Olde Harbour Inn – Haunted Inn in Savannah, Georgia

The Olde Harbour Inn is a riverfront lodging where the spirits of sailors, dock workers, and victims of yellow fever still linger among the historic brick and timber that once witnessed Savannah’s bustling maritime trade. Built in 1892 on the foundations of much older structures dating back to the 1700s, this converted oil and cotton warehouse sits directly on the Savannah River where countless lives were lost to disease, accidents, and the brutal realities of port life—and those restless souls apparently never left the waterfront they knew in life.

Historical Background

Year Built: 1892 (current structure), though the site has been occupied since the 1700s with earlier warehouses and buildings

Original Purpose: Oil and cotton warehouse serving Savannah’s busy port, built on the site of earlier colonial-era structures

Significant Events: The building and surrounding area witnessed devastating yellow fever epidemics in the 1700s and 1800s that killed thousands of Savannah residents, with many victims dying in the waterfront district while trying to flee the city by ship. The warehouse district was notorious for Shanghai operations where unwilling men were drugged and forced onto ships, accidents involving heavy cargo and machinery claimed numerous dock workers’ lives, and the tunnels beneath the building connected to the city’s underground network where illegal activities flourished and people died in darkness.

Paranormal Activity Summary

The apparitions of sailors and dock workers in period clothing are seen throughout the inn, appearing briefly before walking through walls or fading away—witnesses describe men in 18th and 19th-century maritime attire who seem confused about their surroundings or determined to complete phantom tasks. The sounds of heavy footsteps, cargo being moved, and voices shouting work orders echo through the building despite it being quiet and occupied only by modern guests seeking rest.

Rooms facing the river experience the most intense activity, with guests reporting seeing ghostly ships sailing past their windows in the middle of the night—vessels that appear solid and real until observers realize they’re transparent or from an era long past. The overwhelming smell of the sea, fish, tobacco, and occasionally disease or decay fills certain areas without any physical source, transporting guests back to the building’s days as a working warehouse.

Ghost Stories & Reports

A sailor’s ghost wearing a captain’s uniform or naval attire is frequently spotted on the upper floors, allegedly the spirit of a ship’s officer who died during a yellow fever outbreak while docked in Savannah—witnesses describe him pacing near windows overlooking the river as if watching for his ship or waiting for orders that will never come. Some guests report feeling his presence standing at the foot of their bed, watching them sleep, and experiencing dreams of being at sea or trapped on a plague ship.

The spirit of a dock worker who allegedly died in a warehouse accident is said to haunt the lower levels, his presence marked by the sounds of chains, heavy objects being dropped, and masculine grunts of exertion as if he’s still laboring. Some visitors report seeing a man in working-class clothing from the 1800s carrying phantom cargo or coiling invisible rope, completely focused on his task and unaware of the living people around him.

A female spirit believed to be a victim of yellow fever who died trying to escape Savannah by ship has been seen in several rooms, appearing desperately ill and frightened—witnesses describe a woman in a soiled nightgown who seems to be pleading for help before vanishing. Her presence is accompanied by feelings of intense fear and the sensation of fever and illness, with some guests reporting they felt physically unwell in rooms where she’s been sighted.

Children’s spirits have been reported throughout the inn, possibly the ghosts of young travelers who died during epidemics or accidents in the port district—their laughter and crying are heard echoing through hallways, and some guests have seen small figures peering into their rooms before disappearing. The ghost of what appears to be a Shanghai victim—a man who was drugged and forced onto a ship against his will—is occasionally seen struggling as if fighting invisible captors, his expression one of terror and confusion.

Most Haunted Spot Inside

The rooms on the river-facing side of the building, particularly those on the upper floors, are considered the most actively haunted—guests in these rooms report the most frequent sightings of ghostly sailors, phantom ships, and overwhelming sensations of being watched from the water. The basement areas and lower levels where the old warehouse operations occurred are intensely haunted but largely inaccessible to guests, with maintenance staff reporting uncomfortable feelings and unexplained sounds when they must work in these spaces.

Can You Visit?

Open to the Public? Yes—it operates as a suite-style inn offering accommodations to travelers

Entry Fee: Room rates vary by season and suite type (approximately $150-$350+ per night)

Tour Availability: The Olde Harbour Inn is included on some Savannah ghost tours as part of the riverfront haunting stories, though most tours view from the exterior; guests staying at the inn receive information about the property’s history and haunting. The inn’s location in the historic riverfront district makes it accessible to walking tours.

Photography Allowed? Yes, for guests in their suites and common areas

Visiting Hours: The inn operates 24/7 for registered guests; the riverfront exterior can be viewed anytime from public areas

Best Time to Visit

Paranormal activity is reported consistently year-round, with the most intense encounters occurring during foggy nights when mist rolls in from the Savannah River, creating an atmosphere that seems to amplify supernatural manifestations. Late night and early morning hours between 2:00 AM and 5:00 AM produce the most frequent sightings of phantom ships and ghostly sailors, particularly from river-facing rooms where the veil between past and present seems thinnest.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

A couple staying in a river-facing suite in 2017 reported waking at 3:00 AM to see a fully-rigged sailing ship passing by their window, so detailed and realistic they initially thought it was a historical reenactment—only after watching it for several minutes did they realize the ship was slightly transparent and from a different era entirely. A businessman in 2019 captured photographs from his room showing strange mists and orbs over the river that formed vaguely human shapes, images that later analysis suggested weren’t caused by camera artifacts or environmental conditions.

