The Marshall House is a beautiful historic hotel in Savannah, GA, but…is it actually haunted? That’s the million dollar question!

Visitors from all over the world travel here to try and catch a glimpse of the ghosts that reportedly roam its halls.

If you’re feeling adventurous, I’d say a stay at this historic hotel in Savannah should definitely be on your radar. But be prepared; it isn’t for the faint of heart!

Four story hotel with a cheery red brick exterior, green shutters and a long front porch
The Marshall House looks so cheery with its red brick facade and welcoming veranda. But are ghosts hidden within those walls?

Note: This guide to The Marshall House contains affiliate links to my trusted travel partners.

If you’re new around here, first of all…allow me to extend a warm welcome!

My name is Erin, and I authored the Savannah First-Timer’s Guide. It combines my top tips from this website into one handy downloadable guide.

You might also be interested in:
👻 A Local’s Guide to the Spookiest Ghost Tours in Savannah
🏨 The Top 3 Most Haunted Hotels in Savannah, Georgia

The Marshall House History

Before getting into whether or not it’s haunted, I need to tell you a little bit about the hotel’s past.

The Marshall House has quite an impressive history!

Front entrance to The Marshall House at night with a man standing beneath the hotel's sign, facing away from the camera
The front entrance to The Marshall House looks beautiful — and slightly eerie — when very few people are out and about on Broughton Street.

The Mary Marshall Era

Back in the mid-1800s, Savannah’s population doubled in size — from 11,000 to 22,000+ in a span of only 20 years! — and a highly successful developer named Mary Marshall seized the opportunity to capitalize on all those potential new visitors by opening her namesake hotel.

The Marshall House opened in 1851.

In fact, one of the first things you’ll notice when you check in is an oil painting of Mary Marshall behind the reception desk.

Employees are fond of saying she’s “still greeting guests” after all these years!

Mahogany check-in desk at The Marshall House with a painted portrait of Mary Marshall in a gold frame above the desk
The staff at The Marshall House is accustomed to pandemics; the hotel has certainly seen its share since Mary Marshall first tossed open the doors in 1851.

The hotel had a brief stint as a hospital during Savannah’s disastrous 1854 and 1876 Yellow Fever outbreaks and then again when Union soldiers commandeered it towards the end of the Civil War for use as a Union Army hospital.

Other than those few brief takeovers, the building operated as a popular hotel for the majority of its existence — although at times the name changed to reflect the current proprietor.

The End of the Marshall Era

Mary Marshall died in 1877, and the hotel eventually changed ownership.

Minnie Geiger owned it for a time and renamed it the Geiger Hotel.

An investor from Florida named Herbert W. Gilbert leased the property in the early 1930s. He changed its name to the Gilbert Hotel.

The hotel finally shut down in the late 1950s because management at the time couldn’t meet the current fire code standards.

That was a slightly ironic twist of fate, since Mary Marshall helped form the Marshall Hose Company (the city’s first fire department) to protect the hotel from the devastating fires known to ravage Savannah.

Yesterday was a gala day with the new organization, The Marshall Hose Company. The company met at Fireman’s Hall, and at half past three, preceded by the Washington Cornet Band, marched from the hall along the route designated. On arriving in front of the house of Mrs. Marshall, the lady patroness of the company, they halted.

Daily Morning News, 27 August, 1867

The upper levels of the building sat empty and abandoned for more than 40 years, but the main floor along Broughton Street was maintained for the shopkeepers occupying space at the time.

Want to Visit Mary Marshall’s Gravesite? She’s buried in the Marshall Family Plot. It’s located in Lot 133 in beautiful Laurel Grove Cemetery.

Recent Years – The 1990s Renovation

Finally, in 1998, a group from Atlanta came along to restore Broughton Street’s most famous hotel to its former glory!

They purchased the then-derelict property for $555,000 and spent 10.5 million on the renovation.

Nearly 150 years passed from the time The Marshall House first opened its doors until the time the name was reclaimed and it was renovated to become the modern and updated property it is today.

A staircase inside The Marshall House features beautiful hand-carved railings designed to look like pineapples. The treads are painted white and a burgundy and gold runner extends the entire length of the stairs. The floor of the hotel's entrance is an elegant B&W large diamond-checkered pattern
The warmly lit lobby of The Marshall House in Savannah with two navy blue leather couches, gold upholstered chairs, a beautiful chandelier, and nice artwork on the walls
Warm and welcoming lobby of The Marshall House in Savannah GA with a fireplace surrounded by bookshelves and two blue leather couches nearby
That’s a B&W portrait of Mary Marshall’s husband, Colonel James Marshall, above the fireplace.

