River Street Specters

For over thirty years tourists have flocked to the many restaurants, pubs and shops of Savannah's famous River Street. It has in essence become quite the tourist epicenter, as well as a popular nightspot. But good times have not always been had along Savannah's riverfront. In fact, the stretch of old warehouses that now are filled with delicious cuisine, hand-made pecan pralines and frozen adult beverages, were once used to store cotton, resin, and slaves.

During the 19th century the port of Savannah was the world's largest exporter of cotton, known at the time as "King Cotton". Many cotton brokers became exceedingly wealthy from this "white gold". But there was another product, far more sinister and shameful, that would be traded through Savannah...slaves. Savannah in fact was a major port for the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Slaves were brought up the Savannah River and stored in many of the warehouses that line the riverfront. They would in turn be sold on the slave block which was located in the area that is now City Market, another popular tourist center in Savannah. The conditions in which the slaves were kept in these warehouses were quite poor. The warehouses were crowded and disease-ridden. During the day the slaves were used to unload cotton and at night they were chained to the walls and floors of the warehouses to prevent their escape. There was no shortage of suffering in Savannah in those years. Many slaves would die in these warehouses. It is believed that some of these slaves are still haunting the Shrimp Factory restaurant on E. River Street.

Known by its red and white striped awnings, the Shrimp Factory has been a popular restaurant on River Street since its founding in 1978. But this restaurant is known for more than its delectable variety of shrimp dishes. Since it opened its doors over thirty years ago, there have been strange happenings that have left staff and patrons alike quite puzzled. Employees at the Shrimp Factory have long noted a particular cold spot on the stairs leading up to the restaurant's storage rooms. One particular spot on the stairs, normally hot and stuffy during the summer months, always feels notably cooler. This bizarre coolness is just the beginning of the unusual "activity" at the Shrimp Factory. Waitstaff have heard strange sounds coming from an upstairs room, now used to store liquor. The sounds include that of a low groaning, whispered chattering, as well as the clanging of chains being drug across the floor. No one likes to go to that upstairs room alone for fear of encountering the source of these mysterious sounds. Downstairs at the bar bottles have mysteriously fallen of the shelves and objects seem to move on their own accord.

The Savannah Harley-Davidson shop is located just a couple of blocks east of the Shrimp Factory. A long time tenant of the warehouses that are also home to the Old Harbor Inn, the Harley-Davidson shop is a popular stop for biking enthusiasts visiting Savannah. But its not just the living that are attracted to the trendy motorcycle paraphernalia. The dead have been known to browse about the shop as well. There have been several instances when employees working at the Harley-Davidson shop have noticed what appears to be a woman dressed in period (19th century) clothing walking about the store. Looking just as real as you or I, she has been mistaken for a local tour guide dressed in costume. She will appear to browse about the shop and then simply walk right through the wall!

Are these ghosts on River Street simply residual haunts, memories from the past being played out as tape recordings or picture shows? Or is there more to the haunts along Savannah's "tormented" riverfront? Local legend has it that the very waters of the Savannah River are haunted. The strong currents that have claimed the lives of many unfortunate drowning victims, are actually the vengeful spirits of slaves. Some of which would take their own lives by throwing themselves into the river to avoid the tortures of slavery. Whatever the case, there is no mistaking that Savannah's riverfront, with its cobble-stone streets and time-worn buildings, now vibrant with laughter, still contain the echo of a tormented past.