A family staying in 2020 reported that their children woke crying multiple nights, claiming they saw a “sick lady” in their room who asked for help before disappearing—the parents initially dismissed this as nightmares until they both saw a translucent female figure pass through their suite’s wall one evening. Inn staff have shared numerous guest reports over the years, including one from 2018 where a guest insisted he heard sea shanties being sung by multiple male voices outside his window at 2:00 AM, despite no one being visible on the quiet riverfront street below.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

While the Olde Harbour Inn doesn’t regularly host formal paranormal investigations due to its operation as a functioning inn, paranormal enthusiast guests and discrete investigation teams have documented significant activity over the years. Investigators have recorded EVPs throughout the property, including voices speaking in what sound like sailing terminology, orders being shouted, and the sounds of ship bells and wooden ship creaking—audio phenomena that suggest residual energy from the building’s maritime past.

Thermal imaging cameras operated from guest rooms have detected unexplained cold spots near windows overlooking the river and human-shaped thermal signatures that move through spaces before dissipating. EMF detectors show spikes in river-facing rooms with no modern electrical sources to explain the readings, and some investigators report these readings pulse in patterns reminiscent of Morse code or maritime signals.

Full-spectrum photography has captured shadow figures moving past windows, strange mists that appear to take human forms, and what some researchers believe are partial manifestations of historical sailing vessels on the river. One investigation team recorded video from a river-facing window showing what appears to be a transparent human figure standing on the riverbank, visible for approximately 30 seconds before fading away.

Local Legends & Myths

The most persistent legend claims that during yellow fever epidemics, the sick and dying were brought to the riverfront warehouses to await ships that would take them away from Savannah—many died before the ships arrived, and their desperate spirits remain trapped between the building and the river, eternally waiting for passage that never comes. Some believe these spirits are confused, thinking they’re still waiting to board ships that sailed over a century ago.

Another chilling tale involves Shanghai operations that allegedly used the building’s basement and tunnel connections—victims who were drugged, imprisoned, and forced onto ships are said to haunt the lower levels, their angry or confused spirits still trying to escape captivity or seek revenge on those who betrayed them. Local paranormal researchers suggest that negative energy from these violent kidnappings has saturated the foundations.

Stories persist about a cursed ship that docked at the pier near the inn, bringing yellow fever that killed hundreds—some believe the phantom ship seen by guests is this plague vessel, doomed to sail the river eternally, and anyone who sees it clearly will experience bad luck or illness. A related legend claims that if you see the phantom ship and count all its masts or sails, you’ll receive a vision of your own death, so witnesses are warned to look away quickly.

Local storytellers speak of a maritime disaster that occurred near the inn’s location centuries ago, with sailors drowning within sight of shore—their ghosts supposedly walk from the river into the building, dripping spectral water and leaving wet footprints that disappear within seconds. Some psychics claim the building sits at the intersection of multiple tragic energies—disease, drowning, kidnapping, and industrial accidents—creating a paranormal “perfect storm” where spirits from different eras and circumstances coexist.

Safety Warnings & Legal Restrictions

While the Olde Harbour Inn’s haunting is generally not considered physically dangerous, guests sensitive to paranormal energy or with fears of maritime disasters should consider requesting rooms that don’t face the river directly. Some visitors report experiencing seasickness-like symptoms or anxiety related to water despite being on solid ground, possibly empathic responses to the spirits’ traumas.

The riverfront location means guests should exercise normal urban safety awareness when exploring the area at night, as the combination of dark walkways and distracted ghost hunters can create safety risks. The inn asks that guests conducting amateur paranormal investigations do so quietly and respectfully to avoid disturbing other guests who may not be seeking supernatural encounters.

Cursed or Haunted Objects

Original bricks and timbers from earlier structures on the site were incorporated into the 1892 building, and some psychics claim these materials carry residual energy from everyone who touched them across centuries—touching the exposed brick walls allegedly allows sensitive individuals to receive impressions or visions from the building’s past. The foundation stones that came from 18th-century structures are said to be particularly charged with paranormal energy.

An antique ship’s wheel displayed in the inn supposedly came from a vessel that sank in Savannah’s harbor with all hands lost, and legend says touching it brings vivid dreams of drowning or being trapped in a sinking ship. Some guests avoid looking at this artifact, claiming the polished wood sometimes shows reflected faces that aren’t present in the room—faces of sailors who went down with the ship.

Windows in river-facing rooms are said to act as portals that allow guests to see across time, with the boundary between past and present being thinnest when fog obscures the view—multiple witnesses report that the modern riverfront sometimes appears to transform into its historical appearance when viewed through these windows at specific times. Original iron fixtures and chains from the building’s warehouse days allegedly retain the energy of dock workers who used them, and some sensitive guests report feeling phantom hands gripping their own when they touch these metal objects.