Ever heard of the haunted Kehoe House? The historic Bed and Breakfast in Savannah is said the house is filled with ghosts and has more than one chilling story, from spectral lights to mysterious whispers.
Welcome to the haunted Kehoe House, a bed and breakfast hotel on Columbia Square in Savannah, known for its strange and chilling ghost stories within the historic rooms that are served with the breakfast.
The Kehoe House was finished in 1885 and Willam Kehoe, an Irish immigrant that made his fortune in an iron foundry moved into it with his wife and 10 children.
It was sold in 1930 and has since then been used as a funeral parlor, a boarding house as well as a home. In 1990 it was sold and renovated into a historic bed and breakfast that it operates as today.
Read about more haunted hotels around the world: Here
The Kehoe House is said to be inhabited by many spooky spirits, from mysterious voices to spectral lights. Some believe that the house holds many secrets from its past.
Strange Happenings at Kehoe House
Savannah is often dubbed as one of the most haunted cities in America and the Kehoe House is filled with many strange and creepy stories.
Several people claim to have heard mysterious whispers when passing by certain rooms, and others claim to have seen ghostly figures lurking in the corridors. Others swear to have been pushed by an invisible force and felt a chill down their spine when entering certain parts of the house. Whether these stories are true or not, remains a mystery!
The Funeral Parlor
The most often told story is that the Kehoe family is still haunting the house, both William and his wife Annie Kehoe are said to still be seen on occasions in their former home. But it is not the only thing that made the house haunted according to the stories.
One of the things that led the Renaissance Revival house to being dubbed as a haunted house was from when it was used as a funeral home.
The Kehoe House was used for this for around 5 decades and many believe that those that passed through Goette Funeral Home still lingers.
The Ghost of the Two Twins
Perhaps one of the most chilling aspects of Kehoe House is the unexplained sounds and noises. Many visitors have reported hearing mysterious whispering and strange voices echoing through the house, as if invisible spirits are exchanging hushed conversations deep within its walls. Some believe these whispers are coming from those trapped in limbo, while others simply ignore them and leave as quickly as possible.
Another of the ghost stories that are told on the haunted pub crawls and from the tour buses is the story about the ghosts of 2 of the 10 Kehoe children that supposedly died inside of the Kehoe House. The most told legend is the horrible tragedy of the two twin boys playing and getting stuck in the chimney. Slowly as ashes fell and were breathed in, they suffocated and died.
This is a story that has been debunked several times as there are no paper trails that support these claims. But even though the story about the chimney is a lie, there are those that claim to have heard the sound of children playing and laughing even if the Bed and Breakfast doesn’t allow children to stay there. Sometimes they have even heard the voice of a small child calling out: Mommy.
Visit Savannah’s legendary Bonaventure Cemetery and take a chance to explore its haunted history – with stories of lost loves, war casualties, and ghosts among the graves!
Take a journey back in time and explore the secrets of Savannah’s mysterious Bonaventure Cemetery among the wild oak, marble statues and haunting beauty of the elaborate tombs. With stories of lost loves, war casualties, and allegedly haunted grounds, visitors can experience this eerie place and its rich history up close.
But of all the plants of these curious tree-gardens the most striking and characteristic is the so-called Long Moss. It drapes all the branches from top to bottom, hanging in long silvery-gray skeins, reaching a length of not less than eight or ten feet, and when slowly waving in the wind they produce a solemn funereal effect singularly impressive. – Jon Muir “Camping in the Tombs,” from A Thousand Mile Walk
Introduction to Bonaventure Cemetery
Located in the marshy lowland of South Carolina, Bonaventure Cemetery was founded in 1845 and its nearly 300-acre grounds are home to a variety of interesting graves, monuments, and sculptures.
Read about more haunted cemeteries around the world: Here
It was built upon the former Bonaventure Plantation from the 1700s. When the land was converted to a cemetery it was formed as a traditional Victorian cemetery with curving paths and grassy areas and huge trees around. Perfect for a family picnic as the tradition was.
