Anna and the Sailor

Savannah, Georgia is often called "The Jewel of the South" and its rich history is filled with as much tragedy as glory. Many of its buildings have a reputation for being haunted by specters, some of them are even known by name. Anna Power is one of these poor souls perhaps destined to remain chained to a particular place forever. That place is known as the 17 Hundred 90 Inn.

The inn was originally built in 1790 as a boardinghouse. Savannah was a popular fishing and shipping port with a rowdy reputation. This made it a popular hangout for sailors, pirates, thieves, and lonesome people looking for companionship.  Anna Power was a young woman, just 17 years old, but she was known for enjoying the rough and rowdy life in the saloons by the port. She lived with her very religious parents in a respectable part of town, but  the neighbors began openly discussing Anna's loose ways and questionable morality. Her family felt she was a disgrace and when she turned up pregnant, they kicked her out of the house.

Anna came to the boarding house to live with the hard-drinking sailor she had lain with. The sailor she thought was her true love told her he was not ready to settle down with a wife and a baby. No amount of pleading, begging, or crying changed his mind. He had other plans and they did not include Anna and a baby. He signed on as a crewman on a ship leaving on the evening's high tide, told Anna he would not be coming back and left her there in the little room in the boarding house. Anna watch her lover's ship as it sailed away from the harbor and as it disappeared over the horizon, dark despair enveloped her. She threw herself out of the window and ended her suffering.

However, that wasn't end of Anna Power. Shortly thereafter, the next man who rented the same room told of how he was awakened from a dead sleep in the middle of the night by fingers caressing his face and a hand tugging at his blanket. He lit a lamp beside the bed only to find nobody in bed with him. He looked around the room in confusion and saw a thin streak of mist by the window. Before his astonished eyes, the mist turned into the shape of a young woman who looked at him for a second before jumping out of the window.

 Eerie occurrences have continued in the room since. And not just in that room either. Anna has been seen roaming the halls, often playfully coming up behind guests and giving their hair a little tug and then, with a fading giggle, vanishing as they turn around.  Guests and staff have told of flickering lights and mysterious footsteps. Sadly, an unseen baby crying at the top of the stairs seems to be Anna's unborn child. 

As recently as 2013, a gentleman reported he and his wife got into an argument while staying in "Anna's" room. The argument became so heated the wife banished her husband to sleep on the small couch in the room. Fast asleep, he was awakened by his wife whom evidently wanted to kiss and make up. The next morning, he arose from the couch and thanked her for being so understanding and for the wonderful intimate time she had given him. His wife simply glared at him in angry confusion and asked him what he was talking about. The man swore the encounter wasn't a dream.

Over the years, Anna has proven to have a sense of humor. While guests are away from their rooms, she sometimes locks doors - from the inside. She evidently also likes to steal things. Numerous times guests have come to the front desk to complain of someone stealing their wallets or keys only to be astonished when upon returning to their room, the missing item has reappeared sitting in plain sight on a table top. One thing Anna seems to enjoy stealing the most is underwear, especially women's. Nobody's unmentionables are safe as dozens of guest have told of their missing personal garments. Bewilderingly, most of the purloined panties are later found, often after the guests have abruptly left, in planter boxes around the inn.

There's really no rhyme or reason for Anna's appearances. She simply seems to come and go as she pleases. Most of the fun happens in what is now Room 204, the room where Anna lived and loved. If you happen to be lucky enough to book this room, be sure to watch your undies.

Grave with a View

At the Evergreen Cemetery in New Haven, Vermont, there is a mound of earth that at first glance seems to be just a landscaping error. If you make your way to the top of the mound though, you will see a small window embedded in the ground. Brush the dirt and leaves away from that window and you will be staring face-to-face with a dead man.

In the late 1800s, Timothy Clark Smith was a world traveler with the U.S. Foreign Service. During his long career, he saw many hideous things and heard stories of terrible things some unlucky souls endured. Several of those stories were of people being buried alive. During those pre-embalming days, it wasn't as rare as you may think. Because of this, he developed a terrible fear of suffering the same fate. 

On Halloween night in 1893, Mr. Smith suddenly died in Middlebury, Vermont of unknown reasons. His corpse was transported to New Haven's Evergreen Cemetery for burial. There, a special grave had been prepared for him. In that strange mound of earth, Mr. Smith was buried with his face positioned beneath a cement tube that led to the surface. The tube was covered with a 14x14 inch of plate glass. In the corpse's hand they placed a bell that he could ring should he wake up and find himself the victim of a premature burial. 

If you visit the cemetery, keep very quiet... and listen.