From a cotton plantation owner who fought for independence of the original 13 colonies, this Georgia restaurant has roots going back as far as the country itself. Built in 1771-1789, the Olde Pink House restaurant is still going strong to this day, with examples of both southern cuisine and 18th century architecture in the beginning of our young nation. The building constructed of red bricks and white stucco sits as a national monument to the time period, but also a hotspot for paranormal activity. It’s one of the stops most requested on local ghost tours. Today we explore Georgia’s haunted restaurant, the Olde Pink House.
The Olde Pink house gains its name from the red of the bricks showing through the white stucco to create a pink exterior. The original owner tried to cover it with white paint to keep from being known as the “guy living in the pink house,” but this did little to stop the bleed of the colors to keep the iconic hue. It took a woman who ran the tea house in the 1920s to finally paint the house pink, rather than letting the bleed of the home continue. Today, the pink color makes this old house iconic.
One of the local urban legends says that an early owner hung himself in the basement, but local historians have yet to find confirmation of this claim. Still, the ghost of James Habersham Jr. is said to haunt the home more in death than in life, as he passed in 1799. This specter has been blamed for candles lighting on their own and the new-fangled electric lights flickering on and off as he pleased.
Another apparition you might see at the Olde Pink House includes a revolutionary war soldier who might saddle up next to you at the bar, ask for a toast to victory, and then vanish before the eyes of his potential drinking buddies. Still more spirits in the house will request their own spirits at the bar, appearing to drink whiskey at the bar until suddenly disappearing before the bill can arrive.
A female ghost has been reported as being inconsolable as she sobbed on the second floor. Bartenders have learned to ignore the crying that seems to constantly reverberate from the second floor. Several formerly enslaved spirits can also be observed, walking from the back of the house to the front and caring for guests as they did in life, but disappearing before being able to fetch that second round.
Employees claim dozens of manifestations of the hauntings of the Olde Pink House Restaurant, including the menus that seemingly standing up of their own accord and being knocked down to invariable spill glasses of wine into the laps of patrons.
If you feel like dining with ghosts, this may be the perfect place to visit in Savannah, Georgia. Just don’t forget your reservation.
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Born in Death Valley and raised on the prairie, Deborah is a Wyoming-based paranormal researcher and University of Wyoming graduate. Her interests lie in folklore, history, symbolic interaction and research. She also researches the paranormal academically and is a graduate student studying sociology.
The “like” button seems to also be an apparition that only shows up when it wants to, but I like this post 🙂