River Street

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The Ghosts of River Street

River Street
Copyright by US Ghost Adventures

River Street in Savannah is a popular waterfront area. Tourists and locals alike can grab a bite, have a drink, or take home some souvenirs from one of the many gift shops. Only a few hundred years ago, it was the heart of Savannah’s economy during the cotton era.

This is where the cotton grown on the Georgia Coast was shipped to various destinations around the world. It was also where African slaves were imported into the city. The buildings that line River Street today were originally warehouses storing the supply of cotton, as well as slaves.

In this blog, we will discuss the dark history of Savannah and River Street, Before we begin our voyage, book your spot on Savannah Terrors to visit this and many more historic locations in Savannah!

Is Savannah’s River Street haunted?

Besides being a place of great historical importance, River Street is also very, very haunted like most of Savannah. Many of the buildings still have the remnants of shackles on the ground floor and tribal markings on the walls.

Ships were always arriving and departing, and African slaves and indentured servants from Europe were the ones working the docks. It was backbreaking work and often quite dangerous. Most slaves being worked to death in the hot sun or being crushed under a thousand pounds of merchandise.

Tens of thousands of slaves and workers died working the docks of River Street. Thousands died building the docks and warehouses on the waterfront as well.

Add in the fact that the bluff where River Street and Downtown Savannah were built upon Native burial grounds, and you begin to see why specters flock to River Street. Many have reported shadow people wandering around at night.

The translucent spirits of the slaves and servants working the docks still load the boats in the afterlife. Some claim to hear the moaning and crying of slaves from the alleyways and warehouses they were held captive in. Along with the sounds of rattling chains from their shackles.

Before River Street: Muscogee Burial Ground

When James Oglethorpe arrived in present-day Savannah in 1733, he noted the large bluff up against the river, along with the surrounding marshes, and figured the landscape would be an excellent place to build a city given the natural defenses.

He chose the bluff as a defensive position upon which to begin building a town. Now known as Yamacraw Bluff, the area was where the Yamacraw tribe had already been living for at least a few decades.

The Yamacraw chose the area because it was the burial site of the Muscogee tribe, who were part of their ancestral lineage. The Yamacraw knew that living amongst the remains of their ancestors would allow them to draw upon their spiritual energy.

Oglethorpe began building Savannah on Yamacraw Bluff, dismissive of the fact that he was building on the Muscogee burial ground. This set the stage for the hauntings on River Street and the spirits that inhabit the city of Savannah altogether.

Slaves, Servants, and Merchants

The fast growth of Savannah in the 18th and 19th centuries necessitated expansion, especially around the riverfront and port. Warehouses were built to accommodate the influx of slaves and crops being shipped in and out of Savannah. Entrepreneurs flocked to the city to take advantage of the economic boom. Slaves and indentured servants primarily built the buildings and warehouses on River Street.

Those same warehouses later became akin to torture chambers. As more African slaves were imported, they were stuffed into the warehouses and held until they could be sent to slave markets or transported to other regions.

They were shackled to the walls, and each other, in extremely tight quarters, just as they were on the slave ships that stole them from Africa. The remnants of the shackles that held the slaves captive and chained still remain in some of the buildings on River Street.

As Savannah’s agricultural influence grew, the warehouses were used to store rice and indigo, and later, cotton, as it became the city’s cash crop. At its height, over two million bushels of cotton a year had been exported through Savannah.

Merchants and factors who exported the cotton were under enormous pressure to make sure their crop shipped on time, unloading the responsibility onto the forced labor. African slaves and indentured servants from Germany and Ireland were charged with loading the massive amounts of cotton onto the ships. Thousands of workers succumbed to the hot southern sun, dying of heat exhaustion.

One might think that they would be sent back to their families for a proper burial, but unfortunately most of their corpses were simply thrown into the water or buried in mass graves.

Ghosts on River Street

The spirits of slaves, servants, and dockworkers who worked and died on River Street never left, and the dark energy from the tens of thousands who died over the years can still be felt.

Ghost of slaves
Copyright by US Ghost Adventures

Those who walk River Street at night have reported some harrowing experiences. Many have caught glimpses of the slaves still hard at work on the docks, still loading ships centuries later. Some of them have fresh wounds, yet they continue to work.

They’re usually transparent and vanish as quickly as they appear. Although, some tourists claim to have encountered ghosts who seem as if they were flesh and blood. They were only distinguishable by their 18th-century clothing and the fact that they vanished into thin air.

Others say they can sense someone following them down River Street by strange shadow people, especially if they walk through the alleys. They have no distinguishable features except for their humanoid appearance.

The warehouses once housing slaves are now restaurants, hotels, and shops, but the sorrowful energy of the slaves and servants echo inside the buildings that line River Street. The Shrimp Factory in particular is especially ghostly, with former employees hearing voices chanting in another language.

The slaves kept in the warehouses were often sold on Factor’s Walk, which runs right behind River Street. Many report seeing the apparitions of numerous African slaves awaiting their fate inside the warehouses. Others have heard the echoes of their moans and wails coming from the alleyways. Tourists occasionally hear the sounds of rattling chains while walking River Street in the dead of night.

Haunted Savannah

River Street may be the heart of Savannah, but there’s so much to see! Unlike other southern cities, Savannah is a compact and walkable city, built before cars were the main form of transportation. That means everything you need to see is within walking distance!

Factor’s Walk sits just behind River Street, and has many local restaurants, boutique shops, and cozy cafes. Factor’s Walk got its name from the cotton factors, or merchants, who once lined the streets, looking for entrepreneurs to buy their wares. Slaves were also for sale here and kept in the alleys between Factor’s Walk and River Street. The moaning and cries of the slaves still echo through the alleyways, and strange shadow people skulk around the area. Perhaps they’re the same shadow people we saw on River Street?

This is just one of the many spooky spots in Savannah, check out the top ten most haunted spots in Savannah for more!

Book your tour with Savannah Terrors to get an insider scoop and in-person look at some of these spots while you’re in the city. Follow our blogFacebookTikTok, and Instagram for more spooky places!

Sources:

  • https://www.visitsavannah.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-exploring-savannahs-river-street
  • https://lowcountrygullah.com/changing-perspectives-markings-left-behind-part-2/
  • https://www.muscogeenation.com/
  • https://www.visitsavannah.com/list/betcha-didnt-know-these-5-facts-about-river-street
  • https://www.crimelibrary.org/notorious_murders/classics/shrimp_factory/1_index.html

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