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Shrimp Factory
Our first story begins at the Shrimp Factory on River Street. Most of the buildings on River Street were once warehouses. The building with the red and white awning was used as a cotton warehouse and also held slaves after they were brought over from Africa.
By day, the slaves would work loading cotton. At night, they would be chained to the walls of the rooms upstairs. Some of the employees of the Shrimp Factory believe the lingering essence of those slaves is still there. They’ve heard all sorts of strange noises upstairs, including groaning and the clanking of chains.
“Va doky, va doky,” the cries can be heard, echoing from the upper floors. Guess what that means? “Doky” meant “devil,” and “va” meant “to kill. Va doky, va doky! To kill the devil!” Shadows are seen on the walls and unseen voices murmur in the dark. Call it an active imagination if you want, but many believe something is happening that just can’t be explained. Overall, River Street is creepy and full of supernatural…
Marshall House
The Marshall House is a very haunted place in Savannah. It was built in 1851 and during the Civil War was occupied by General Sherman and used as a Union hospital until the end of the war. 1864 was an extremely cold year and the ground was frozen. Rather than bury amputated legs and arms, the doctors were forced to bury them under the floorboards.
The Marshall Hotel is another great Hotel to have a paranormal encounter. When the hotel was restored in 1999, workers were replacing some damaged floorboards downstairs when they found human remains. The area was closed and treated as a crime scene, but they soon learned that the downstairs had once been the hospital surgery room.
At one time, the author of Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings, Joel Chandler Harris, spent time in Savannah, staying at the Marshall House, writing. Guests today report hearing the sound of a typewriter from his room. Another odd occurrence happens in the main floor’s ladies’ rest room. One particular stall constantly locks itself, requiring the staff to come open it. Visitors say a ghostly woman can sometimes be seen in that rest room. More notably, guests report seeing a Union soldier with just one arm wandering through the lobby, carrying his lost arm, looking for a surgeon. Down in the basement, men are seen carrying stretchers with bodies on them. And sometimes, amputated limbs litter the basement floor…