The Ghosts of Lazaretto: Unearthing Savannah's Haunting History

Living in Savannah, we're always hearing ghost stories, whether or not they hold any truth. One story that caught my attention while I was writing The Savannah Gondolier was about the ghosts of Lazaretto. But as I began to dig in and research, I discovered that this story might have more substance than I initially thought.

In the late 18th century, the city of Savannah implemented a quarantine station for incoming vessels to safeguard against illness. If a ship was suspected of harboring sickness, passengers were isolated in a building on Lazaretto Creek. This place became a haven for ships from the Revolution, European immigrants, and enslaved Africans. Tragically, hundreds perished there, leading to unmarked graves in the nearby area.

As I dug deeper into reports of ghost sightings, I found myself reading late into the night, captivated yet terrified. The stories haunted me enough to disturb my sleep. It was during this eerie time that I stumbled upon a poem by Cynthia Farr. In her blog, she expressed a similar feeling of being haunted while writing it—a sentiment I could undeniably relate to.

Feeling inspired, I reached out to her and asked if I could use the sixth stanza of her poem as an epigraph for The Savannah Gondolier. Thankfully, she agreed, adding an extra layer of depth to my exploration of this haunted history. Stories like these remind us that Savannah's past lingers in our present, and it is our duty and honor to show respect to those who walked this land before us.

“SONG FOR LAZARETTO”

For years, when ships reached Tybee Light, 

they’d stop at South Channel Sound. 

They’d unload the sick and the dying, 

both the free, … and the bound. 

They’d leave them here, where this little creek, 

still far from Savannah town, 

touches the back of the island 

on the side where the sun goes down … 

at a place called ‘lazaretto,’ 

where a quarantine would hold 

all the ones with dreaded diseases, 

and the ones too sick to be sold.

Cynthia Farr Kinkel