family and friends in New York, New Jersey and Savannah every year. As a restless and energetic widow in 1911, Juliette Gordon Low met Robert Baden Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts. He recruited her to become involved in the Girl Guides, and in 1912 she returned home to Savannah to start the movement in the US. PHENOMENA: Staff and visitors have reported a host of paranormal activity, with the home’s longtime housekeeper saying she has smelled a “strange, sweet perfume” on the grand staircase. The mansion is home to several apparitions, one of whom is Andrew Low’s longtime butler, Tom, whose footsteps can be heard throughout the house. He is described as dressed in period clothing and is seen standing at the top of the main staircase. A rocking chair owned by the family displayed in one of the bedrooms moves on its own. There have also been claims the ghost of General Robert E. Lee has been spotted as well as a woman lying a bed that is thought to be the apparition of Juliette on her deathbed. KEHOE HOUSE (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Built in 1892 by William Kehoe, an Irishman who built his fortune in the iron trade and became one of Savannah's most prominent and successful businessmen. The Kehoe family consisted of 10 children and the home also served as the Goette Funeral Home. PHENOMENA: A “fact” repeated on many local ghost tours is that two of the Kehoe children died in the house but this cannot be substantiated. The story goes on to say they had gotten stuck in a chimney and were found dead by their father. Guests nonetheless report the sounds of children laughing and playing in empty hallways. Another claim from guests is that in rooms 201 and 203 someone has sat on their beds, actually leaving indentations and body warmth. The smell of perfume is detected in hallways and bedrooms and guests often report the feeling someone touching them while they sleep. KENNESAW MOUNTAIN NATIONAL BATTLEFIELD (KENNESAW) BACKGROUND: The Battle of Kennesaw Mountain, fought here between Generals William Tecumseh Sherman of the Union army and Joseph E. Johnston of the Confederate army, took place between June 18, 1864 and July 2, 1864. Sherman's army consisted of 100,000 men, 254 cannons and 35,000 horses, while Johnston's had only 50,000 men and 187 cannons. Much of the battle took place not on Kennesaw Mountain itself, but on a spur of Little Kennesaw Mountain known now as Pigeon Hill, and the area to its south around Cheatham Hill. A total of 5,350 soldiers died , which resulted in a Confederate victory. PHENOMENA: There are reports of phantom soldiers wandering the battlefield and the residual sounds of cannon fire and gunshots. TRIVIA: Established as Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Site on February 18, 1917, it was transferred from the War Department on August 10, 1933, and redesignated a national battlefield park on June 26, 1935. MARSHALL HOUSE (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: During the railroad boom of the 1840s and 1850s, a growing Savannah found a need for accommodations and housing, so businesswoman Mary Marshall developed several properties there, most notably the iconic Marshall House hotel in 1851. The hotel’s history spans 167 years and includes roles as a hospital during the Yellow Fever Epidemics in the mid-1800s and a Union hospital during the final months of the Civil War. It was also home to Joel Chandler Harris, author of the famous Uncle Remus stories during the Reconstruction Period. PHENOMENA: Faucets turn on and off, lights inexplicably flicker, electronic items power themselves on, toilets suddenly overflow without being flushed and disembodied voices echo throughout the halls. In the fourth floor hallway, loud, crashing noises are heard during the early morning hours. A young girl staying at the hotel with her father pointed out the picture of Mary Marshall and told her father that she had her in the hallway. Door knobs to rooms tend to turn as if someone is attempting to enter the room. Stories tell of a man sitting and reading a book by a window, a lady in white wandering the hallways, and a ghostly woman who haunts the ladies’ restroom and on occasion will lock the stall. There are reports of apparitions of children and the sounds of crying babies regularly related by guests. The children’s spirits are quite common, as their laughter and playful voices can be heard within the building at any given time. Sometimes they are seen skipping, running or playing games tin hallways. Other guests have accounts of amputee soldiers who wander aimlessly throughout the hotel. MASQUERADE NIGHTCLUB (ATLANTA) BACKGROUND: The building where the Masquerade Nightclub stands today