The Bonaventure Cemetery is said to be filled with ghostly spirits, tales of lost loves and tragedies, as well as legends about supernatural occurrences. Take a journey back in time and explore the secrets of this unique place up close – you never know what you might find hidden amongst the graves!
The Garden of Good and Evil
The cemetery has always been a scenic sight for the people in Savannah, but it became famous in 1994 when John Berendt wrote the novel Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. It is based on real life events in the 1980s of an antique dealer’s murder trial of a male prostitute.
The Bonaventure Cemetery was featured both in the novel as well as the statue Bird Girl being on the cover and became so iconic it became a stop on the tour buses.
Ancient Gravestones & Monumental Works of Art
While exploring the paths of Bonaventure Cemetery, you may come across some particularly interesting gravesites, including many monuments and sculptures that are centuries-old. Stroll past the tombs of fallen Civil War soldiers or take a moment to view the monumental sculptures created by contemporary sculptors. From angelic figures to intricate carvings of ships and flags, these grave markers can provide an insight into the lives and memories of those who have gone before us.
Work of Art: Many are drawn to the Bonaventure Cemetery because of the beautifully haunted Victorian sculptures found on the graves.//Source: wikimedia//Slowking4
Long considered a haunted site, Bonaventure Cemetery holds some of the most popular legends among locals and visitors alike. Take the time to read through the plots, statues and carvings around the grounds. Here you’ll find stories of lost loves, war casualties, and mysterious figures said to wander throughout the cemetery in search of something eternally lost. Take caution when walking after dark—you may just catch a glimpse of something paranormal lurking amongst the graves!
Unsolved Mysteries & Paranormal Hauntings
A visit to Bonaventure Cemetery is certainly not complete without hearing a few of the legends and stories of hauntings that have occurred here. Many visitors believe that numerous ghosts, spirits, and other powerful entities wander these grounds on a regular basis.
Some of the ghosts that are supposed to wander among the graves are from those that were buried alive and there are rumors of being graves that had scratch marks inside of the caskets.
The Grave of Gracie
One of the more famous graves in the cemetery is the grave belonging to Gracie Watkins. She was only six years old when she died of pneumonia in 1889 and is said to haunt the Regions Bank on Johnson Square in Savannah city.
Her parents commissioned to make a sculpture of her in her favorite dress, a practice common in the Victorian era to those who could afford it. People to this day are still bringing her toys and flowers, wishing her to rest peacefully in the afterlife.
Best leave the presents left for her alone, because according to local lore, her statue will cry tears of blood if you steal anything.
Among the Tombs
It is said that some are simply lost souls looking for comfort in eternity while others may be seeking revenge from beyond death’s door. Who is what in the Bonaventure Cemetery is difficult to tell.
With stories of phantom carriage rides deep in the night and discordant voices calling from the shadows, spend an evening in Bonaventure to explore this graveyard’s paranormal possibilities.
I gazed awe-stricken as one new-arrived from another world. Bonaventure is called a graveyard, a town of the dead, but the few graves are powerless in such a depth of life. The rippling of living waters, the song of birds, the joyous confidence of flowers, the calm, undisturbable grandeur of the oaks, mark this place of graves as one of the Lord’s most favored abodes of life and light.” – Jon Muir “Camping in the Tombs,” from A Thousand Mile Walk
Some of them uses him more of a muse of exploring the dark sides of humanity. Some use him just for financially gain, like Jack Black himself said when saying: “Satan sells tickets.” Some have gone even further, dabbling in the occult or being straight believing in Satan and worshiping. This is mostly harmless, but then again, churches have definitely burnt down in the name of Satan.
Satan was something of a multi-instrumentalist himself, because as well as playing the fiddle, Ezekiel 28:13 states that he had his own instruments built into his very being. So perhaps not that strange that many musicians find him alluring as a character.
