Georgia's Ghostly Getaways This Halloween, why not visit Georgia's ghostly getaways? They offer spirited excitement and haunting beauty. From the seaport of Savannah to the Appalachian Mountains, the Peach State has its share of spooky spots. The spirits come in both sexes and all races. You can even find animal ghosts. Join me as we look behind all the creaky doors and eerie mansions at Georgia's most spectral sites. |
Georgia's Golden Isles There is something ethereal about the light on St. Simons Island. Perhaps the way it reflects through the curving branches of the giant moss covered oaks that bewitches the visitor into seeing it as a magic place. One of its most visited attractions is the Christ Church Cemetery. Drive past it on a dark night and look for the ghost light. Stories tell of a wife who feared the dark. In life, she always maintained a good supply of candles to keep it at bay. When she died, her husband was aghast at the thought of her sleeping in the dark graveyard. At night, he would place a lit candle over her grave. Is this the light seen flickering among the tombs? St Simons light is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the nation. Around dinner time, footsteps can be heard frequently on the light's spiral staircase. Some believe it is the tread of a slave called Lamp Black returning to check on "his" light. Nearby Jekyll Island also had its dark tales. On a stormy night in 1858, long after importing of slaves was banned, the Wanderer crashed there. It carried the last cargo of slaves ever brought from Africa. To this day, when the night is dark and the thunder rolls, people claim to see the glimmer of ghostly fires amid the sheltering trees. Of all the Golden Isles, Cumberland offers the most erie site, Dungeness Mansion. Built by Thomas Carnegie in the late 1800s, it was modeled on a Scottish Castle. In 1959, Dungeness burned. Today, all that is left is its massive turreted walls stretching skyward like a hugh skeleton. It is home to birds and wandering wild horses. Some say it is also home to the ghost of Thomas Hutchinson, the designer of a golf course that existed on the island in its heyday. He was killed while riding his horse beneath a low hanging branch after leaving a boisterous party at the mansion.Some say he fled in anger others that he was going to fetch more spirits to liven the party. The Antebellum Trail The little town of Eatonton, located on Georgia's Antebellum Trail between Athens and Macon, has a rather snooty spook. Sylvia is reputed to reside at Panola Hall. Many people have seen Sylvia, but only those she considers "her social equals". One visiter not only saw her as they passed on the stairs, he smelled the fragrance of the Damask Rose in her hair. Eatonton is also home to the mysterious Rock Eagle Effigy. The Effigy is a stone eagle with a wingspan of 120 feet. It is believed to be older than the Great Pyramid of Egypt. Nearby Madison won't be left out either. When you visit the Heritage House, you may feel a presence in the "Ghost Bedroom". . In separate instances, two people claimed they could detect the presence of a young woman in the bed, holding a baby, and a servant kneeling at the foot of the bed. Both claimed that a tragedy had occurred in the room. There is an outline of the three figures on the hearth that cannot be removed by cleaning. The docent, Betty Jo Booth, relayed a personal experience she had. "I was just closing for the night when a lady rushed up. 'Please don't close the door. I was here fourteen years ago and I need to go into a certain room and see if I have the same experience.' I stepped back and watched to see what room she would got. She went right to the ghost bedroom... right in front of the fireplace and began shouting, 'I knew it! I feel it! There is a presence in this room!'" Of course, Betty Jo reminded us that no one knows for sure if there really is a ghost in the house but, she added, "If I have to come here at night when the alarm goes off, I let someone else check the upstairs." Another interesting house in Madison is the Wade-Porter-Fitzpatrick-Kelly House. The ghost of a murdered servant girl named Mathuda roams the rooms at night. When the present owners, the Kellys, bought the place, the former owners warned them to always leave refreshments out for Mathuda if they had a party. At the housewarming, they forgot. That night they were awakened by a loud crash. A hugh antique bed in the guest room collapsed. Watkinsville, a delightful town that caters to artists and craftspeople, harbors a rather benign spirit at a local B and B. Three years ago, Ashford manor, which had remained in the Ashford family since it was built in 1893 by A.W. Ashford, was purchased by a trio of businessmen from the North. The new owners, brothers Jim and David Shearon and their partner, Mario Castro, arrived in town the day before the closing.They stayed in the manor that night. Around midnight, they heard a crash and on investigating, found one of the dining room chandelier arms had turned downward, shattering its glass. They mentioned it to the Ashfords at the