There are places that become uniquely legendary, if this page is any indication of the sort. When I was a kid, and I was first falling in love with the program Ghosthunters and everything in that world of the weird, a few of their prominent locations would forever be branded on me: magical, haunted places that I knew existed, but felt unlikely to ever see with my own eyes.
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| The Moon River Brewing Company, Savannah, Georgia |
This last year, I was fortunate enough to be proven wrong.
The Moon River Brewing Company is located in Savannah, Georgia. How I ended up there in the first place was serendipitous enough. We were originally planning on making a long weekend trek to Kentucky to visit the fabled Waverly Hills Asylum, but due to the various horse races and debauchery occurring on that exact weekend, airfare and lodging prices were astronomical. So my girlfriend and I took a step back and asked, "what other weird places had we heard about or discussed recently?" The bulk of our YouTube watching consists of ghost hunting and abandoned exploration... and the haunts of Savannah, Georgia had popped up multiple times, from multiple sources. A plan started to develop.
We had first decided to visit Savannah after watching videos about the Graveface Museum and the Bonaventure Cemetery. As is the case with plenty of these stories, we had seen images of and watched videos of people visiting these places long before forming any understanding of what they actually were or where they were geographically. Only after encountering them "in the wild" a few times do they start to "click." One example of this scenario is reading about "the House on the Rock" in American Gods years ago. I had just assumed it was some oddball, fictitious location. But it was at the height of my Weird NJ phase and I started branching out into other states that were lucky enough to have "Weird" entries in the book series. Eventually, scanning pages (in that case, for Wisconsin), recognition lights up, and I see those words: the House on the Rock. "Oh, wait a minute..."
That's a colorful version of what led to us visiting Savannah.
Now, the Moon River Brewing Company, the seed of that dream destination was planted a long time ago, as previously mentioned. Learning that all of these places (the museum, the cemetery, the brewery) were within miles of one another set a pretty high bar of expectations for our trip... and they were far exceeded. And pretty supernatural.
First and foremost, it must be said that in terms of the paranormal, my guiding light is always: I want to believe. I love UFOs and aliens and ghost stories and everything related to them. I want to see Bigfoot. I want to fight the Jersey Devil. I want to get a diet Baja Blast with Mothman. But I ultimately have no idea how I truly feel about these things, objectively. I'm not sure if I believe in ghosts or if I even know how I would describe them, how they exist in my mind.
But I'm always willing to play along to try and experience something.
Today, the building sits as the home of the titular company, serving as a restaurant and bar. However, the property has quite the haunted history. By day, it's your typical bar and grill. Its current iteration opened in 1999 and just celebrated its 25th birthday. But at nighttime, due to its history and infamy brought on by Ghosthunters and other programs, a local paranormal investigation company runs tours for visitors to experience all of the wonderful weirdness for themselves.
While the bar is well known today for its craft beer, the building it occupies bears a much more interesting history. Built in 1821, the building was originally called the City Hotel, constructed by Eleazer Early. The City Hotel was Savannah’s first hotel and quickly became a hub for visitors, dignitaries, and locals alike. It was one of the city’s popular establishments, boasting luxurious accommodations and a reputation as a gathering spot for prominent figures. Rich businessmen, flim-flam men, gamblers, politicians, celebrities... you name it.
However, as is common with historic structures in Savannah, the building has its share of ghost stories. It is widely believed to be one of the most haunted locations in the city, which is saying something. Reports of ghostly apparitions, eerie sounds, and unexplained phenomena are frequent, and captivate visitors such as myself, which sold us on attending one of their full-experience tours.
One particularly infamous ghost story involves James Stark, a hot-tempered gambler who was shot and killed in a heated dispute at the City Hotel in 1832. Many believe that Stark’s spirit still lingers in the building, contributing to its haunted allure. There's a chance that I "met" Mr. Stark, but the blur of the night and multiple other... happenings, might have outshined the doomed man.
Moon River Brewing Company - Haunted History
My attempt at telling the whole story would be a cheap imitation, likely missing key details. My post will be about our paranormal experiences themselves.
The Tour
We were told an A-through-Z history of the building and armed with equipment, provided by the Truth In Evidence haunted tours group. Please see common ghost-hunting equipment if you are unfamiliar. At some points, I felt that it was a tad overkill, as we had sophisticated personal equipment that felt overpowered by the general-purpose group equipment. For instance, we had the means of using individual spirit boxes, but there was a larger, noisier one broadcasting from a guitar amp throughout the tour. This was my one demeriting observation and tip for future tours. Let people feel a little bit more alone, even though it's a group setting (and not use the blaring speakers).
