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The Ghosts of Georgia

Haunted places in Savanah

By Rasma RaistersPublished 4 years ago 7 min read
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The Olde Pink House Restaurant and Piano Bar is located off Reynolds Square, near the corner of E. Bryan Street in Savannah, Georgia. This is a Georgian standard from 1771. It is a 2 story brick mansion covered by pink plaster. Today it is a lovely restaurant. On the first and second floor are the dining rooms. There is a basement bar/restaurant – descending down steep wooden steps one finds a nice piano bar with wooden tables surrounding it. On the right side of the room is a comfortable, relaxing sitting area with chairs and couches situated in front of a huge fireplace.

James Habersham Jr. was one of three sons of the colonial planter and cotton merchant James Habersham Sr. who was a pillar of Savannah society and an ardent loyalist. He fought to get the ban on slavery in Georgia lifted. All of his sons sided with the colonial patriot cause. They were all involved with the subversive organization, Sons of Liberty, and fought against England in the Revolutionary War. Rising to the rank of a major in the colonial army James Habersham Jr. became a hero during the Revolutionary War. His brother, Joseph gained fame for being one of the men who marched into the governor’s mansion and arrested the British governor on Jan. 18th 1776. James Habersham Jr. got married and also had three sons whom he raised in his beloved mansion.

Construction on the mansion began in 1771 but it wasn’t finished until 1789. The British stopped the mansion’s construction during the Revolutionary War by occupying it. About 85 years later General Sherman’s generals also found the mansion appealing and also stayed there disturbing the Habersham descendants.

As the years went by the main structure of red brick was plastered over with white plaster but the red of the bricks would bleed through and made the mansion pink. The mansion survived the great fire of 1820, The War of 1812, The Civil War and was owned by a variety of people after the family sold it. The mansion was constantly repainted white until a lady in the 1920s painted it a specific shade of pink and it has been pink since then.

The apparition of James Habersham Jr. has been seen in the mansion by employees who work there during the months from October to March, especially on quiet Sunday afternoons. A local resident stopped in the basement tavern for a beer after work. He noticed a gentleman dressed in a revolutionary era uniform sitting at the end of the bar with a drink in his hand. The customer figured he was an employee of the bar providing some colorful atmosphere. He caught the man’s eye and raised his beer glass in a toast. The gentleman at the end of the bar did the same. The customer turned away for a moment and commented about the employee he thought was in costume and the bartender asked “What gentleman?” He had disappeared!

The apparition of James Habersham Jr. also loves lighted candles on tables. A waiter had put out all the candles for the evening and continued his closing duties. Looking back he saw all the candles had been lit again. The apparition of James Habersham’s grandson about 60 years old has been known to appear in solid form, order, and pay for a beer at the basement bar which used to be his room. He then walks to the local cemetery and disappears into the Button Family Monument where he is buried because his own family’s lot was full.

An unknown female entity can be heard crying from the 2nd floor when the restaurant is empty. A waiter who was interviewed on the Travel Channel Program “America’s Most Haunted Places, Savannah” said he had seen a strange light whirl around the 2nd floor Purple Room before disappearing.

A piano player who is psychic has seen out of the corner of her eye slave children running around the basement area. They like to throw dice against the wall in the hallway by the bathrooms. The children would also take wine bottles and hit the bartender with them. Some entity has locked women in the bathroom. Finally, the management removed the lock but occasionally a force does keep a person stuck for a short time.

So perhaps if you visit Georgia go and have a drink with the Habershams.

In the historic district of Savannah, you’ll find the 17 Hundred 90 Restaurant and Inn. It is the oldest hotel in the city built in 1820. It was supposed to be a boarding house being built by a Virginia planter, Steele White who unfortunately was killed in a riding accident before the house was finished. At some point in time, the boarding house became a hotel and the year changed from 1820 to 1790. It was changed because the year 1820 was disastrous for Savannah as a terrible fire destroyed 2/3rds of the city and there was a yellow fever epidemic. 17 Hundred 90 Restaurant and Inn has a restaurant and tavern and the Bed and Breakfast rooms are located on the upper floors. In recent years the 17 Hundred and 90 Restaurant and Inn expanded purchasing another home across the street. With it, they gained a patio area and a parking lot. There are a total of 14 guest rooms some of which have fireplaces. The rate includes continental breakfast and a glass of complementary wine.

The Entity of Anne Powell

One story tells of a 16-year-old girl Anne Powell who was unhappily married to an Englishman who built the large home for her. At some point, she fell in love with a German sailor who didn’t love her, and she jumped down to the brick courtyard. Another version is that a 16-year-old maid whose name was Anne Powell fell in love with a sailor and became pregnant. The sailor promised to marry her when he returned but he never did come back and besides, he was already married. A variation on this tale is that when she wasn’t working as a servant Anne was a flirtatious beauty and liked to have relationships with young men. Whatever the truth may be the young lady did jump to the courtyard below and since then has stayed on the premises.

Anne Powell’s room used to be on the second floor Room 204. The owners have made guests who wanted to stay in this room sign a waiver saying that they would not be entitled to money back if they left in the middle of the night because they were frightened. Now the room in popular with ghost seekers and the curious. The apparition of Anne has been seen sitting in a chair beside the room’s fireplace. The entity has been known to lay out guests' clothes neatly on the bed. Lights and/or clock radios are turned on in the early morning hours. Anne has been known to pull the covers off of couples and throw them up into the air. Jewelry, personal items, and keys have been known to be taken and put in strange places. Two women found their missing undergarments hanging in the inn’s Christmas tree.

A young honeymoon couple awoke one morning to find water drops falling from the ceiling. Anne was crying about her lost love. The entity resented that a paranormal investigator wanted to get evidence of her existence. She took his car keys and place them on a headstone in the very back row of headstones in the Bonaventure Cemetery.

The Entity of the African American Servant Cook

This entity is a woman who hates other women. She pushes women who work in the kitchen and jangles her bracelets at them. She has been known to slap or flick women. The entity has scared waitresses by pushing silverware from table settings and likes to rattle pots and pans. However, she has been known to sob at times.

The Entity of the Merchant Marine

He is relaxed, enjoys music, and likes to help the staff. His apparition is dressed in a uniform and has been seen listening to the piano player and strolling in the garden room. He helped a staff member turn off a light which couldn’t be reached without a chair.

Take a vacation and go visit them for a while. They’ll be happy to have you!

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About the Creator

Rasma Raisters

My passions are writing and creating poetry. I write for several sites online and have four themed blogs on Wordpress. Please follow me on Twitter.

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