Published by Haunted America
A Division of The History Press
Charleston, SC 29403
www.historypress.net
Copyright 2014 by Michael Harris and Linda Sickler
Unless otherwise noted, all photographs appear courtesy of Don Clark Jr.
Illustrations appear courtesy George R. Hicks.
All rights reserved
Cover: Courtesy George R. Hicks.
First published 2014
e-book edition 2014
ISBN 978.1.62584.663.1
Library of Congress CIP data applied for.
print edition ISBN 978.1.62619.195.2
Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
What started out as a modest book on Savannah ghost stories between an independent researcher and a newspaper reporter soon turned into a multifaceted project involving a total of five people with diverse talents.
As a result, numerous friends and family members deserve a heartfelt thanks for reading and offering invaluable suggestions on various chapters and illustrations in the process of writing and producing the book and offering encouragement to everyone involved in the project. They are as follows: Sarah Langham, Casie Edblad, Tobi Brock, Shannon Hicks, Kristina Prince, Pam Hicks and Jerry Hicks.
The staffs at the Georgia Historical Society and Lane Library at Armstrong Atlantic State University were helpful for the use of their facilities.
Our good friend George Hicks took an early interest in the book and agreed to offer his considerable talents as principal illustrator, adding a provocative interpretation to the ghost stories included in the book. Along with the talents of illustrator Wes St. Claire, these remarkable illustrations have elevated the book to new visual heights.
Don Clark Jr. was kind enough to lend his considerably talented hands to take photographs. We are grateful for Dons friendship and keen artistic eye.
Michael would also like to thank his daughters, Sarah and Casie, and his friend Michael Bledsoe for his usual encouragement and humor through the writing process. The cast at Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour, Savannah, was a continual source of support.
Linda would like to thank her husband, Charlie Sickler, for always insisting she could write a book and encouraging her to do so. Her grandsons, Caleb and Callen Sickler, always provided a diversionary source of inspiration.
George would like to thank his lovely wife, Shannon, and his daughters, Gillian and Jordyn, for their enduring support during the project. He also thanks Wes St. Claire for his masterful visual interpretation of the three stories he illustrated.
And finally, a special thanks goes to Jerry Hicks for his long distance, eleventh-hour photographic expertise that allowed George to capture the image that ultimately became the cover of this book.
INTRODUCTION
A city lost in time
Savannah is one of the most charming and beautiful cities in America. Its majestic, moss-filled oak trees and stunning architecture in picturesque city squares make it stand out as one of the true jewels of the South.
Savannah is also a city steeped in history. It boasts the largest historic district in the country, attracting thousands of people every year to feast on its cuisine, history, charm and visual delights. It is a city lost in time.
But it is not merely whats aboveground that brings people from all over the world every year. Savannah is reputedly one of the most hauntedif not the most hauntedcities in the United States.
People who are fascinated by ghosts flock to the city to hear about the spirited souls who wander through the old buildings and sacred burial grounds. They want to hear spooky tales, tour haunted buildings and cemeteries, at night, usually, and most of all, see a ghost!
There are dozens of ghost stories to be told about Savannah. Nearly every house and building has a resident ghost or two as the city is literally built on the dead. Walk through any square or drive down any street in the oldest section of the district, and you can be sure you are traveling on the buried remains of long-forgotten and nameless souls from the past.
One of the most common questions people ask, of course, when they venture off to hear about Savannahs ghosts is: Are these stories really true?
It is only natural to ask the question in an age dominated by the objective facts of science.
Virtually every human culture from the past has its ghost tales. One would be hard-pressed to find a group of people who did not harbor their own brand of restless souls wandering about haunting the living. So why should we moderns be any different?
Despite our obvious differences from our past ancestors, it seems to be the case that, when scratched deeply enough, there is little difference when it comes to our relationship with the not-so-departed dead.
Some dead souls return to us in various ways. They simply will not go away.
There are numerous books about Savannahs ghosts already in printsome very good ones. So the natural question for any potential reader is, why read another one? The most pressing question for us was: why write another Savannah ghost book?
The first thing the reader should know is this is a book about ghosts, plain and simpletheir uncanny and stubborn presence in their various Savannah haunts. Vampires, zombies, witches and the like, though interesting and scary in their own right, do not show up here.
Specifically, it is a book about certain Savannah ghosts and the fascinating and often tragic lives they led before their ghostly appearances in Savannah.
We think we take a different approach to the topic. Instead of offering explanations from science or popular opinion that attempt to explain why certain peoples ghosts remain behind to haunt the living, we largely refrain from such explanations. Such views, while sometimes valuable, end up saying more about the person seeking ghosts than the actual ghosts themselves.
Explanations ranging from violence shed on a particular parcel of land (wars, murders, etc.) to physics (the ghost as the residual surplus of human energy forms) seem uninteresting to us in explaining this phenomena of the strange, as we like to call ghost appearances.
If a ghost is an apparition of a dead person, then one of our primary objectives is to put the person back in the ghost.
Simply put, we offer a detailed exploration of the human lives of selected Savannah ghosts, unveiling a deeper understanding and appreciation of their stories. The ghosts we write about were people at one time whose lives were subject to similar hopes, dreams and desires that preoccupy us as well. We sought to put flesh back on their now-withered bones while telling their tales.
We set out to uncover the truth behind some of Savannahs most popular ghost stories in writing and illustrating this book. But that isnt our only goal.