During the hotel’s renovation, workers discovered various artifacts such as old tools, albums, signs, Starland Dairy milk bottles, and much more.

Many of those items are currently on display in the upper levels of the hotel.

Sign denoting artifacts found during the renovation of The Marshall House coupled with an old sign, a rusted tool, and an antique Budweiser can
Vintage and rusted metal sign with "Peter Pauls Mounds 5 Cents Chocolate - Cocoanut" on it
Vintage glass bottles displayed on a lighted shelf inside The Marshall House
Old green glass bottles and an old leather bound journal on display next to a bottle with the label partially destroyed

One of their rumored discoveries was so strange that they reportedly had to halt the renovation work so the area could be marked as a crime scene! (More on that below.)

While the hotel has quite a unique past, it’s also really beautiful.

I consider it the perfect place to combine your love for history and mystery!

A vintage wooden LugoLake turntable with a copper gramophone sits in the lobby of The Marshall House against a backdrop of colorful art
A vintage style turntable sits against a backdrop of colorful art in the lobby of The Marshall House.

So is The Marshall House Savannah Haunted?

My Magic 8 Ball says… signs point to yes.

There’s a pretty decent chance this hotel is actually haunted, mainly due to it’s long and multifaceted history.

Members of my private Facebook group about Savannah seem to think so, too.

I’ve posted about some of their experiences below.

Visitors and employees who have spent time at The Marshall House also say there have been plenty of occurrences that certainly make it seem haunted.

For example…

Bones Beneath the Floorboards

When the renovation in the late 1990s was halted, rumor has it the work stopped because construction crews discovered human skeletal remains beneath some of the floorboards!

As the story goes, the area was marked as a crime scene, and renovations were put on hold while various body parts were sent out to the crime lab.

When the lab results came back, the paperwork stated the bones were from the Civil War era.

Local ghost tour guides will tell you historians concluded the body parts were concealed under the floorboards during the years when the building was used as a Union Army hospital and were likely the amputated limbs of soldiers.

Now…is any of that true?

I haven’t found any newspaper clippings to support it, but I’m still on the hunt!

Looking down a hallway at The Marshall House at historic wooden floorboards, a few of which have obviously been cut and then placed back in the same position at some point in time. The baseboards in the hallway are painted white and the walls yellow
Whether there are bones beneath those boards or not, they sure are pretty!

You’d think something so remarkable that happened as recently as the late ’90s would’ve been mentioned in the Savannah Morning News, wouldn’t you?

I’m guilty of spreading the rumor myself, since I mentioned it in early versions of my Savannah First-Timer’s Guide ebook. But after researching it, I’ve yet to find definitive proof.

I’d be happy to be proven wrong, though!

Others certainly seem to think it’s a possibility, since many guests claim they’ve spotted the ghosts of soldiers with missing limbs roaming the halls.

Unexplained Sights, Sounds, and…Smells?

Guests and employees have encountered faucets turning off and on for no apparent reason.

They’ve also reported random flickering lights.

If you listen closely during the night, you might hear the laughter of children at play and the sound of marbles rolling down the hall.

My husband and I stayed in Room 313. Facing the building, it was the room just above the letter “O”. Every morning around 3 am it sounded like a ball rolling above our heads, down the hall, and down the steps. Then the sound would go back up the steps and we’d hear the rolling again. It woke us up every night we were there. [We] thought it was totally awesome and would 100% stay there in the same room again!

Krista H.R. (via my Savannah First-Timer’s Guide private Facebook group

In addition to the strange occurrences listed above, some guests have also reported an odd aroma in a few specific rooms.

When the hotel was being renovated in the late 90s, the staff claimed there were terrible odors emanating from Rooms 214, 314, and 414.

The smells were so “evil” (reportedly like rotting flesh), that they resorted to group prayer and blasting round-the-clock gospel music in those rooms to help eliminate the odor.

Related Reading: The 11 Most Haunted Places in Savannah, GA

Marshall House Rooms 414 & 420

Back in the Civil War era, when someone had a limb amputated, it wasn’t anywhere near the “pleasant” experience it is today.