The Brothel
It was said that one of the topmost floors of the Moon River Brewing Company used to be a brothel in the early days of the building. Though some of the experience was noise-polluted due to the aforementioned speaker, it still allowed us the opportunity to experience the weird.
We had some luck asking questions to a dark, open space, populated only by a decaying ladder, holding up a single desk bell. It would answer our questions with the occasional ding. However, the responses were unreliable and after a while, we felt that we were losing any connection we may have had. So, we decided to move towards the corner. Over there was a single wooden chair, surrounded by a string of bulbs rigged to light up if the sensors detected touch or movement. Giving wide enough of a berth, I approached and began asking questions, hoping to talk to those who may have been here during its brothel days. Perhaps a patron or one of the women who worked and lived there.
There had been an underlying current of slight tension as our time in the attic progressed, so I addressed it. I asked, "are you upset that you cannot touch us?" as the planes we exist on apparently don't allow the living and the dead to directly, consistently interact. Almost immediately, the ring of sensory lights flared up.
My response couldn't be any more candid. "Oh, jeez..."
The Basement
Though the prominent stories about the building concerned the gamblers and businessmen, it seemed that a lot of my personal experiences revolved around the ladies of the establishment.
In the basement, our tour guide explained that we would be utilizing the "Estes Method" in hopes of making contact with the spirits that haunted the building. It was a practice known to us due to our binge-watching of paranormal YouTubers. The idea is that someone blocks out their senses, wearing a blindfold and headphones, while listening to a spirit box. Apparently, this disconnect allows them to make that much stronger of a connection to that world. Who knows. It's at the least a cool aesthetic for a ritual.
Of course, I volunteered to go first. Sat at the back of the basement near all of the restaurant's storage and clutter, the rest of the tour was separated by a short hallway and curtain. They would be able to ask questions, and I wouldn't be able to respond on my own due to the noise-canceling headphones. I would have to concentrate on the noises coming through the rapidly cycling radio signals and repeat any words that were coherent. I was the conduit.
Since I was essentially meditating in the dark and shouting back clips and phrases that I heard, I quickly lost track of any pattern or "conversation" that I may have subconsciously been having with the group. My girlfriend tried to scare me by grabbing my arm when it was time to "come up" out of the Estes Method, but I was too locked in and interested in any findings to be alarmed.
Returning from behind the curtain, I asked if they had any luck and what I had said. A few of our peers chuckled and the tour guide said something along the lines of, "your girlfriend better watch out!" Laughing along, I asked what that meant. She told me that I apparently had had luck "talking" to a female spirit who had taken a keen interest in me. Between her and I (talking through the spirit box's phrases) and the group, they asked if she liked me (her saying yes) and if she was jealous of being able to touch me. Apparently, it said something along the lines of, "oh, don't worry, I'll have him." Weird.
But the punchline was the killer.
As I was dusting myself off and settling into my seat, waiting for another tour guest to attempt the Method themselves, I was struck by a very distinct smell of roses, as if a bag of potpourri had exploded over my head.
"Whoa," I said. "Does anyone smell that...?"
I knew that, apparently, scents were said to be strongly correlated to paranormal experiences.
"It's like..." I fumbled for the words. "Like... roses. Rose-y."
All the joking and chuckling left lingering from their recounting of the story dropped. My girlfriend's eyes were wide. I asked what the matter was. The tour guide said, "You said that her name was Rosie during the Estes Method."
Weird!
Conclusion
I would visit the Moon River Brewing Company again in a heartbeat. We first had had dinner there and it was likewise a pleasant experience, though I was unfortunately sitting directly under an old air vent. Can't win them all.
The company that runs these tours is excellent, and they maintain a lovely storefront and esoteric shop, as well. We stumbled upon it the day after our tour and I ensured that I left with another addition to my Ouija collection, as well as a few pretty crystals.
In my mind, I know that I will eventually come around to being an out-of-the-closet believer in all things paranormal, but for right now, playing the role has been very rewarding. Plus, who knows, I may have gotten a ghost girlfriend who worked in a southern brothel by my side. I can only hope my actual partner and family don't judge us too harshly.
So far, it's only been roses.