The Deamon Lover
This is a famous Scottish ballad about a man (usually the Devil) returns to his former lover after a very long absence, and finds her with a husband and a baby. He entices her to leave both behind and come with him, luring her with many ships laden with treasure. It can be traced back to the 1700.
Lyrics
Well met, well met, my own true love Well met, well met, cried he I’ve just returned from the salt, salt sea And it’s all for the sake of thee
I’ve come for the vows that you promised me To be my partner in life She said my vows you must forgive For now I’m a wedded wife
Yes I have married a house carpenter To him I’ve born two fine sons For it’s seven long years since you sailed to the west And I took you for dead and gone
If I was to leave my husband dear And my two babies also Just what have you to take me to If with you I should now go
I have seven ships out upon the sea And the eighth one that brought me to land With four and twenty bold mariners And music on every hand
It was then she went to her two little babes She kissed them on cheek and on chin Saying fare thee well my sweet little ones I’ll never see you again
They had not sailed much more than a week I know that it was not three When altered grew his countinence And a raging came over the sea
When they reached the shore again On the far side of the sea It was there she spied his cloven hoof And wept most bitterly
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Me and the Devil Blues
One of the most famous Made-A-Pact-With-The-Devil stories must be Robert Johnson, that made a deal for some crazy guitar skills. In the crossroad of highway 61 and 49 intersect a legend was born. In 1930 it is alleged he went out to make a Faustian pact with the devil to be the greatest guitar player. In any case, talent he got. When he died he was only 27 and it is said he was poisoned by the devil. The legend goes he heard the howling of the hell hounds, coming for him when the devil claimed him as his own.
Lyrics
Early this mornin’ When you knocked upon my door Early this mornin’, ooh When you knocked upon my door And I said, “Hello, Satan,” I believe it’s time to go.”
Me and the Devil Was walkin’ side by side Me and the Devil, ooh Was walkin’ side by side And I’m goin’ to beat my woman Until I get satisfied
She say you don’t see why That you will dog me ’round
Now, babe, you know you ain’t doin’ me right, don’cha
She say you don’t see why, ooh That you will dog me ’round It must-a be that old evil spirit So deep down in the ground
You may bury my body Down by the highway side
Baby, I don’t care where you bury my body when I’m dead and gone
You may bury my body, ooh Down by the highway side So my old evil spirit Can catch a Greyhound bus and ride
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Sympathy For The Devil
The Rolling’s stones is perhaps not remembered as a satanic rock band, but once upon the time, they kind of were. Mostly Mick Jagger was the one interested in occult books like Taoist Secret Of The Golden Flower. And in 1969 sympathy for the devil came out. There were also claims that the Church Of Satan used the song as an anthem. Hey, it was the late 60s!
Lyrics
Lyrics: Please allow me to introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste I’ve been around for a long, long year Stole many a man’s soul and faith
I was ’round when Jesus Christ Had his moment of doubt and pain Made damn sure that Pilate Washed his hands and sealed his fate
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name But what’s puzzling you Is the nature of my game
I stuck around St. Petersberg When I saw it was a time for a change Killed the Czar and his ministers Anastasia screamed in vain I rode a tank Held a general’s rank When the blitzkrieg raged And the bodies stank
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, oh yeah What’s puzzling you is the nature of my game, oh yeah
I watched with glee as your kings and queens Fought for ten decades For the Gods they made I shouted out “Who killed the Kennedys?” When after all It was you and me
Let me please introduce myself I’m a man of wealth and taste And I lay traps for troubadours Who get killed before they reach Bombay
Pleased to meet you Hope you guessed my name, oh yeah But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game, oh yeah Well, get down, hit it
Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, oh yeah But what’s confusin’ you is just the nature of my game
Just as every cop is a criminal And all the sinners saints As heads is tails just call me Lucifer ‘Cause I’m in need of some restraint
So if you meet me Have some courtesy Have some sympathy, and some taste Use all your well-learned politesse Or I’ll lay your soul to waste, mmm yeah Pleased to meet you Hope you guess my name, mmm yeah But what’s puzzling you is the nature of my game
The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Released in 1979, the song was the most successful one for the band Charlie Daniels Band. It is a pretty upbeat song, but with a more sinister lyric. Inspired by a poem the song deals with the deal with the devil motif. The song begins as a disappointed Devil arrives in Georgia, apparently “way behind” on stealing souls, when he comes upon a fiddle-playing young man named Johnny.
