The Marshall House

Construction of The Marshall House began in 1851 under the leadership of Mary Magdalene Marshall, a prominent businesswoman and property owner in 19th-century Savannah. Opening its doors in 1852, the four-story brick establishment was immediately praised as one of the finest and most luxurious hotels in the region. In 1857, a 120-foot wrought-iron veranda was added along the second-floor facade, overlooking Broughton Street. However, the hotel's long history was quickly intertwined with human tragedy and wartime suffering.

During the catastrophic Yellow Fever epidemics of 1854 and 1876, when local hospitals were overwhelmed with hundreds of dying victims, The Marshall House opened its rooms to serve as a quarantine hospital. Doctors worked tirelessly in improvised operating wards across the upper floors, but hundreds succumbed to the black vomit disease on site. During the American Civil War, after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman captured Savannah in December 1864, the hotel was commandeered as a Federal military hospital for wounded Union soldiers under the command of General Alexander Asboth.

Surgeons performed crude amputations in the hallways and guest rooms, often tossing severed limbs through windows into the courtyard below. When renovations were undertaken in the late 20th century to restore the property to its original Victorian splendor, construction workers excavating beneath the ground-floor floorboards discovered a trove of human bones and severed surgical limbs left behind from wartime operations. Reopened as a luxury boutique hotel in 1999, The Marshall House now stands as a premier historic destination.

The ghost lore of The Marshall House is deeply tied to its double legacy as a military surgery hospital and an epidemic quarantine facility. One of the most widespread legends describes Union soldiers pacing the long, narrow corridors of the second, third, and fourth floors. Guests routinely report encountering spectral soldiers dressed in worn Union blue uniforms carrying rifles or holding blood-stained arm bandages. These phantom figures often walk down the hallway before vanishing into solid walls right in front of startled onlookers.

Another famous legend involves the spirits of children who perished during the tragic Yellow Fever outbreaks. Guests staying in upper guest rooms frequently report hearing the distinct sounds of children running up and down the halls late at night, bouncing balls against doors, and giggling in empty foyers. When annoyed guests call the front desk to report noisy children playing after midnight, night clerks check hallway security cameras only to confirm that the corridors are entirely deserted.

In the guest bathrooms, the spirits of former nurses are said to remain on duty caring for the sick. Numerous guests describe seeing the reflection of a woman dressed in a 19th-century nurse's apron standing silently in bathroom mirrors, or feeling a gentle, comforting hand smoothing their brow while lying in bed during illness. Other tales tell of a ghostly soldier who haunts the hotel library searching for a doctor to treat his wounds.

The Marshall House is widely featured on Travel Channel's haunted hotel specials and is regarded by hotel guests as one of Savannah's most active accommodation sites. Frequently documented phenomena include doorknobs turning and clicking by themselves, heavy room doors unlatching and swinging open without drafts, and bathroom sink faucets turning on at full pressure in unoccupied rooms late at night.

Guests also report seeing shadowy human figures standing motionless at the foot of their beds at night, hearing disembodied footsteps marching on the carpets outside room doors, feeling sudden cold drafts in sealed hallways, smelling antique antiseptic or cigar smoke, hearing faint piano music in empty rooms, experiencing sudden temperature drops, and encountering unexplained electrical fluctuations, such as televisions and bedside lamps toggling on and off automatically. The hotel maintains a dedicated guest logbook at the front desk where visitors record their personal supernatural encounters during their stay at this historic inn.

The Marshall House is a grand four-story, brick historic hotel building featuring classic 19th-century Southern commercial architecture. Its defining exterior feature is a magnificent 120-foot wrought-iron second-floor balcony and veranda stretching along East Broughton Street, offering guests scenic views of downtown Savannah's historic shopping district.

The interior features authentic historic preservation throughout, including an original 1852 wooden staircase, soaring high ceilings, heart-pine flooring, brick archways, exposed original plaster walls, decorative crown molding, wainscoting, and antique gas-style chandeliers. The ground floor houses a formal lobby, library, central courtyard, and 45 Bistro restaurant, while the upper floors contain 68 boutique guest rooms and suites for travelers.

The Marshall House is situated at 123 East Broughton Street in the heart of Savannah's primary shopping and historic district. The hotel operates year-round, offering luxury accommodations, daily wine receptions in the library, and fine dining at 45 Bistro.

While upper guest room floors are restricted to registered hotel occupants for privacy and security, visitors can explore the historic lobby, library, courtyard, and restaurant. The hotel is a featured stop on nearly every major Savannah walking ghost tour, with guides detailing its Civil War hospital history and paranormal lore from Broughton Street. Reservations for guest rooms should be booked months in advance due to high demand.

The Marshall House earned its legendary haunted reputation due to its documented dual history as a yellow fever quarantine ward and a Civil War amputation hospital, confirmed by the discovery of human surgical bones beneath its floorboards. Featured on Travel Channel and national media outlets, it is widely considered Savannah's premier haunted boutique hotel destination for paranormal enthusiasts and historic travelers seeking ghost encounters.