Colonial Park Cemetery

Savannah's oldest cemetery goes back to 1750 — over 10,000 people are buried here, but fewer than 1,000 markers remain. There's also a mass grave from the 1820 Yellow Fever epidemic packed into just 6 acres.

Colonial Park Cemetery is older than the United States itself, established in 1750 during British colonization when Savannah was the capital of the last of the thirteen colonies. Within its six haunted acres lie over 10,000 souls, though fewer than 1,000 grave markers remain.

Before becoming a cemetery, this land served as Savannah's dueling grounds from 1740 to 1877. The most famous duel occurred when Button Gwinnett - one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence and former acting Governor of Georgia - faced Lachlan McIntosh after a political argument. McIntosh killed Gwinnett with his first shot from just twelve feet away. Gwinnett died days later and is buried somewhere in the cemetery, though his exact grave location remains unknown.

The 1820 yellow fever epidemic claimed over 700 lives in Savannah - officially recorded as 666, but rounded up to avoid Satanic associations. Most victims were buried in mass graves within Colonial Park. When Union soldiers occupied Savannah in 1864, they sheltered inside burial vaults and vandalized headstones with their bayonets, changing dates to absurd figures - one man supposedly lived 544 years, another 421.

Visitors today report some of Savannah's most intense paranormal activity. Cold drafts cut through sweltering summer heat. Whispers rise from empty pathways. An eerie green mist floats above the headstones at dusk. Shadowy figures lurk among the graves, peeking around monuments before vanishing when approached. The most famous ghost is Rene Rondolier, a suspected murderer whose ghost has been seen walking through the cemetery or hanging from the old "Hanging Tree" near the back. Many believe the desecration of these burial grounds fuels the intense spiritual energy that emanates from Colonial Park to this day.