Halloween is my favorite holiday. No, I'm not demonic, yes, I love Jesus and no, I do not think I am a witch. (But if Hogwarts wants me, then holla!)
But I just love Halloween. We always made a HUGE deal out of it in our neighborhood as a kid, and I just loved the excitement it brought. You got to pretend you were someone else and get free candy out of it? Sign me up for that everyday job. (O wait, I want to be an actress, same thing).
So, when the leaves start to turn and it starts getting cold I get PUMPED. And my Halloween dream has always been to do the quintessential teenage horror movie Halloween thing and go to a "haunted place" and get the beejezus scared out of me!
What?! You knew I was weird before you started reading this blog.
Now, whether or not you believe in spirits, ghosts or the like (and we are NOT getting into THAT theological discussion) everyone likes a good scare. So I researched the supposed haunted places in Georgia for each area that my friends live in, and then throughout the weeks leading up to Halloween, I will post some of the scariest places in the US (and don't worry, I will have a little something for my Oakland, California friends too) in my hopes that maybe someone will join me in my quest to creep around a scary place a la Scooby Doo and the gang!!!
ATHENS:
Ok, so many websites talk about the haunted "wedding cake sorority house" which we all know is Alpha Gamma Delta. Supposedly, as the story goes, a bride hung herself in the attic when her beau stood her up at the alter. And now the spirit of the girl haunts the house.
Video about Susie Carithers, the AGD ghost
But we can't very well go traipsing about the AGD house, now can we?
So, the Old Athens Cemetery seems the way to go. Apparently, strange things have happened around the Conger family plot. OOOoooOOOO.
ATLANTA:
Years ago, in the Hi-Fi Buys Amphitheater a singer was shot and killed on stage and his ghost is said to wander the audience area, looking for the person who shot him. He is also said to touch the necks of people who are there when there's not a concert going on.
Ghost with a neck fetish? Hmmmm....
In the club "the Masquerade", some CRAZY things are rumored to happen, such as a real live vampire infestation and amps turning themselves upside down. Apparently the textile mill that it used to be had several accidents happen resulting in death, not to mention a nasty tuberculosis outbreak. Ghosts from that tragic period have been reportedly seen by club employees.
Spookay.
Oakland Cemetery is home to 4,000 Civil War soldiers that died during Sherman's Invasion of Atlanta. Apparently at night, you can hear a ghostly voice calling the "Roll of the Deceased".
DALTON:
In the Old Black Cemetery, people have seen a hooded phantom with glowing eyes?! Yikes!
I think I've actually heard stories about this hill, it's called Gravity Hill. In the Dalton Cemetery, if you put your car into neutral and turn off the headlights, you are mysteriously pushed up a small hill.
KENNESAW:
So, Kennesaw is pretty much the mecca of haunted sights because of the battlefield. So extra creepy. Wohoo!
The Kennesaw Battlefield radiates craziness by way of sounds of gun fire, rolling fog and ghosts of Civil War soldiers And, according to reports, disappearing deer? Bambi's revenge, what?!
Speaking of animal ghosts, apparently Kennesaw State University has the ghost of a blue tick hound running freely on Campus Green. The campus used to be a farm, and apparently one of the farm's hounds went rabid and had to be shot. Legend has it that the hound still roams around, and can be seen chasing people with a bullet wound in its head.
MABLETON:
The Old Covered Bridge is said to be haunted with the spirits of children who died underneath it. It is said that if you park your car in the bridge, turn it off and place chocolate on the roof of your car, the children will climb on top of your car and their chocolaty finger prints will be visible.
MARIETTA:
There are a lot of freaky graveyards in Marietta including the Marietta Cemetery. There is a child ghost that likes to show itself at nighttime, walking around without shoes on and crying. Awww, that's just sad!
The Witch's Graveyard (better known as the Concord Cemetery) in Marietta dates back to the 1800's, and boasts some BIZARRE goings-on. People have reported knocking coming from under their feet when they are walking around in the graveyard, the sound of banshees crying and the sound of drums playing. Wow. I don't think I'd know what to do if someone knocked on my foot. I believe my first thought would be somewhere along the lines that I was going crazy.
SAVANNAH:
So Savannah really is the place to go if you want to see or experience a ghost. With it's historical, tragic and mystical background, it's no wonder that this city is simply overrun by ghosts. Since my whole family is from Savannah, I grew up hearing the stories about the different ghosts, especially the pirate ones. Cause those were my fave. Here are some of the weirder stories.
In the Pirate House Restaurant, Pirate Captain Flint is the resident ghost. The restaurant used to be an Inn that housed pirates from all around the world, as well as the author Robert Louis Stevenson who wrote "Treasure Island". Captain Flint was rumored to have made a "treasure island" (Hence, Stevenson's book, SO ORIGINAL) but died in an upstairs room of the inn before he could claim his, ahem, booty. His last request has now become a sort of tag line for the restaurant, as Flint's dying words were to his fisrt mate asking him to "bring aft the rum". I guess dying drunk is one way to go.
Anyways, almost all of the employees have either heard or seen Captain Flint as he still roams about his old haunting ground. It is said that 12 people from the Ghost Chasing Society of America set off to spend the night in the restaurant for two days, and at the end of the first night, only two people remained at the house.
Probably the most famous ghost of Savannah is in the Bonaventure Cemetery. A little girl named Gracie Watkins is buried there, and above her grave, her family made a statue of her. People love to come and put candy and coins in her hands out of respect for this sweet little spirit. She is said to walk the Bonaventure Cemetery as well as Savannah College of Art & Design in the Oglethorpe House. When I was young, my papa and step-grandma took me to Bonaventure to visit Gracie and some of our relatives that were buried there. They parked the car near Gracie's grave and I got out and put bubblegum in her hands. When we got back in the car, something started tapping on the hood. My grandma said that it must have been Gracie thanking me for the gum. Like THAT was supposed to make me feel good.
The last time I was in Savannah, my mom and I went to The Old Pink House Restaurant, where the building is said to be haunted by General Habersham. Now, I don't know much about ghost experiences, but the whole time we were there, I couldn't really talk or eat. It was seriously the most bizarre feeling I've ever had. I was just cold, and I couldn't really function. The minute that we left the restaurant I was fine. It was SO WEIRD.
Now, I could write this whole post on scary spots in Savannah but my advice is to go on a ghost tour. They are amazing in Savannah and my mom and I really enjoyed going on one the last time we were there. If not for the scary element, they really dive in to the rich cultural history that is Savannah, and the stories of the lives that have passed there really does explain the present day Savannah, and why its citizens are the way they are. (I can say in confidence that it explains a WHOLE LOT about my family. Take that as you will). :)
VALDOSTA:
Right before you get to Quitman, down the first dirt road to the left is a place called Spook Bridge. It is rumored to have once been a site of Satanic rituals and still harbors bad "vibes", if you will. People have reported hearing loud screams the minute they stepped foot onto the bridge, as well as feeling hands touch them and seeing shadows all along the bridge.
So there you are, Georgia.
*Quote of the Day: "A woman's heart is a deep ocean of secrets" - Titanic
