Ghost Stories & Truth
A sober, research-based walk through Savannah’s squares, revealing documented history before venturing into local lore and remembered events.
The walk begins at Johnson Square, Savannah’s oldest, And named for Governor Joseph Johnson. Here, stories of duels, yellow fever epidemics, and Revolutionary War encampments are anchored in real events: Many soldiers died during the Siege of Savannah, and their names are carved into memorials still visible in the square. Guides do not invent tales but recount documented experiences—like A major fire that destroyed much of the square’s original oak grove, or the 19th-century tradition of planting live oaks to honor the dead. These facts form the bedrock before sharing the stories that have grown around them over time.
From Johnson Square, the walk proceeds through Ellis Square—Redeveloped in the 2000s but originally laid in the 1700s and named for a colonial governor—where stories of bootlegging during Prohibition and wartime tensions are shared. The guide explains how wartime rationing led to the first citrus imports in Savannah and how local families stored rum in hollowed-out loaves of bread. These narratives rely on city archives, newspaper accounts, and oral histories collected over decades by the Georgia Historical Society. Visitors learn how certain trees, benches, or street corners became linked to stories because they were gathering places for the communities affected.
