The Ghosts of Madison Square

Madison Square, located on Bull Street, is one of the most impressive Squares in Savannah. It was laid out in 1837 and named for President James Madison. However, it was prior to the Square being laid out that the ground which makes up Madison Square started having haunted reports.

It was in this location, that during the Battle of Savannah, that many soldiers fell in battle. It is even rumored, but not confirmed to my knowledge, that Madison Square is the location of one of the mass graves which the dead soldiers bodies were thrown into. By many accounts, not all of the men who were thrown into the grave were dead yet. They may have been mortally wounded, with death inevitable, but the horrific feelings that must have been felt by these men, as they were buried alive, is something that we cannot possibly begin to understand. One of the heroes of the Battle of Savannah, William Jasper, is immortalized in the monument that sits in the center of Madison Square. The most common ghost seen in Madison Square is a solid black shadow figure. It is said to have the shape of a full-grown man. This ghost seems to enjoy floating through Madison Square, dancing in and out of the lights from the street lamps. From our own experience, on ghost tours and in our personal time, we have found Madison Square to be a pretty good place to get EVP’s. One of the EVP’s we recorded at Madison Square is of a man telling us that he was ‘shot through my heart’. Is this spirit one of the many men to be killed during the Battle of Savannah?

When you come to Savannah and take one of our ghost tours, our guides will take you to some of the most haunted places in the entire city of Savannah. Now, if you’re not from Savannah, you cannot understand how our ghosts ‘operate’. In most cities across the country, there are haunted places in the city….but the city itself isn’t considered haunted. Here in Savannah, you cannot go anywhere without being close to our ghostly residents. See, as soon as you step into the historic district of Savannah you are already in the haunted location. The buildings and other places you hear about are simply MORE haunted then the other areas. It is just as common to encounter one of Savannah’s ghostly residents in the Squares and on the streets as it is to see one in a haunted building somewhere.

On the Grave Tales Ghost Tour and the Dead of Night Ghost Tour, we spend some time in Madison Square. This Square is one of the most picturesque Squares in Savannah. What isn’t always visible are the ghosts and spirits which call Madison Square home.

During the Revolutionary War, the British occupied Savannah for quite some time. During the first battle of Savannah the British lines extending to Madison Square. There was a battle that took place in this area. Buried British soldiers have been found while digging basements for a few of the buildings which surround Madison Square.

Shadow figures have been seen moving through Madison Square at night. One night, on one of our ghost tours, a number of guests shrieked in horror. When asked what was wrong, they replied that a shadowy figure, solid black, moved quickly across the grassy area towards them before vanishing into thin air.

On the Dead of Night Ghost Tour, we go into greater depth about the hauntings and the ghosts which are common in Madison Square.

Haunted Homes on Madison Square

Madison Square is home to a number of historic homes which are reportedly haunted. The best known is probably the Sorrel-Weed House. This home is rumored to be one of the most haunted houses in the entire city. After listening to the reports of many of the ghost tour guides at the Sorrel-Weed house we do believe the house to be haunted but are not quite sure it lives up to the ‘one of the most haunted buildings in Savannah’ status that it gives itself. The only way to find out for sure is to take one of their tours and see for yourself.

Another historic building on Madison Square that is worth checking out is the Green-Meldrim House. The Green-Meldrim House offers daytime tours. An interesting bit of information about this building, it is where General Sherman stayed during the occupation of Savannah.

Visiting Haunted Madison Square

You can find Madison Square on Bull Street, in the Historic District of Savannah. It is an easy 7-8 minute walk from the River.