Scull Shoals Ghost Town

A ghost town settled in 1784 that once thrived with sawmills, grist mills, one of Georgia's first paper mills, and a four-story textile mill employing 600 people. A devastating flood in 1887 destroyed the town and led to its abandonment.

Deep in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, along the banks of the Oconee River, lies the abandoned village of Scull Shoals—a place where history, tragedy, and folklore converge. Thrillist named it the "creepiest ghost town in Georgia."

Settled in 1784, Scull Shoals grew into a thriving industrial village under Dr. Thomas M. Poullain. At its peak, a four-story brick textile mill employed over 500 workers operating 4,000 spindles. The village boasted sawmills, gristmills, one of Georgia's first paper mills, general stores, and residences. A post office operated from 1825 to 1861.

Then came the floods. Repeated disasters in the 1880s brought economic collapse. The devastating flood of 1887 left water standing in buildings for four days, sweeping away the covered toll bridge, ruining hundreds of bales of cotton, and spoiling 600 bushels of wheat. By the 1920s, Scull Shoals was completely abandoned. The U.S. Forest Service acquired the site in 1936.

But something remains. Visitors report ghostly phenomena throughout the overgrown ruins: phantom footsteps echoing in empty woods, whispers on the wind, and the sound of slamming doors where no buildings remain intact. Apparitions wander the paths, seemingly unaware their town vanished a century ago. Today, only mill foundations, chimneys, brick structures, and an old arched bridge remain—slowly being reclaimed by nature. The lingering presence of those who built and lost everything here draws ghost hunters and history enthusiasts alike to this haunting site.