was once the Dupre Excelsior Mill which may have been built as early as 1890 by DuPre Manufacturing Company though the mill fails to appear on city maps in 1892 and 1899, which show the property as vacant. The earliest concrete confirmation of the mill seems to be three lawsuits filed against Dupre in 1907 for accidents that occurred at the facility. At that time, the only road connecting it was Angier Street. It was noted to have been heated by steam power, no lighting, and a private water supply from a well 10 feet in diameter and 40 feet deep. A watchman made hourly rounds to seven stations. By the 1960s, the demand for excelsior was non-existent and the mill operated more as a storage facility than active production facility. By 1977, all the major mills in the Atlanta area had shut their doors. In 1977–1978, the mill was converted over to a pizzeria and barrio. In September 1989, It closed for a time and subsequently re-opened as The Masquerade, becoming a well-known nightclub and concert venue. PHENOMENA: There are many stories of hauntings in the club with one involving a large black man who is seen walking about the building and is believed responsible for rearranging music amplifiers at night. Staff reported hearing footsteps from unexplained sources and cold spots throughout the building. Screams were heard from the back of the stairs that are believed to be those of a young woman who died years ago in a freak accident there. There were also rumors that actual vampires frequented the club or lived there. (There is also a belief that this rumor has been intentionally spread to promote business as vampires have become suddenly very popular thanks to Anne Rice and the movie Twilight. As a result, there is likely a better chance of patrons encountering fake vampires than real ones.) MOON RIVER BREWING CO. (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Located in the former City Hotel built by Elazer Early, a native of Charleston, South Carolina in 1821. It was it the first hotel in Savannah and also home to the first branch of the US Post Office in Savannah and a branch of the Bank of the United States. Many notables stayed at the hotel, including War of 1812 hero Winfield Scott, the Marquis de Lafayette, the first three commodores of the U.S. Navy and naturalist James Audubon who stayed six months while attempting to sell books full of his wildlife sketches. In 1851, Peter Wiltberger bought the hotel, renovated it, and put a live lion and lioness on display to draw attention to his business. City Hotel's final guest checked out in 1864, just before the arrival of General William Tecumseh Sherman during the Civil War and the subsequent closing of the hotel. At the turn of the century, the building was used as a lumber and coal warehouse. As the use of coal slowly died off, it was used for general storage. In the 1960s, the space was renovated as an office supply store, complete with a large printing press. Hurricane David forced this business to close in 1979 when it blew the roof off the structure. The building sat empty until 1995 when it was renovated into its current configuration as a brew pub. Moon River Brewing Company opened to the public in 1999 on the site of the former Oglethorpe Brewing Co. PHENOMENA: The brewery’s resident ghost, 'Toby', is often seen moving silently through the basement. Visitors and staff also report the sound of disembodied voices there. On the first floor, bottles are thrown at staff, the sounds of children playing have been heard and shadowy figures dart about the rooms. The second floor is where the infamous shooting of James Stark took place. Stark was killed by physician Phillip Minas over an argument and it’s said his ghost remains there. Mischievous spirits have blocked ladies room stall doors or grabbed their legs at the bar. Visitors report a woman in period clothing standing at the top of the stairs staring down at them and it’s common for patrons to feel like someone unseen bumped into them or touched their faces. The upper floors are especially active with the Moon River 'Lady in White' often seen there and people claiming they were pushed down the stairs. It’s been said construction crews during the Oglethorpe Brewery era were chased away by paranormal forces. The fourth floor is said to be home to a dark energy and was where a makeshift hospital was set up during a yellow fever outbreak. TRIVIA: In 2005, the brewery was featured in the Ghost Hunters Halloween special, in 2009 on Travel Channel's paranormal television series Ghost Adventures, and in 2018 on an episode of BuzzFeed Unsolved: Supernatural. OLD GOVERNOR’S MANSION (MILLEDGEVILLE) BACKGROUND: The mansion was built in 1839 and was the first of