Death Built Upon Death: The Haunting of Colonial Park Cemetery – Savannah, GA

Savannah, Georgia, is known as the city that builds upon its dead. Colonial Park Cemetery is a testament to that. When entering the cemetery through the gated entrance on Oglethorpe and Abercorn streets, you are already walking on top of the dead. That is because, in 1913, the top of a family vault was removed to build a gate. 

Once again, the television show Scariest Places on Earth drove me to this place in 2023. Yes, cheap scare entertainment brought me there, but hey, this is how I delved further into it. 

History of the Park

The cemetery saw burials as early as 1750. Some of the oldest graves are engraved with a willow and an urn, which, as referenced in my History of Gravestones Volume 1 article, was typical towards the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Though there are only 600 visible grave markers in the cemetery, the actual total of burials in the cemetery in records revealed to be EIGHT thousand. Many of the inhabitants are war veterans and victims of a dreaded epidemic that took place.

Yellow Fever Victims 

Yellow fever is a disease that is spread through mosquito bites. The humid Savannah air was a perfect environment for them to thrive, but unfortunately, it also brought death. In 1820, an epidemic broke out. The symptoms of the dreaded sickness include fever, vomiting, and jaundice. Slowly, the illness would cause the liver to fail and other organ failures to happen before the victims would pass.  The cemetery has over 700 yellow fever victims buried there. A nearby playground and tennis court supposedly have mass burials underneath of yellow fever victims. That is how rampant the disease was.

The Civil War 

During the Civil War, the Union Army took occupancy of the cemetery. Many of the tombstones were removed so wagons and horses could be brought in, which is one of the factors for the lack of tombstones, as mentioned earlier. There were also reports that in the ten weeks they occupied the cemetery, there were cases of grave robbing and soldiers using broken-off coffins for firewood. One sergeant even went as far as to rig a stove in a crypt and slept with the dead. Also, some of the soldiers got bored and decided to carve into the graves since crossword puzzles were not a thing back then. For instance, they would put a 1 in front of someone’s age to make it look like they lived for a long time. If you find a tombstone in that cemetery that says so and so died at age 128, no, they did not have good genetics to live that long; it was a result of bored Yankees. 

Duels

Unfortunately, for years, it became a popular place for gun duels. The cemetery wall was the perfect place to conceal their actions and lethally settle their differences. It became so prevalent that the cemetery removed the wall to deter potential duelists. 

One well-known duel was between Button Gwinnett, one of the three signers of the Declaration of Independence and Lachlan McIntosh in 1777. McIntosh fired shots at Gwinnett’s leg, which he ended up bleeding to death. He is buried near a monument dedicated to him. 

The Ghost Sighting

With all the burials and eventful things over the years, this place would definitely be a likely contender for ghost sightings and stories. Many visitors over the years have experienced a strong paranormal presence, like someone standing near them. There are sometimes reports of fog or mists suddenly appearing in the cemetery. One tour guide reported that she had spirits follow her home. Another tour guide believes that spirits of a vandalized grave site make their presence known when she talks about the graves. 

The Legend of Rene

There’s a legend of a prominent shadowy figure that roams the grounds of the Cemetery. Many say it’s the spirit of Rene, a man who was hung for an alleged murder. This is the ghost story that brought me to the cemetery. 

The story goes a couple of centuries back when a man who was deformed and had anger issues lived. He was seven feet tall and had animal-like hair covering his body.  It is said he was known for killing and torturing animals. His family locked him up for his monstrous appearance and horrid personality away from society next to Colonial Park cemetery. A guard was supposedly present to keep an eye on him. When children would pass by the yard where he was kept, he would often terrorize them. This behavior would, unfortunately, lead to his downfall. 

One day, Rene escaped and shortly after, the bodies of two little girls were found dead. People immediately hunted down  Rene as he had a history of scaring children and brutality towards animals. Whether or not he did it, he was hung. 

Here’s the thing….there was no Rene. No records showed a man with that name or description existed in Savannah. He’s just a tall tale that was possibly used to scare children. 

Colonial Park Today

Colonial Park Cemetery has a long, eventful history of the dead. While the Rene hoax drew me here, I ended up leaving more than what I bargained for with its history. It does not need a made-up story to tell a fascinating tale of Colonial Park Cemetery. The actual history in itself is way more interesting. Also, I recommend the place on a nice sunny day as the Spanish moss draping the cemetery gives the cemetery wall covered in tombstones excellent lighting and shadows—the perfect place for taking photos. 

Sources

Al, Cobb  Savannah’s Ghosts c. 2007

Edgerly, Robert Where the Living Meet the Dead: Savannah Hauntings c. 2021