Inside 'the most haunted city in America': Take a tour of Savannah's spooky Historic District... in the back of a hearse

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There are more dead people buried under the pavements of Savannah than there are living people walking on top.

For all its pretty cobblestoned squares and antebellum townhouses, the exquisite seafood and Southern generosity, this small port on the frontier of Georgia and South Carolina has a dark underbelly: grisly tales of sordid murder, haunted houses and a colonial-era graveyard decorated with the lingering entrails of Spanish moss.

Savannah could well claim to be America’s most haunted city.

That’s why, this Thursday evening, I’m being driven round its deserted squares in the back of a hearse. 

There are more dead people buried under the pavements of Savannah than there are living people walking on top. A ghost tour of Savannah in a hearse can offer some chilling insights into this spooky city

Our driver, a self-professed paranormal expert calling himself Spooky Steve, is up front. 

Me and three others are squeezed on seats in the back, our feet resting on the rollers once used to slide coffins in and out.

We start in Columbia Square in the heart of Savannah’s historic district, a series of 22 squares almost unchanged since the pre-Civil War era, outside Kehoe House: a mansion with its own haunted reputation, now transformed into one of the city’s most luxurious bed and breakfasts.

The hearse carefully corners onto President Street and, bracing ourselves for some shocks, we begin our tour of Savannah’s spookiest spots.

Our first stop is Colonial Park Cemetery: the city’s largest graveyard, where an estimated 9-12,000 bodies are buried and which sits slap bang in the middle of the historic district. 

‘The oldest, creepiest and most haunted cemetery in all of Savannah,' Steve tells us.

The Owens-Thomas House is considered by architectural historians to be one of the finest examples of English Regency architecture in America. Soon after the home was completed in 1829, Savannah witnessed one of her greatest tragedies, the fire of 1820

Spanish moss hangs like Halloween decorations throughout Savannah's historic squares

Built in the 1750s, this is the final resting place of more than 700 victims of the 1820 Yellow Fever epidemic, many stacked, in the rush to bury the contaminated corpses, one on top of the other like piles of wood.

It’s now a pretty patch of grass, a few hundred square metres wide, bordered by a metal fence. 

But it once stretched much further. So far, in fact, that the current cemetery represents only one-third of its original size.

‘So in other words, folks, north, east, west and south of where we are now lies the original graveyard’, says Steve. ‘And we’re currently riding over tens of thousands of dead bodies.’

In Savannah, however, it’s not just the graveyard that has a haunted heritage. The whole city is built quite literally over the bodies of its deceased.

Unmarked graves were common throughout much of Savannah’s early history. So much so that experts say you can barely take a step in the historic district without stepping over the remains of a dead body. 

WHERE DAILYMAIL.COM STAYED: THE KEHOE HOUSE - A HISTORIC BED & BREAKFAST

Kehoe House, the red brick building on Colombia Square has been a family home, boarding house and funeral parlour. It was built in the 1890s

The beautiful Kehoe House (www.facebook.com/kehoehouse) is an exquisitely restored mansion, planted in the heart of the city's historic district.

Built in the 1890s, the red brick building on Colombia Square has been a family home, boarding house, funeral parlour and was, for a time, owned by New York Jets football star, Joe Namath. 

When he sold the home in 1990 it underwent a two-year renovation and opened as a bed and breakfast. Last year it was named the best bed and breakfast in Savannah.

Like almost every building in the historic quarter it has a reputation for paranormal activity and features prominently in the many ghost tours you see driving around town.

You might want to take some of the wilder stories with a pinch of salt, however - I didn't see any ghosts in the three days I stayed here.

There are 13 beautiful guest rooms to choose from spread over four floors and all come accompanied by a delicious complimentary breakfast – and a large dose of southern hospitality.

Travel Facts 

The Kehoe House (www.kehoehouse.com) offers twin rooms from $189-a-night.

On the left is the interior of Kehoe House, and the right image shows a house in Savannah’s Historic District. It's known for beautiful buildings on roads lined with moss-draped oaks

The most famous ghost, according to locals, is that of Jim Williams, the protagonist in the best-selling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Pictured is a scene from the film

The Mercer-Williams house is perhaps the most mysterious home in Savannah. Casting its dark shadow over Monterey square, legend has it that this elegant Italianate mansion is haunted by the ghosts of the people who have died within its four walls. The most famous ghost, according to locals, is that of Jim Williams (pictured)

In 1981, about six months after renovating the house, Jim Williams was put on trial for murdering a young boy named Danny Hansford, rumoured to be his lover. He was eventually acquitted and returned to the Mercer-Williams house (pictured)

In the Revolutionary War, for instance, over 1,100 victims of a bitter battle between the Colonists and the British were dumped in one huge pit. That grave has never been found.

It was also common practice for burials to take place on private property and there’s hardly a mansion in the historic district that doesn’t have a spooky story to tell. 

Many have porches painted a shade of ‘haint’ blue to ward off spirits for that specific reason.

The Mercer-Williams house is one of the most mysterious homes in the district. Casting its dark shadow over Monterey square, legend has it that this elegant Italianate mansion is haunted by the ghosts of the people who have died within its four walls.