closing and found that it had recently been soldered. During the following weeks as the renovation progressed, all three partners had a feeling of being watched. When one of the carpenters saw the figure of a man cross the hall when no one else was in the house, everyone began to put all the events together. Upon investigation they discovered that A. W. Ashford had died in that room after the stock market crash of 1929. His son had committed suicide in the family bank. Another murder victim died in the same room after being stabbed near the creek behind the house. "If the presence is A. W. Ashford," Dave stated, " he seems to be happy with what we are doing with his house and is leaving us alone now." Macon's Hay House is now owned by the National Historic Trust and is open to the public as a museum. although the former owners and the director's official statement is "There are no ghost in Hay House", the numerous sightings tell another story. The wave of sightings began in 1980 when the 18,000 square foot palace was undergoing extensive renovation. Whatever the truth is, when you ask the tour guides at the mansion, the answer will be "We're instructed not to discuss that." College towns seem to attract haunts.The Hamilton-Phinizy-Segrest House in Athens is now the home of Phi Mu Sorority. Frequently, neighbors called to say there was a woman on the roof. Residents would look and she would be gone. One incident occurred during summer classes. There were only four girls staying there. One missed her curfew and got locked out. She knocked and heard the lock click open. On entering, no one was there. She thought one of her sorority sisters had opened the door and went back to bed. The next day, she asked who had let her in, no one had. They assumed it was their friendly ghostly resident. The university campus also has its resident ghost. Many students report seeing a man in Confederate uniform around Demosthenian Hall. He is believed to be Robert Toombs who had been dismissed from the college in his youth. Milledgeville is another college town with more than its share of spooks. The Old Governors Mansion seems to have multiple spirits - Molly, who spent her life as the cook there is one of several otherworldy inhabitants- delicious smells emanate from the basement kitchen although it is no longer used for cooking, lights flicker, footsteps are heard and apparitions seen. Another multi-ghosted house is The Homestead. there is a lady in gray, who foretells deaths, Miss Sue, a fiery, redhead daughter of the original owner, and her husband, Honest Jack, who either committed suicide to escape Sue's nagging or died of malaria. Lockerly Hall is reputed to contain the restless spirit of Emma, a daughter of the original owner. Sam Walker was considered the "meanest man in Georgia". He is reputed to walk the floors of the Tate House, which is now being renovated. Memory Hill Cemetary has more ghosts per square foot than any other place in Georgia. Thomas Fish is one. He walled himself up alive inside the tomb of his dead wife. Dixie Haygood who could lift a table with five men seated on it is reputed to be a witch. She is buried there in an unmarked grave. Andersonville If any place deserves to be haunted, the site of the infamous Confederate prison at Andersonville is the spot.sure enough Captain Henry Wirz, the prison commander and the only Confederate officer hanged for war crimes, is rumored to still watch over the site. It is now the National Prisoner of War Museum honoring all who suffered imprisonment for their country. North Georgia Mountains Tate House, a pink marble palace, built by Col. Sam Tate to flaunt the wealth he acquired from mining rare Etowah Marble still houses his restless spirit as well as his sister's. Both have been seen by many including the daughter of the current owner, Ann Laird. The Lairds restored the Tate House as a Bed and Breakfast in 1974. Tours of the home are offered. Savanna Savanna has so many haunted spots they have special "Ghost Tours". The most famous being The Pirates' House which is now a restaurant. The Hampton Lillibridge House was the scene of an official exorcism because of its devilish activities. It was owned and restored by Jim Williams of "Midnight in The Garden" fame.Savanna boast some unusual spirits. Fort McAllister witnesses frequent appearances of Tom Cat. He was a black cat adopted by the fort's Confederate defenders. Tom Cat was killed during the fort's heaviest shelling. Strangely enough, Tom was the day's only casualty. Even the stature of the Waving Girl is reported to come to life and witnesses have reported seeing the stone cloth she holds waving in the breeze. Campgrounds What's that you say? You'll be safe in your RV. Maybe not if you camp at Hard Labor Creek State Park near Rutledge. It is reportedly haunted by two ghosts. A little boy named Ethan, who usually doesn't disturb anyone and a man who is very noisy. There is also a figure spotted near the small graveyard there wandering back and forth along the trail. |
Published in Woodall's Southern RV Oct. 2000 Copyright Kathleen Walls |