Georgia's three official mansions and one unofficial mansion, located in two different cities. It was home to eight governor's and their families from 1839 – 1868. Governor Joseph E Brown led Georgia through the Civil War while living in the Mansion. During the Civil War, the Mansion was claimed as a "prize" during General Sherman's "March to the Sea" and Sherman made the Mansion his headquarters, spending the night of November 23, 1864 in the Mansion's family dining room. Following the loss of the capital, it was used as a boarding house until from 1868 - 1879, when the state loaned it to the newly organized Georgia Military and Agricultural College, and then to Georgia Normal and Industrial College, now Georgia College. The mansion served as the latter school's first dormitory, with the presidential apartment on the second floor. The school began offering tours of the ground floor in 1967. PHENOMENA: Students and visitors report lights flickering on and off, beds unmade when no one has slept in them, the smell of freshly baked food coming from the basement and ground floor and the apparition of a woman dressed in 1800-period style clothes in the State Dining Room. ORANGE HALL (ST. MARY’S) BACKGROUND: The property on which Orange Hall stands today was originally granted to William Ashley, one of the twenty founders of St. Marys, in 1787. Phineas Miller is listed as the owner of the lot when it was sold to Ethan Clarke in 1803. In 1826, the lot was divided and the northern half was sold to the wealthy John Wood and Horace Southworth Pratt, a Presbyterian minister. Pratt had arrived in St. Marys around 1820, established the First Presbyterian Church of St. Marys in 1822, and married Wood's daughter, Jane, in 1823. In 1829, before construction of Orange Hall began, Pratt's wife, Jane, died. Pratt remained in St. Marys and remarried a few years later. In 1838, construction of Orange hall completed, with master carpenter Isaac Slayton listed as the builder. In 1839, Pratt, a Yale and Princeton graduate, took a position as a professor at the University of Alabama and left Orange Hall behind. PHENOMENA: Pratt remarried and named their first daughter Jane after his deceased wife. Little Jane contracted yellow fever and died at the age of six. There are claims of apparitions, strange sounds, disembodied voices and related unexplained phenomena at the old mansion. Orange Hall is said to be haunted by three spirits: an old man, an old woman, and a young girl of about 6 or 8 years old who may be young Jane Pratt and is seen playing with a doll in her old bedroom. THE OLDE PINK HOUSE (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Construction began in 1771 by the Habersham family. The house was occupied by the British during the Revolutionary War and the Union Army during the Civil War. It survived the War of 1812 as well as the devastating Savannah Fire. It is called Pink House because the red brick would repeatedly bleed through coatings of white plaster creating a pink tint. Owners gave up trying to hide it and just painted the entire exterior pink. PHENOMENA: A common ghost here is James Habersham Jr. who is seen by staff and guests dressed in colonial garb sometimes drinking ale and  said to be responsible for lighting candles in the building. He will often arrange table settings and chairs and on occasion a server will leave their station in disarray and return to see everything in order. A female spirit is heard crying on the otherwise empty second floor and the basement pub, Planter’s Tavern, is haunted by children’s spirits. Its thought these are slave children who who passed away because of illness or accident. They will lock women in the bathroom and management has had to remove the locks from the doors to address this. Even so, women still have issues with an unseen force holding doors closed. PIRATE’S HOUSE (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Established in 1753 with a portion of the structure built in 1734, making it the oldest standing building in the state of Georgia. The modern restaurant was founded by Herb Traub and Jim Casey in 1953 and is one of Savannah's most-popular tourist attractions. It was built on a plot of land located on the east side of James Oglethorpe's original plan of the city and the plot of land was assigned to become a botanical garden that modeled the Chelsea Botanical Garden in London, England. In 1948, the Pirates' House and the surrounding land was acquired by The Savannah Gas Company. The building soon caught the interest of Mrs. Hansell Hilyer, wife of the president of company. She renovated the house museum into the restaurant of present day. Back then, sailing was a dangerous profession so crewman’s spots had