The Maryland Inn – Copyright Annapolis Ghosts

Beneath the outward charm of the South lies something darker. In the flickering glow of gas lamps, whispers of the past refuse to be silenced and ghostly spirits roam the streets. The spirits of war, lost love, and unfinished business refuse to fade from Annapolis, New Orleans, and other Southern cities. In this part of the US, every shadow holds a story. Read on to find out their chilling secrets.

The Maryland Inn – Annapolis, Maryland

Annapolis is known for its southern charm – and haunted nature. One of the top places to visit on an Annapolis ghost tour is the Maryland Inn, which was a popular choice of lodging for governors, statesmen, and politicians when Annapolis served as the seat of government.  Just steps away from here, George Washington famously resigned his military commission, setting the stage for the foundations of American democracy.

Every room in this hotel is haunted, but there is one ghost that’s the most famous of them all – that of a lady simply known as “The Bride,” who was betrothed to one Charles Campbell. Charles, a sailor, had set out to sea but was due to return to Annapolis, where his fiancé was staying at the Maryland Inn, awaiting his return.

As he returned to the inn, he was involved in a horse and carriage accident and was instantly killed. Upon hearing he news, his bride-to-be jumped from the window, killing herself as well and joining him in the afterlife.

Today, they are still together, their ghosts haunting the Maryland Inn. The Bride is usually seen floating through the doors on the fourth floor, from where she jumped to her untimely death. Meanwhile, the spirit of a forlorn sailor can sometimes be seen sitting on the first floor.

The Sultan’s Palace, New Orleans

The Sultan’s Palace, also known as the Gardette-LePretre Mansion, was completed in 1836 and is shrouded in mystery. It was here that a gruesome mass murder took place during an exclusive, private party.

Sometime in the 1830s, a foreigner, presenting himself as a Turkish sultan, sought a place in New Orleans to rent. He settled on the Gardette-LePretre Mansion, which quickly turned into a secretive place. The supposed sultan, who arrived with his harem and entourage, started holding lively parties and events in the house.

With the drapes drawn and the sounds of laughter and clinking glass emanating from the building, nobody knew exactly what transpired during those parties – except that all the attendees were having a grand old time. But one night, that grand old time morphed into a horror that was only discovered the next morning, when passersby noticed trails of blood.

It was then that the truth broke – the “sultan” was, in fact, an imposter. He was the brother to the real sultan, and not only that, but he had fled with his brother’s riches and harem to the US.

He started partying the stolen riches away, but the good times didn’t last for long. The real sultan sent a hit team to go after his treacherous brother. Armed with bladed weapons, the assassins descended upon the mansion in the midst of the festivities of the night, hacking and slashing the partygoers to death. Nobody was spared, not the wannabe sultan and not the women of the harem.

To this day, the mansion remains haunted, spooked by the ghosts of those brutally slain that night. The sounds of the clinking of glass, faint laughter, and the slashing of swords or machetes can be still be heard by passersby in the early morning hours.

To learn more about New Orleans’ haunted history, go on a New Orleans ghost tour.

CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Wright Square – Savannah

Wright Square, in Savannah, Georgia, was one of the first of Savannah’s 22 historic squares to be constructed. Savannah was originally built around four open squares, with additional squares added later. The second of those four squares was the Wright Square. Laid out in the 1730s, it was originally called Percival Square after John Percival, the first earl of Egmont.

John Percival is credited with gifting Georgia its name, after King George II of Great Britain. In 1763, the square was renamed Wright Square, after James Wright, the last royal governor of Georgia. But why is this square so haunted?

In 1734, the first murder in the new colony of Savannah took place. Richard White and Alice Riley were poor Irish immigrants who worked in the service of the wealthy William Wise. Wise, who was often seen with a prostitute whom he claimed was his daughter, mistreated his two servants terribly. The two had arrived destitute and famished from Ireland. Mr. Wise took full advantage of their situation, forcing them to do such humiliating tasks as bathing him daily, all while hurling abuse at them.

Unable to withstand the abuse, White and Riley strangled Mr. Wise and drowned him in a bucket while giving him his daily bath. They tried to flee but were soon apprehended, and the two were sentenced to death. Richard White was hanged first – in Wright Square. Alice Riley was pregnant, so she was spared, but not for long. In January of the following year, she gave birth and was hanged soon after. Her newborn child, unfortunately, didn’t make it long without his mother and died two weeks after being brought into this world. The baby was buried with his mother in a plot near Wright Square, but Alice, who died proclaiming her innocence, reportedly haunts the area.

She sometimes approaches people late at night, crying that her baby was lost and that she’s looking for him. Those unfortunate enough to have come across her ghost usually report hearing a cry for help first. Was Alice truly guilty? Or was she the victim of anti-Catholic and anti-Irish xenophobia and prejudice? Was someone else the true murderer?

Perhaps a clue is the lack of Spanish moss growing on the trees in Wright Square, despite its ubiquitousness all over Savannah. According to legend, Spanish moss doesn’t grow where innocent blood was spilled.

However, Alice’s ghost is not the only one haunting the square. When you visit Wright Square, you’ll notice a monument built to honor Tomochichi, chief of the Yamacraws. Tomochichi died in his late nineties after suffering from an illness. He had an excellent relationship with the English settlers and had even given James Oglethorpe, founder and colonial governor of Georgia, the original plots of land on which to build Savannah.

When Tomochichi died, he was buried in Wright Square, and a memorial was placed on his grave. However, by the 1830s, the memorial had been removed. Perhaps this was due to changing attitudes towards the Native Americans, or perhaps people no longer knew of Tomochichi and his friendship with and contributions to early American society. In 1883, the William Washington Gordon monument was constructed in Wright Square, with no trace of Tomochichi’s original monument to be found.

In 1899, after pushback from historians, a monument to Tomochichi was once again erected in Wright Square. However, it is believed that his spirit, angry about the desecration of his monument, still has no rest and roams around the square at night.

Waverly House – Richmond, Virginia

The Waverly House is an unassuming house a quarter of an hour away from downtown Richmond. Its unassuming appearance belies its dark secrets.One of its former owners, Benjamin Greene, a man accused of defrauding a bank of $500,000, is often seen on the staircase of this house. A teller, he was the first to be accused when the massive amount of money, worth over $18 million in today’s equivalent, went missing from the bank. A thorough search was conducted in the house, yet nothing was found. Without any evidence, Greene was let go. However, in the eyes of the public, his guilt was already established, and he was shunned by society. Mr. Greene left Richmond and never returned – at least, not while he was still alive. Some swear that they’ve seen a bearded old man standing at the bottom of the staircase, barely moving. Some think that Greene hid his treasure, which is why he keeps returning to his former abode.