Savannah: The Haunted City Sherman Spared
Savannah survived the Civil War because William Tecumseh Sherman decided to give it to Abraham Lincoln as a Christmas present rather than burn it. The city that might have been destroyed instead became a time capsule - 22 of the original 24 squares laid out in 1733 remain, the moss-draped oaks frame Greek Revival mansions, and the historic district feels like a movie set because movies actually film here. The preservation wasn't deliberate at first; Savannah simply couldn't afford to redevelop. By the time money returned, preservation had become the strategy. The city of 145,000 now markets itself as 'Hostess City of the South,' leveraging its beauty, its history, and its reputation for hauntings into a tourism economy. Savannah knows what it's selling.
The Squares
James Oglethorpe designed Savannah in 1733 with a radical plan - a grid of wards, each centered on a public square. The squares provided militia drilling grounds, markets, and social gathering spaces. Twenty-two of the original 24 squares survive, each with its own character: Chippewa with its fountains, Monterey with its monument, Forsyth Park (technically a park, not a square) with its famous fountain. Walking square to square is the essential Savannah experience - the rhythm of shade and light, the architecture framing each green space, the sense that someone planned this city for pleasure as much as function. The squares make Savannah work.
Sherman's Gift
Sherman's March to the Sea cut a 60-mile swath of destruction from Atlanta to the coast. When Sherman reached Savannah in December 1864, the city expected the worst. Instead, Sherman telegrammed Lincoln: 'I beg to present you as a Christmas gift the City of Savannah.' The reasons for sparing Savannah are debated - some say admiration for its beauty, others strategic calculation about managing a surrendering city. Whatever the reason, Savannah survived intact while Atlanta burned. The survival created the historic district that tourists visit today; Sherman's decision preserved what might have been lost.
The Ghosts
Savannah claims to be America's most haunted city - a claim multiple cities make, but Savannah backs with enthusiasm. The ghost tours are everywhere, the haunted locations catalogued and dramatized, the paranormal investigation TV shows recurring. The hauntings derive from history: Yellow fever epidemics killed thousands; the Revolutionary and Civil War dead are buried throughout; the oldest buildings have seen centuries of human drama. Whether you believe in ghosts or not, the tours provide entertaining local history wrapped in spooky packaging. Savannah has monetized its dead; the dead don't seem to mind.
Midnight
'Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,' John Berendt's 1994 book about a Savannah murder, spent over four years on the New York Times bestseller list and brought millions of tourists. The book's characters - antiques dealer Jim Williams, drag performer Lady Chablis, voodoo practitioner Minerva - became Savannah celebrities. The Mercer-Williams House where the murder occurred is now a museum. The 'Book' (locals just call it 'The Book') created modern Savannah tourism, transforming a city that outsiders barely knew into a destination that appears on every Southern travel list. One book changed everything.
Visiting Savannah
Savannah is served by Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV). The historic district is walkable; explore the squares systematically or randomly. River Street offers touristy shops and restaurants on the waterfront. The Mercer-Williams House tours cover 'Midnight' territory. Bonaventure Cemetery provides Spanish moss and sculpture. Forsyth Park is essential for the fountain and the Saturday farmers market. For food, Mrs. Wilkes Dining Room serves boarding-house-style Southern; Leopold's Ice Cream is an institution. The ghost tours depart nightly from multiple locations. The heat and humidity are brutal May through September; spring and fall are ideal.
From the Air
Located at 32.08°N, 81.09°W on the Savannah River, 15 miles from the Atlantic Ocean. From altitude, Savannah appears as a compact historic district surrounded by modern development - the regular pattern of the squares visible, the Savannah River forming the northern boundary, the marshes extending toward the coast. What appears from altitude as a small Georgia port city is one of America's most preserved urban plans - where Sherman spared what he might have burned, where the squares create rhythm and beauty, and where the ghosts draw tourists year-round.