to be constantly filled. In the Captain’s Room, captains and crewmen would either get prospective crew members drunk, drug them, or knock them unconscious and drag them down a tunnel to a waiting ship where they would essentially become ship slaves. PHENOMENA: Laughter is heard from upstairs areas and many report seeing a disheveled pirate (nicknamed “Captain Flint”) in the upstairs and basement areas. A grouchy sailor hangs around the first floor stairway while another is said to appear briefly and glare angrily at kitchen staff before vanishing. In the dining room, chairs are rearranged and phantom footsteps often heard. Staff report feeling inexplicably ill at times reporting to work. TRIVIA: Appeared on an episode of SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. RHODES HALL (ATLANTA) BACKGROUND:  It was built as the home of furniture magnate Amos Giles Rhodes, proprietor of Atlanta-based Rhodes Furniture and cost $50,000 to build in 1904. Wired for electricity when it was built, Rhodes Hall is a prime example of the fascination that new technology held for Atlantans at the turn of the century. Over 300 light bulbs light the entire house. The house also had electric call buttons in most rooms as well as a security system. After the death of Rhodes and his wife, their children deeded the house to the U.S. state of Georgia, with a restriction that it be used for "historic purposes". It was used to house the Georgia State Archives from 1930 to 1965. After the Archives moved to a more modern building, Rhodes Hall continued to provide archive services as a branch. PHENOMENA: Rhodes wife Amanda passed away in 1927 after “suffering a long illness,” and the cause of death listed as “senility.” Amos died a year later and it’s thought that both still remain at the house. Visitors claim to see the ghost of an elderly woman that many assume is Mrs. Rhodes. There are also claims of a male presence in the home that is somewhat menacing. Visitors often report seeing apparitions, hearing children’s laughter, lights that turn on and off and doors that slam closed and lock themselves. Other phenomena include the sound of heavy footsteps on the second floor, apparitions appearing in mirrors and artwork flying off the walls. ST. SIMONS ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE (ST. SIMONS ISLAND) BACKGROUND: The original St. Simons Island lighthouse, which was built in 1810, was a 75-foot-tall (23 m) early federal octagonal lighthouse topped by a 10-foot oil-burning lamp. During the Civil War, U.S. military forces employed a Naval blockade of the coast. An invasion by Union troops in 1862 forced Confederate soldiers to abandon the area. The retreating troops destroyed the lighthouse to prevent it from being an aid to the navigation of Union warships. PHENOMENA: Said to be haunted by the ghost of light keeper Frederick Osborne, who was killed in a duel with assistant John Stephens in March of 1880 after making a disparaging remark about Stephens’ wife. Stephens later reported hearing footsteps on the tower steps and blamed it on Osborne's ghost. Keeper Karl Olaf Svendsen's (1910) family dog Jinx was constantly harassed by the ghost. Witnesses, including Coast Guardsmen, report sounds on the steps during routine maintenance of the light mechanism. A story from 1908 has the phantom of Osborne helping a light keeper’s wife by fixing a glitch in the light works on a stormy night. SORREL-WEED HOUSE (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: The house was built for Francis Sorrel, a wealthy shipping merchant and esteemed citizen of Savannah. One of his sons was General Gilbert Moxley Sorrel, one of the youngest Generals in the Confederate army. In 1859, a purchase agreement was made by the prominent Savannah businessman, Henry D. Weed; he took possession of the house in 1862 and it remained in the Weed family until 1914. After the passing of his first wife just two years after moving in, Francis Sorrel remarried his young sister-in-law, Matilda. He was also engaged in a long-time affair with a slave named Molly who received preferential treatment among the slaves by having her own private quarters above the carriage house next to the main home. When Matilda discovered her husband with Molly one night, she was so overcome with rage that she jumped to her death from the second-story balcony. Weeks later, Molly's body was found hanging in her room from her own apparent suicide. PHENOMENA: A room in the basement of the home that served as an office for a staff member was later revealed to have housed slaves and served as their kitchen. It came to be labeled the “Voodoo Room” and many visitors claim to feel nauseous upon entering. Some also report feeling a