Anesthesia wasn’t readily available in the mid-1800s, so they usually gave soldiers a swig of alcohol and then held them down while they sawed off the injured body part.

Afterwards, they stuffed it with sawdust to soak up the blood.

Good times.

According to some accounts, the uppermost floor of the hotel was the preferred area for amputations, since it was the furthest from street level and people passing by below wouldn’t hear the screams injured patients.

Since so many gruesome events reportedly occurred on that floor, it has the most haunted reputation.

Guests have pegged Room 414 as one of the most haunted rooms in the entire hotel!

I stayed in Room 414 for four nights and brought a doll hoping that somebody would play with her or move her, but they did not. However, when reviewing my recordings I heard them asking more than once if they could play with her. I loved my experience there! At one point I can share that the room did have a bad smell to it. I caught some really good EVPs [Electronic Voice Phenomenon], including one that said “here is the nurse”.

Michael T. (via my Savannah First-Timer’s Guide private Facebook group)
White sign with black frame and a gold pineapple above the room number 414
White sign with gold pineapple and black frame with the number 420

Room 420 is another that’s sometimes mentioned, like in this old TripAdvisor review.

I’d love for you to comment below if you’ve ever stayed in either and had a spooky experience!

Related Reading: You Can Actually Stay in These 3 Haunted B&Bs in Savannah

Marshall House Savannah Reviews

I’m always interested in hearing what guests say after staying at The Marshall House.

One of the ladies in my private Facebook group about Savannah posted this review after visiting in February of 2020…

The Marshall House….WE LOVED IT!!!! We arrived to champagne, balloons and cookies in our room for my birthday. The location of the hotel was great and every single staff member that we encountered was super friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was one of the best we’ve had in any hotel. Wine and cheese and coffee and cookies were provided in the lobby each night. We loved the nightly entertainment as well. One night they had guitarists and one night they had a harpist. There even was a history talk one evening. We loved the character of the building and while walking down the halls we tried to envision what it was like years ago. Despite the age of the hotel, everything was spotless. The concierge arranged for the trolley company to pick us up at the hotel and take us to the Visitor’s Center.

– LeeAnne, Savannah First-Timer’s Guide reader

There are hundreds of reviews online that point out the spooky hotel’s fantastic location towards the center of Broughton Street.

I love that it’s within easy walking distance to everything in the Historic District!

All the opportunities for free food included with your stay are another major perk. Each nightly stay includes breakfast at Bistro45.

The evening wine and cheese reception mentioned in LeeAnne’s review is also really popular. It’s held from 5 – 6:30 pm.

I’m not sure if the bellman still gives his nightly history talk that she mentioned, since it was discontinued for a while during the pandemic.

I also think The Marshall House is one of the most festive holiday hotels in Savannah. Their lobby includes a unique Christmas tree that’s shaped like a pineapple — the symbol of Southern hospitality.

Finally, let’s not forget the haunted factor! Many reviewers who came here looking for a scare felt like their money was well-spent.

Nighttime scene along Broughton Street with street lamps glowing in the mist and a silhouette of two people in the distance
The Marshall House consistently gets “5-stars” for spookiness.

The Marshall House | 123 E Broughton Street | Check Rates

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Click below to search for the best rates on hotels in Savannah’s Historic District. (I always recommend staying within the boundaries of the Historic District if it’s within your budget!)



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Looking at the upper two floors of the exterior of The Marshall House from an elevated view across the street

Savannah Vacation Planner

If you’re planning to a trip to Savannah, here are a few additional resources I’ve created to help you out.

  • Free Resources Library – When you sign up for my email list, you’ll get a checklist of “50 Things To Do On Foot in the Historic District (No Car Necessary)” and other helpful printables.
  • Savannah First-Timer’s Guide – My ebook combines my most helpful Savannah travel tips from this website in one handy downloadable guide.

When you purchase my ebook, you’ll also gain access to a private Facebook group where you can ask questions about your trip and get advice from others who have recently visited.

Do you have any questions about The (haunted) Marshall House? If so, let me know in the comments below!

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Pinnable B&W image of the exterior of The Marshall House showing the iron veranda
Pinnable image of the fron entrance of The Marshall House haunted by a clipart image of a ghost at night

Erin authored the Savannah First-Timer's Guide and loves helping first-time visitors plan their trips. She lives in the artsy Starland District and enjoys exploring Savannah's hidden gems, as well as the surrounding Lowcountry.