Savannah's Haunted Owens-Thomas House

The Owens-Thomas House is one of Savannah’s many “must-see” museums in the city. The custom architecture draws the eye to brilliant rounded wooden doors and an elegant split staircase reminiscent of the Victorian era. Once inside, the traditional antique furniture transports each visitor to a time of big, ruffled skirts and romantic history. For a home built in 1816 and finished in 1819, its charm is truly growing with age. 

The home was originally built for a wealthy cotton merchant named Richard Richardson, though it has since swapped hands multiple times. In 1830, an attorney-turned-politician named Charles Owens bought the extravagant home for just $10,000. He lived in the home until 1856, when he passed away and left the home to his son. Eventually, the home settled into the hands of his granddaughter, Margaret Thomas. Margaret was truly a woman of culture; she held a deep appreciation for both art and history, which is reflected in the home’s decor. When she died in the home in 1856, her will dictated that the home be left to the Telfair Academy with the hope of it becoming a museum. She also requested that the home be named after both her grandfather and her father-giving the Owens-Thomas House its official name. 

Perhaps it was the fact that the house never quite stayed in one person’s belongings for very long, or perhaps it is simply the vast amount of history that the home has witnessed, but today it is considered one of the most actively haunted houses in Savannah. There are many spirits in the home, but most famously is the ghost that is assumed to be Mr. Owens. Many guests witness a notably built man wearing early Victorian-era attire standing in the front parlor. He does not move or say anything; he simply observes the guests as they wander through the home. Eventually, he grows seemingly bored with his people watching, at which point he turns around and disappears through the wall behind him.

While writing this article, this writer was stunned to learn that I had been witnessing one of the famous hauntings in the house almost every night for months. I used to park my car by the Owens-Thomas House before meeting my guests for our ghostly excursion. Upon returning to my car at the end of our evening together, I saw a woman walking through the gardens behind the home. Oftentimes, I would wave to her, and she would smile and nod at me. Savannah is known for dressing its docents in traditional attire of the old eras, in order to allow guests to truly appreciate the history of this wonderful city. I had assumed that the woman I had been seeing was one of these docents in her impeccably created costumes, featuring a gray shawl and a hat.