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SAVANNAH
The city of blood and bones
Hidden amongst the swamps and marshes of southern Georgia, lies a city veiled in mystery and secrets. A city that has endured wars, heartbreaks, treachery, and murder, all of whcih laid a terrible curse upon the land in which it was built. A city called Savannah.
Savannah was founded in 1733 as the first settlement in the colony of Georgia. When James Oglethorpe and his settlers arrived on the bluffs of the savannah river, they encountered the local Yamacraw Indians. The natives allowed the settlers to live on the land as long as they did not remove any of the native american bodies buried there, since it was an ancient graveyard.
During the revolutionary war in 1779, French and American forces attempted to take the city from the British, but instead lost hundreds in the attempt. Many of the bodies were never removed, and the city continued expanding above the dreamless dead.
In 1820, yellow fever wiped out 700 people, most of which were buried in colonial park in mass graves, while others were left in a chamber directly underneath the fountain at forsyth park.
When Sherman arrived in 1864, a short skirmish occurred in the outskirts of the city, and a bombardment by union forces. After the confederate army escaped, riots and crime spread throughout the city, and when the union army entered Savannah, they became the police, the firefighters, and the doctors.
Although the history of the city is interesting on it’s own, the secret stories of each building are rich with their own terror and darkness. For the stories about love and deceit, look no further than the sorrel-weed house or the mercer-williams house. For the stories about greed and treachery, head down to the bar “Pour Larry's'' to hear about their “stinky ghost.” For those that enjoy one of Savannah’s beautiful and famous squares, walk down Wright square, where you might see the spirit Alice Riley searching for her lost baby.
Many paranormal investigators have studied the hidden nooks and crannies of the city trying to understand why it’s the most haunted city in the United States. Most agree that it isn’t what lies in the alleyways and secret buildings of the city, but rather what is beneath. The majority of buildings with supernatural activity linked to them have reported at least one burial ground directly underneath it. Some of the houses include:The sorrel-weed house, 432 Abercorn St, and the Hampton-Lillibridge house.
It is often believed that the Native American cadavers that still remain below the city are the reason why it’s haunted, and that may be partially true. Although there are reports of forgotten graveyards such as the one buried underneath the restaurant called “Husk.” The forgotten graves and the deaths that occured in each location left behind a gruesome reminder of human tragedy, and a pain that cannot be left behind easily.
Savannah is indeed a city wrapped in mystery, a mystery that refuses to be unveiled with ease. Even if someone unwrapped one of it’s great secrets, it will no doubt only lead to more questions and fewer answers. One can only wonder why such a place exists, and how to conquer it’s hidden past.
