The Marshall House is a beautiful historic hotel in Savannah, but… is it actually haunted?
Nearly every night of the week, you’ll find groups of Savannah ghost tours gathered beneath the streetlights in front of the hotel seeking the answer to that very question!
Since it’s considered one of the most haunted hotels in Savannah, Georgia, visitors come from far and wide hoping to catch a glimpse of the spirits that reportedly roam its halls.
Even if you aren’t into all things spooky, I consider it one of the top Savannah Historic District hotels. Readers love it, too, and often write to tell me how much they enjoyed staying there.
If you’re feeling adventurous, I’d say a stay at The Marshall House should be on your radar. Just be prepared, since it isn’t for the faint of heart!
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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 Savannah tips from this website into one handy downloadable guide.
Table of Contents
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 extensive and impressive history!
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!
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 has operated as a popular hotel for the majority of its existence — although at times the name changed to reflect the identity of the proprietor at the time.
Learn More: If you’re interested in discovering more about the notable women who have helped shape Savannah into what it is today, you might enjoy taking this women’s history walking tour.
The End of the Mary 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 day the name was reclaimed and it was renovated to become the modern and updated property it is today.
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 throughout the upper levels of the hotel.
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!
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.
Many readers seem to think so, too, and 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 unusual 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!
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.
However, 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 inside the hotel 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 or 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 then blasted 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 the wound 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)
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 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 of 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.
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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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!
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.
I am not a fan of haunted things, but I always love reading about them! The Marshall House has a cool background, but I would never stay in it lol!! This is such a fun read!
OMG I love haunted places! Toally pinning this for my next trip over. xx
What a compelling story. I believe it is haunted from all the evidence you give. I’d like staying in a haunted hotel. Never a dull moment.
Well as beautiful as it is, I think I’d only really want to take a tour and not stay overnight. I don’t need to be messing with ghosts haha. But the history is so interesting! So glad that I’m living in modern medicine times.
This is so interesting! I’m going to Savannah soon, and I’ll definitely use this!
Wow we are here right now and in room 313… we’ll see if the 3am ball roll is still happening. Just got here so nothing to report yet…
Oohhhhhh, how fun! Can’t wait to hear how it goes 🙂
We are here now in room 406. Nice hospitable hotel but be careful what you wish for. I didn’t sleep much last night. I feel the presence of spirits, but I am very sensitive to things like that. I didn’t even know about the background until I looked it up on the internet this morning. If you are nervous about the paranormal I would recommend another choice. If you are adventurous by all means book a stay.
The food is not free – it’s in the amenities fee.
Still worth the stay! The people/rooms/location are awesome!
I went on a girls trip to Hilton Head. One girl asked if I would go to Savanna for a few days afterward.
She booked The Marshall House and described it as a “historical hotel”. On our first night I was asleep and woke up to the feeling that something or someone was holding me down. I looked up and saw a tall man wearing a big hat and a long coat. I couldn’t see his face and suddenly he was gone. Needless to say I didn’t go back to sleep.
It wasn’t until the next day when I learned more about the hotel. That happened 9 years ago.
I think about it often and wonder if others have ever had an experience like it.
How spooky! I don’t think I could’ve slept after that, either. Do you want me to add your experience to the post as a quote? If so, just let me know!
I’m going to the Marshall House on my birthday soon, so I’m looking toward for that. I have been there once when I was 11. The only thing I remember was that there was a big white flying orb in one of the photos I made. It didn’t look like dust though. I’ll reply if I get anything else later on 🙂
I’m staying here with a friend in October. I can’t wait to see if anything happens & share with this site!
Spent 3 nights at the Marshall house early Dec 2022. Beautiful old hotel. Drove up from Charleston with another couple from Virginia who had made reservations for us. My wife and I are from California and enjoy traveling and visiting historic and beautiful cities like Savanah. I’m a bit of a history buff so I enjoy reading about the history of the area and places we stay at. Our friends had made our hotel reservations for us beforehand and I was curious about the Marshall House. Did a little research and read about paranormal activity, ghosts, and amputated bones found under the floorboards!.