The most famous ghost, according to locals, is that of Jim Williams, the protagonist in the best-selling novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

Williams was an eccentric antiques dealer, who often held lavish parties at the residence. ‘There were tales of LSD in the punchbowls and wild orgies and sexual misbehaviours of every type,’ Steve says, as we roll past the house. 

It was common practice in Savannah for burials to take place on private property and there’s hardly a mansion in the historic district that doesn’t have a spooky story to tell. Many have porches painted a shade of ‘haint’ blue to ward off spirits for that specific reason

The Colonial Park Cemetery is the city’s largest graveyard, where an estimated 9-12,000 bodies are buried and which sits slap bang in the middle of the Historic District

In 1981, about six months after renovating the house, Williams was put on trial for murdering a young boy named Danny Hansford, rumoured to be his lover. 

He was eventually acquitted and returned to the Mercer-Williams house.

‘He started throwing those wild parties and exactly to the day, nine months after his return, Mr Williams was found dead of unknown causes on the exact same spot, in the exact same room, as Mr Hansford,’ says a wild-eyed Steve.

He isn’t the only ghost to haunt the mansion, Steve claims. In 1913, the owner of the house at the time fell from the second floor banister.

THE TOP THREE PLACES TO EAT IN SAVANNAH

With so much to see in Savannah, you’ll need to find some good food to keep you going. Here are the top three spots to get a dose of that famous southern hospitality.

1 - Vic’s on the River

Along with spectacular river views and live music, Vic's on the River offers some of the best in Southern hospitality

Vic’s on the River is located in a stunning old cotton warehouse overlooking the Savannah River and historic River Street.

Along with spectacular river views and live music, it offers some of the best seafood in Savannah. Try the oysters, crab cakes and sweet potato crème brulee.

In 1858, John Stoddard had the building commissioned to be designed and built by the famous New York architect John Norris. During the War Between the States, General Sherman’s lesser officers used this building’s empty offices for housing and planning space.

The restaurant’s main dining room showcases a map that was hand-drawn by Union soldiers detailing Sherman’s march from Tennessee through Georgia.

2 - Zunzi’s

For a more casual dining experience, head to Zunzi’s on East York Street to taste its most popular sandwich, The Godfather.

The sandwich is stuffed with grilled chicken and homemade kielbasa sausage, along with some Zunzi's sauce and a homemade creamy Italian sauce.

It’s also famous for its giant Conquistador chicken sandwich, which featured on the TV show Man vs Food.

Zunzi’s popularity is clear as soon as I approach, with a long line forming at the friendly eatery, even on the rainy day that I visited.

For a more casual dining experience, head to Zunzi’s on East York Street. This popular, outdoor, eatery has cues forming, even on rainy days

The menu is globally inspired taking cues from South Africa, Italy, Greece and the US, which reflects the backgrounds of its owners Johnny and Gabriella DeBeer.

Zunzi’s opened in 2005, with the slogan ‘Sh*t Yeah!’, because as the DeBeers claim, nobody can say ‘Sh*t Yeah’ without enthusiasm.

3 – The Ordinary Pub

This pub is anything but ordinary. Located on Broughton Street, in the heart of Savannah's historic downtown, head chef Zach Starr has created a menu that is both classic and adventurous.

It’s worth trying the tender pork belly burger, which is braised in Dr Pepper and Kentucky Bourbon. Another favourite is the deconstructed key lime pie, which Starr invented by accident.

One day, when he ran out of pie crust, he decided to fry the filling and serve it to customers. It was an instant hit, and has been on the menu of the basement eatery ever since.

To find more of Savannah’s secret gems, it’s well worth taking the Savannah Taste Experience tour.

The tour lets you taste your way from the riverfront through to the originals squares of the historic. It features seven unique speciality food stores and local restaurants. 

 Although he suffered mild injuries, he mysteriously died just three days later.

Later, in 1969, a young boy chasing pigeons on the roof fell over the edge and impaled himself on the iron fence below. 

Locals claim that both these ghosts can be seen re-enacting the moment of their death late at night.

The hearse circles the square and then crawls a short distance north to Wright Square, one of the few public areas that isn’t wreathed in Spanish moss - the beautiful strands of green that hang from virtually every branch and canopy.

Legend has it that the square is haunted by the ghost of Alice Riley, an indentured servant who was horribly abused by her master. 

One day she snapped and drowned him in a bucket of water. She was tried, found guilty and hung to death in Wright Square. It’s said no Spanish moss can grow where innocent blood has been spilled.

Riley was pregnant when the murder happened and it’s said that her ghost often visits pregnant women who find themselves in the square, especially in the days around the anniversary of her death: January 19.

With that uplifting story Steve brings the tour to an end, but not before we’re cut up by a driver who pulls out without indicating.

‘Who pulls out in front a hearse?’ yells Steve. ‘He almost became a customer!’

It could have been another grisly tale to add to Savannah’s collection.

The Davenport house is a historic home in Savannah built in 1820 that features on the ghost tour DailyMail.com went on. As time passed, the once majestic home in a fashionable neighborhood became a rundown house in a rougher part of town