Lyrics
The devil went down to Georgia He was lookin’ for a soul to steal He was in a bind ‘Cause he was way behind And he was willin’ to make a deal When he came across this young man Sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump And said, “boy, let me tell you what” “I guess you didn’t know it But I’m a fiddle player too And if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with you Now you play a pretty good fiddle, boy But give the devil his due I’ll bet a fiddle of gold Against your soul ‘Cause I think I’m better than you.” The boy said, “my name’s Johnny And it
The devil went down to Georgia He was lookin’ for a soul to steal He was in a bind ‘Cause he was way behind And he was willin’ to make a dealWhen he came across this young man Sawin’ on a fiddle and playin’ it hot And the devil jumped up on a hickory stump And said, “boy, let me tell you what””I guess you didn’t know it But I’m a fiddle player too And if you’d care to take a dare, I’ll make a bet with youNow you play a pretty good fiddle, boy But give the devil his due I’ll bet a fiddle of gold Against your soul ‘Cause I think I’m better than you.”The boy said, “my name’s Johnny And it might be a sin But I’ll take your bet, you’re gonna regret ‘Cause I’m the best there’s ever been.”Johnny, rosin up your bow and play your fiddle hard ‘Cause Hell’s broke loose in Georgia, and the devil deals the cards And if you win, you get this shiny fiddle made of gold But if you lose, the devil gets your soulThe devil opened up his case And he said, “I’ll start this show.” And fire flew from his fingertips As he rosined up his bowAnd he pulled the bow across the strings And it made an evil hiss Then a band of demons joined in And it sounded something like thisWhen the devil finished Johnny said, “well, you’re pretty good, ol’ son But sit down in that chair right there And let me show you how it’s done.””Fire on the Mountain” run boys, run The devil’s in the House of the Rising Sun Chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough Granny, does your dog bite? No, child, noThe devil bowed his head Because he knew that he’d been beat And he laid that golden fiddle On the ground at Johnny’s feetJohnny said, “Devil, just come on back If you ever wanna try again I done told you once you son of a bitch I’m the best that’s ever been.”He played “Fire on the Mountain” run boys, run The devil’s in the House of the Rising Sun The chicken in a bread pan pickin’ out dough Granny, will your dog bite? No child, no
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Houses Of The Holy
Songs like this made people talk aboud Led Zeppelin being a Satanic Band. Jimmy Page himself was extremly occupied of exploring the occult, attending séances, collected occult artefacts. He also bought a house in Loch Ness. Page once said that mixing in Satanic influences was like an “alchemical process”.
Lyrics
Let me take you to the movies Can I take you to the show Let me be yours ever truly Can I make your garden grow
From the houses of the holy, we can watch the white doves go From the door comes satan’s daughter, and it only goes to show, you know
There’s an angel on my shoulder, in my hand a sword of gold Let me wander in your garden and the seeds of love I’ll sow you know
So the world is spinning faster are you dizzy when you’re stoned Let the music be your master will you heed the master’s call Oh Satan and man
Said there ain’t no use in crying ’cause it will only, only drive you mad Does it hurt to hear them lying? Was this the only world you had? oh oh
So let me take you, take you to the movie Can I take you, baby, to the show Why don’t you let me be yours ever truly Can I make your garden grow, you know
An online magazine about the paranormal, haunted and macabre. We collect the ghost stories from all around the world as well as review horror and gothic media.