Most of these strange occurrences seemed to be happening on the 4th floor of the hotel. Our traveling companions from Virginia have several tombstones on their property which I’ve always found unnerving.
And of course there are stories that go along with those 18th century markers. My wife and friends have me pegged as “Just being a big sissie” Naturally our room was on the 4th floor, specifically room #412. Supposedly room #414 has a reputation of paranormal activity. Our room shares a wall. Our Virginia friends also stayed on the 4th floor for 3 nights.
There room was down the hall and around the corner. My wife and I stayed in room #412 for only 1 night. It’s a small room, with 1 bed and little else. A nice bathroom, with a bathtub shower.
We each took our respective showers and settled in tired from a long day of travel. On the right side of the bed was a chair and a long floor lamp. The room was quite warm and we turned the thermostat down to a more comfortable setting. Since I’m a big chicken I insisted on every single light including the bathroom light and television remain on all night.
My wife read and and after a short while fell asleep. I
kept watch…nothing no hallway wooden floor creaking, no lights flickering, no abnormal sounds or apparition. Around 3 o’clock I’m awaken by my wife’s scream. Its 3:am in the morning and I she tells me someone or something had grabbed her above her right ankle and pulled hard!. My wife is well …let’s say a non-believer.
And we have been married for forty+ years. Never has she woken me up with bad dream screaming
She goes on to say waking up because the room is still hot and once again turning the thermostat down . And wondering why I moved the floor lamp over by the wall by the thermostat. I’m of course out cold. So now the room is hot ..so we turn the thermostat down for the third time and we both wait for morning. We still have 2 more nights to look forward to. Talking to our friends over breakfast and explaining what happened they seemed skeptical. Could it have been subliminal power of suggestion? perhaps my wife having a disturbing dream? What about the thermostat and lamp ?
Anyway in the middle of our breakfast which by the way is excellent . I decide to ask for a room upgrade.
At the front desk I enquire about a different room for the remainder of our stay.
I’m told that another larger room was available.
I asked to see it. I was pleased to know it was on the second floor…as if ghosts can’t travel. On the elevator to view the room the front desk assistant politely asked was there a problem with the previous room? I explained what occurred and he was most understanding. He told me a couple of instances that he knew of. Staff and housekeepers of coarse have stories.He hoped the rest of my visit would be more pleasant and it in fact was. Such a beautiful historic hotel with a wonderful professional staff. No damage done a bit unnerving in the beginning. Btw our good friends stayed on the 4th floor and had zero issues!
Wow, that’s interesting. Thank you for sharing. 🙂 Like you, I sometimes wonder if the power of suggestion has anything to do with people having strange experiences. It’s difficult to tell. There are so many unknowns in this universe that I’m not about to question what others feel. I feel bad for your wife if she was spooked, though. I’m glad you walked away with a fun story to tell!
𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 ✍︎
I just came back from Savannah on Friday, after having stayed at the Marshall House for 4 nights. I was in town on business with some colleagues and we all stayed on different floors, with our own special experiences. Upon arrival on Monday, I loved it immediately. Such a quaint and beautiful hotel, run by the most wonderful staff. Everyone was friendly and very helpful. The first person we met was Carlton, who stepped outside immediately to help us bring our bags in and eventually upstairs. Such a kind, down to earth and charming man, with an easy going sense of humour. Seemed a bit otherworldly, like an interesting character in a Stephen King or Dean Koontz novel.
We started our first evening in the cozy library, sipping wine, and listening to a historian talk about the history of the hotel and Savannah in general. Very interesting, highly recommend! It’s typically on Monday’s from 5:00pm-6:30pm and they serve complimentary wine and cheese.
Breakfast all week was delicious. The staff warm and courteous and noticeably happy to welcome you and serve you breakfast.