strong physical presence there. A party or gathering has been heard downstairs, but when looked in on, the sounds come to a stop. The sounds of battle are sometimes heard, perhaps a residual effect of the Civil War in Savannah. Shadowy figures appear in the windows, with voices heard in an empty house. The apparition of a “Lady in White” appears in one of the parlors, along with elite society female spirits heard in the ladies’ parlor disapprove of the tours. TRIVIA: The house has been featured on shows like Ghost Hunters, Ghost Adventures  and HGTV’s If Walls Could Talk. SPRINGER OPERA HOUSE (COLUMBUS) BACKGROUND: First opened February 21, 1871, the theater was named the State Theater of Georgia by Governor Jimmy Carter for its 100th anniversary season, a designation made permanent by the 1992 state legislature. The Springer has hosted legendary performers such as Edwin Booth, Oscar Wilde, Ethel Barrymore and bandleader John Philip Sousa. The Springer Opera House was built in 1871 in Columbus by Francis Joseph Springe who came to Columbus from the Alsace in Germany. PHENOMENA: It’s said Edwin Booth’s (brother of John Wilkes) playful spirit remains in residence mostly interacting with women ad playing with the props and the wardrobe. There have been orbs of light recorded on video that seem to bounce around the building. Another male spirit has been seen on stage from time to time. There is reported activity in the upper floors and attic, cold spots and doors slamming shut on their own. TYBEE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE (TYBEE ISLAND) BACKGROUND: The current lighthouse is the fourth tower at this station, though neither of its first two predecessors were lit. The first tower was built at the direction of James Oglethorpe and was constructed of wood; erected in 1736, it was felled by a storm in 1741. The following year a replacement was erected, this time of stone and wood, but still without illumination; instead, it was topped with a flag pole. This tower succumbed to shoreline erosion. Confederate forces burned the third light in 1862 during the Civil War and removed the lens as they retreated to Fort Pulaski. Reconstruction of the light was begun in 1866 but was delayed by a cholera outbreak. PHENOMENA: A staff member claimed to see the apparition of a man in the assistant keepers quarters and the sound of constant footsteps. In the Head Keeper’s house there are reports of whistling and the front door trying to be opened. A little girl around 5-years-old has been seen running down the interior steps of the lighthouse warning visitors not to climb any higher. WARREN HOUSE (JONESBORO) BACKGROUND: Built in 1840 by Guy L. Warren, an agent of Macon & Western Railroad and one of Jonesboro's first town commissioners. At one point it was used as a field hospital and headquarters by Confederate troops until taken over by Union forces on September 2nd, 1864 to be used for the same purpose. The signatures of convalescing Union soldiers that were captured by the 52nd Illinois Infantry can still be seen on the walls of the downstairs parlor and the front lawn was the site of the historic Battle of Jonesboro, which resulted in the fall of Atlanta and the end of the Civil War. PHENOMENA: In the evening the figure of a soldier can be seen holding a candle and looking out a window. Legend claims a bloodstain is still visible on the floor in the attic despite attempts to scrub it clean. The Confederate cemetery across the street is also said to be haunted. WINDSOR HOTEL (SAVANNAH) BACKGROUND: Built in 1892 to attract winter visitors from the northeastern United States. Vice-President Thomas R. Marshall gave a speech from the balcony in 1917, and the soon-to-be New York Governor Franklin D. Roosevelt spoke in the dining room in 1928. Former President Jimmy Carter (born in nearby Plains, Georgia) has been a supporter of the hotel since its reopening. PHENOMENA: Guests and staff claim three spirits reside here. Two are a former housekeeper and her daughter whose deaths took place in an elevator shaft in the early 1900s. It’s said they (Emily Mae and Emma) were pushed down the shaft by the mom’s lover. Guests hear little Emma's footsteps running down the hall throughout the night. The other resident spirit is said to be Floyd Lowery, an old doorman and elevator operator, who sometimes helps guests with their luggage. People say an older gentleman helped them with their luggage even though the hotel doesn’t employ a doorman or bellhop anymore. Guests have otherwise friendly and playful encounters with the ghosts. Some examples are: a wedding ring that will be moved from one spot to another or an open door that closes on its own. RETURN TO PARANORMAL WORLD DATABASE