Savannah's Historic + Architectural Itinerary

Pin Point Heritage Museum - Crab Factory

Located in the old A.S. Varn & Son Oyster and Crab Factory, Pin Point Heritage Museum is more than an exhibition room; it's an educational hub, led by descendants and locals of the community, to teach the history of the Gullah Geechee community founded in 1896 by freedmen after the Civil War. 

Owens - Thomas House & Slave Quarters - Regency 

The Owens - Thomas House & Slave Quarters was built in 1819 for enslaver and shipping merchant Richard Richardson. The home tells the story of the contrast between the privileged and enslaved. Margaret Gray, the last family descendent, bequeathed the property to the Telfair Academy of Arts and Sciences before she died in 1951 in honor of her grandfather, George Owens, and her father, Dr. James Gray Thomas. The museum was opened to the public in 1954.

Juliette Gordon Low - Regency

Visit the once home and now historical landmark honoring the life and progressive movement of Juliette "Daisy" Gordon Low, organizer of the first Girl Scout troop, on March 12, 1912, in Savannah. The museum is still Girl Scout Headquarters, where thousands of young ladies flock to witness where the courageous journey began. 

Harper Fowlkes House - Greek Revival

Harper Fowlkes House was built in 1842 by Charles B. Cluskey before being purchased in 1939 by Alida Harper Fowlkes, a preservationist and impressive businesswoman. She restored several buildings in Savannah and ran multiple businesses. Before her death in 1985, she willed the house to the Society of the Cincinnati in the State of Georgia under the stipulation that her furnishings would remain in the home. Harper Fowlkes House opened in 2008 as a museum after a few repairs to honor Alida.

Marshall House - Hotel

Marshall House was built in 1851 by Mary Marshall to provide accommodations and housing to Savannah. 

Mysterious past: 

1. Union Troops occupied the hotel from 1864-65, led by General William Tecumseh Sherman.
2. It was also used as a hospital for Civil War soldiers. 

The home has a history of having the "friendliest ghosts." Guests have reported faucets turning on themselves and the laughter of otherworldly children playing and running down the halls late at night.

Mercer Williams House - Italianate Villa

Most recognized thanks to the best-selling novel, "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," Mercer Williams House was initially constructed in 1868 for General Hugh Mercer, the great-grandfather of lyricist Johnny Mercer before socialite Jim Williams purchased the home in 1969. Willliams was known for the murder of his lover Danny Hansford in 1981. 

Mysterious past: 

1. In 1913, the home's prior owner fell over a banister on the second floor, leaving him with a broken hip and a concussion. He passed three days later.
2. After chasing pigeons, a young boy fell from the roof, leaving him impaled through the head after falling on the wrought iron fence in 1969.
3. Jim Williams died from a heart attack near the same spot as Danny in 1990.

Williams was known for his elaborate Christmas parties and visitors have been known to hear music and witness people through the home's windows, especially during the holidays. Ghostly reflections have also been seen of a young boy repeatedly falling from the roof.

 Kehoe House - Renaissance Revival

William Kehoe, a prominent businessman, built Kehoe House in 1892 for his wife and ten children. 

Mysterious past:

1. The residence was once home to Goette Funeral Home.
2. Rumor has it that two of the 10 Kehoe children died in the house after getting trapped in the chimney (this has been debunked).

Most of the home's stories reflect hearing the sounds of the children allegedly trapped in the chimney. It has also been rumored that one of the young girls got too close to the top of the steps and fell to her death. Guests also sense a presence walking past their beds and touching them as they sleep. 

Hamilton-Turner Inn - Victorian

Hamilton-Turner Inn was built for Samuel Pugh Hamilton's family in 1873. It was the first house in Savannah to be wired for electricity, partly due to Hamilton's work with Brush Electric Light & Power Company, just one of his many jobs. It was also one of the only homes to survive after the Savannah Fire of 1898. 

Mysterious past:

1. The Hamilton family was known for its many fancy parties. 
2. The children would roll billiard balls down the stairs to sneak a peek at the entertainment.
3. Hamilton kept a guard on his roof to watch the property, who was later found murdered.

Guests have reported the sounds of children playing and billiard balls rolling downs the stairs. There have been sightings of a cigar-smoking man on the roof. 

Pirates' House - Rustic Tavern

The Pirates' House was a gathering place for seamen and questionable characters in 1794. The bar/inn was known for its many brawls, slayings and, of course, pirates. 

Mysterious past:

1. There was once a Rum Cellar in the basement of the Pirates' House to River Street where drunken sailors were led, only to be forced into the pirate life. 

Spooky shadows have been seen walking through the dining rooms of the current Pirates' House restaurant. Staff have reported having the sense that they're being watched. On several occasions, staff have turned to see sailors staring into their eyes before slowly disappearing and the sounds of boots walking across the plank floors.

Moon River Brewing Company - Brewery

First known as the City Hotel and Savannah's first hotel, built in 1821. It became Moon River Brewing Company in 1999.

Mysterious past:

1. The building served as a hospital during Savannah's yellow fever outbreak. Hundreds of people reportedly died on the upper floors.
2.  The well-known shooting of James Stark took place on the second floor.
3. There is a rumor that enslaved people were kept in the basement.

Ghosts have supposedly pushed people down the stairs, there are sightings of a mysterious "Lady in White" and spirits hang around in the women's bathrooms to spook visitors.