My room was on the second floor. Room 202. It was kind of hidden around a corner, all by itself, with a staircase leading down to a secret door to the outside. My room was lovely, bed and bedding were super comfortable, as well as the robes that are available for our use. I had heard that the fourth floor was haunted so I didn’t expect to have any paranormal experiences where I was. The first night, around 9:30pm, I heard my door handle shaking, as though someone was trying to get in. Then it stopped. I figured it must have been someone passing by to take the stairs. Maybe the vibration of the floorboards as they walked by caused the door to shake. The next night around the same time, while I was on the phone, I heard it again. Didn’t think much about it, just figured there must be an explanation. The next day I tested it by walking around outside my door and up/down the stairs. Nothing moved, door did not budge, no shaking noise. On Wednesday night when I came back to my room, after a night out along the river, around 9:00pm, I opened the closet cabinet to get a hanger so I could change out of my clothes. When I came back to hang up my jacket, the hangers in the closet were swinging, despite there being clothes hung on them. They were swinging quite a bit. I stood there staring at them, not feeling frightened, just curious, thinking there must be an explanation. I tested that too once the hangers had stopped, even gave the cabinet a little nudge, but the hangers barely moved. The next night and my final night, I was sleeping and woke up at 1:15am to go to the bathroom. Fell back asleep and woke up again at 2:15am to go to the bathroom. Coincidence. Then at 4:15am, I woke up suddenly when I heard a very loud banging 3 times. I was awakened at the first one and the other two scared me so much I was numb. I stayed, not moving, under the covers and waited. At this point I have to say I was feeling creeped out, my whole body felt the vibration of those three loud banging noises. It sounded like it was coming from the bathroom or possibly my neighbor in 203, down the hallway on the other side of the staircase. But it really did sound like it was coming from my bathroom, right next to where my bed was. When I told my colleague she suggested it could have been the pipes knocking but it didn’t sound like pipes. The noise is very hard to describe but I can still hear it in my head when I think about it. And it was very loud, deafening. I couldn’t really sleep after that. I just stayed in bed under the covers until it was time to get up at 6:00am. Once I did get up, I was a little apprehensive still but soon got over it. When I was checking out, I asked at the front desk if anyone had reported any loud banging noises. They told me that they had not but that it was not the first time they hear about banging noises and reminded me that they do have ghosts, like it was a perfectly normal thing 😂
Overall, my stay was interesting in an all around lovely hotel that I would recommend, if you’re looking for a unique experience. If there are in fact ghosts, I think they are likely harmless and just seeking attention.
Hope you find this helpful. -Petra
Yes, that’s very interesting. Thanks so much for sharing your experience! I loved the part where the front desk employees reminded you that they DO have ghosts, after all. lol It’s such a nice hotel, and I’m glad they have a good sense of humor about it. I hope you caught up on sleep once you returned home. 🙂
Good Morning: My name is Charles Cook. I was born in Savannah in 1942. My paternal grandmother was Beatrice Geiger, the daughter of Minnie Geiger. I believe that Minnie owned the Geiger Hotel in the early 1900s. Of course, by the time I was born, the hotel was no longer in our family. I grew up on Maupas Avenue just off Habersham (across from Annette’s Dairy.)
Thank you for the interesting article on the Marshall House. My significant other and my daughter are staying there the weekend of February 23, 2024. I now live in the Tampa area.
As a kid, I remember going to The Pirates House with my dad for dinner. My family actually lived at Fort Screven on Tybee Island right on the beach. Fun times for a boy of my age.
I was looking through some old papers and found a menu from the hotel in the 1930s. Dinner was $.50.
It’s been many years since I’ve visited Savannah. We’re looking forward to it. You made it more fun. Thanks.
Charlie Cook
Oh wow, how incredible! Thank you for sharing.
Have you spoken to staff at the hotel or reached out to the Georgia Historical Society to do any research? It would be amazing to find out for sure that it was in your family at one point in time. I would LOVE to see any old photos or information about it when it was the Geiger Hotel (or the Gilbert Hotel), as there’s very little posted about it online during those two eras.
Hopefully your daughter and significant other can explore the property a good bit while they’re staying there. The walls are loaded with memorabilia that has been found on the property, and some of the items on display include paperwork with signatures from the hotel’s early days. Wouldn’t it be neat to see something with Minnie or Beatrice’s signature on it?!