As Halloween draws near and we can feel its cold breath raising the little hairs on the back of our necks, the desire to explore the darker and more mysterious corners of the world strangely springs to life. For those who love a good ghost story and the feeling of excitement running up their spine (at least until it starts running down our legs due to fear), there’s no better time to revisit the haunted history of the American South. With its centuries-old architecture, eerie plantations, and crumbling hospitals, the region is seemingly teeming with the souls of the deceased.
So, for the restless undead (and we’re playfully referring to the living here), we’d like to introduce you to five spine-chilling places in the American South that are sure to leave you with goosebumps.
Myrtles Plantation, St. Francisville
The Myrtles Plantation is located in historic St. Francisville, Louisiana (of course it is) and has gained a national reputation for being one of the most haunted places in the U.S., said to be home to a ghostly enslaved girl named Chloe. Chloe worked on the plantation as a nanny in the early 1800s, and according to the tales, she was killed on the property.
Legend has it that Chloe was severely mistreated, after which she baked a cake that contained extracts of boiled and reduced oleander leaves, which are extremely poisonous. Only the homeowner’s wife and their two daughters ate the cake and died from the poison. Chloe was supposedly hanged by other slaves and thrown in the Mississippi River to escape punishment for harboring her.
However, the story has factual inaccuracies, some of which are well-documented. Still, some believe that Chloe still haunts the plantation.
The Witch of Yazoo, Yazoo City
The legend of the Witch of Yazoo states that the witch would lure the fishermen off the river and torture them until, one day, someone looked through her window and caught her doing just that. By the time the sheriff came over, the witch had escaped through the back door but had fallen into quicksand. As the witch drowned, she said that she would return and burn the city down to the ground.
Some 20 years later in 1904, the city suffered a devastating fire that razed the city, consuming over 200 residences, many businesses, countless victims, and all but one church in Yazoo City. What makes the legend even scarier is the fact that the flames leaped through the air and spread significantly, even though no high winds were recorded that day.
Furthermore, the chains that were wrapped around the witch’s tombstone, which would prevent her spirit from returning, had been found broken the day after the fire.
Moon River Brewing Company, Savannah
Savannah, Georgia, is known as one of the most haunted cities in America. The Moon River Brewing Company stands out as the city’s paranormal hot spot. The building initially opened in 1821 as the City Hotel, drawing famous guests, including the naturalist James Audubon. It closed during the Civil War but continued to operate in part as a yellow fever hospital, with many people dying behind its walls — some of them quite violently.
Both employees and visitors have shared stories of supposed paranormal activity, including feelings of being pushed or touched by an unseen presence, as well as experiencing sudden cold spots. There are, of course, reports of seeing ghostly apparitions. These are especially common in the basement of the former hotel, even after the Moon River Brewing Company opened as a brewpub in 1999.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium, Louisville
“Robbing the Cradle” from Thief: Deadly Shadows is regarded as one of the scariest levels in the history of video games. Its designers studied mental asylums, abandoned hospitals and other reportedly haunted buildings, such as Waverly Hills Sanatorium, for inspiration.
Waverly Hills Sanatorium was opened in 1910 as a two-story facility that accommodated 40 to 50 tuberculosis cases, which ravaged Jefferson County in the early 1900s. It was later expanded to hold more than 400 patients in 1926 but became obsolete in 1943 after the introduction of streptomycin.
It was reopened in 1962 as a nursing home for the elderly with various stages of dementia and mobility issues, as well as a facility for the severely mentally handicapped. However, there were reports of patient neglect due to overcrowding and understaffing. There were plans to turn the hospital into a prison, but those were not successful.
Since thousands died within its walls, many believe that their spirits still linger. There are reports of shadowy figures, disembodied screams, and unexplained cold spots reported by those visiting this Halloween attraction.
Carolina Theater, Greensboro
Theaters often have ghost lights, which are single bulbs left at the end of the night for safety reasons — mostly to deter thieves. However, theaters are also notoriously superstitious places due to centuries of tradition, folklore, and ritualistic practices that are often associated with the unpredictability of live performances — hence the saying “break a leg” instead of “good luck.”
However, when it comes to the Carolina Theater, the light also helps appease any ghosts residing in the theater, especially that of Melvelina Ferguson, who is believed to have died in a fire that broke out following a performance. Many believe that Melvelina herself likely started the fire.
Closing Thoughts
As Halloween draws close and the shadows of the night grow longer, these haunted places in the South remind us of the eerie stories that still linger in the dark corners of history. And for those who like to feel a little chill along with a heart-pumping thrill, visiting these places promises the the chance of bringing the supernatural to life. Just in time for Halloween.