Savannah Spectres and Other Strange Tales

by Margaret Wayt Debolt

Savannah and the Georgia coast, with its old plantations, huge ancient oaks hung with Spanish moss, and tales of pirates, wars, fevers, African voodoo, and other supernatural doings, has always been a legendary and tragically romantic place. In this book, antebellum estates, house museums, long-conquered forts, and restored townhouses are visited with a noted psychic investigator in order to learn what it is like to live and work in these places today. The result is some seventy stories, skillfully interwoven with the heritage of the area's colorful past, and illustrated with over thirty photos and sketches by local artists. Incidents of precognition, extrasensory perception, deja vu and possible reincarnation are included in this personal and highly readable account of a search for the deeper meaning of life and death through psychic experience.

Genres: Paranormal, Nonfiction, Ghost Stories, History, Short Stories, American History, Mystery

295 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1984

Reviews

[Ginny · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book while staying at a B&B on Tybee Island, just outside of Savannah. I picked it up on a day that we were all stuck inside do to a very strong gale and rain storm. Just the kind of day for ghost stories. It was interesting in that we could go see some of the places in the book. I expected a little more personal experiences or first hand stories about some of the spirits as Savannah is supposed to be one of the most haunted cities in America. I don't think I would have rated the book as as 3 star if it wasn't due to the timing of me reading it.

[East Bay J · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took a long time for me to read this book. This wasn’t due to it being poorly written or uninteresting. It was because:

1) I’ve been working on a clone of the 60’s Rangemaster Treble Booster. This is a guitar effects pedal for those who don’t know. It was used by cats like Tony Iommi, Brian May, Marc Bolan, some guy named Eric Clapton, etc. It took a while because I had to wait for parts to come in then would discover I was missing something and have to order that. Then the emitter lead on the NOS (new old stock) germanium transistor I bought snapped off and I had to order another one of those. That’s about when I got wise and ordered two. I finally got the thing finished and it didn’t work. Yesterday, however, my friend, Craig, looked it over and discovered the problem; no power to the effect. Good. Grief. One wire installation later and it’s working like a champ.

2) I got a smart phone. So did my wife. We don’t talk much anymore. Just a lot of beeps and boops from our tiny, handheld entertainment devices. I’d like to tell y’all that I’ve been using the Kindle app to read books on my phone but... well, I ain’t gonna’ lie to you. I have not. I also don’t like reading books on computers. No, it’s been all about video games and weird, significantly useless apps. I am happy to report that the novelty is wearing off and I’m feeling better now.

3) I’ve been playing more guitar. I used to be pretty good. Seriously. Now I’m just kind of sloppy and irreverent. I’m takin’ it back, though. It’s going okay. I can play “Cold Gin” a lot better, that’s for sure.

Savannah, Georgia has to be the most haunted city in the U.S. I’m sure there are more intensely haunted cities in Europe but I don’t think anyone stateside can compete with the sheer magnitude of supernatural phenomena taking place in Savannah. Is every other house haunted? Yes. Every. Other. One. If you grew up in Savannah, there’s no way you could not believe in ghosts. I believe in ghosts though I’ve never seen one or been haunted by one. I wasn’t sure about reincarnation until I saw a show on the History channel last night that more or less settled it for me. I’m in. UFOs seem pretty likely. I don’t know about Bigfoot but , if we’re not careful, 100 years from now, people will debate the existence of whales and trees.

“Look; there’s just no way giant mammals used to swim around in the ocean!”

“Plants? Creating oxygen? Bearing fruit? Providing shade? C’mon!”

You know what drives me nuts? These TV shows where some goofballs go into haunted houses with the negative setting on their cameras and spend a great deal of time proving exactly and precisely nothing. Have you seen that show where they get celebrities to recount supernatural experiences they’ve had? Ridiculous. You can’t trust celebrities, especially when they’re on TV talking about things.

This is a good book, especially if you're into ghosts and plan on being in the Savannah area.

[James Caskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fellow local author who also wrote a ghost book about Savannah, I can easily admit that Savannah Spectres was a huge influence on me and my work. SS has been like the Holy Bible for those of us in the ghost tour trade: Ms. DeBolt's work will forever be the standard by which we are all judged (and rightly so).

This book belongs on every Savannahian's shelf, along with Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook: Recipes and Recollections from Her Savannah Table, Behind the Moss Curtain, and Other Great Savannah Stories, and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I collect these ghost books from where ever I travel and this one
was really good! It was full of history more than anything.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you have travelled to Savannah, you are aware of how much they take pride in their historic landmarks & their pirate legacy. As many southerners love to embellish a story, these tales are fun to read.

[Jenifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savannah is one of my favorite places to visit. I loved learning some of the scary history.

[Roni · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me LOVE Savannah, GA

[julia o · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big fan of ghost stories, particularly ones that take place in Savannah. This book definitely delivered on the history and haunted aspects. However, it was at times extremely focused on ESP and psychic connections with places and events, something I am very hesitant to mark as fact being a skeptic myself. I believe the problem here was my personal lack of knowledge on these topics and it also may not help that like I said, I am skeptical of them. That being said, I love folklore, ghost stories, and Savannah, there was plenty enough of all of these things to go around! As an avid consumer of Savannah ghost stories, I found myself not knowing a few of the tales and places that I am now hoping to visit sometime soon. DeBolt included very detailed descriptions of the haunted locations that she mentioned. She diligently contextualized this with the history of the city at the time period that the stories would be taking place.

I really loved the personal aspects of this story as well. DeBolt has a clear voice and an interesting perspective. The interviews with everyday Savannahians and even a controversial figure, Jim Williams, who you may know of from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil (likely interviewed before the murder/trials). There were some stories that were passed off as definite proof in the supernatural that I personally thought could just be coincidence. I also tended to enjoy the later chapters less; this may be because they were shorter and focused on small events that again seemed more coincidental. I recommend those who are unfamiliar with the layout of the city have Google Maps open, as the wording about streets and sites did get confusing at times. Either way I enjoyed the book and think it's a great fit for history and paranormal lovers.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book! Now, I will say upfront I'm biased as I'm from the area and have heard about and seen several of the locations mentioned, and heard some of the stories as well.

Even if you're not into ghost stories, there's a lot in here about Savannah's history that is interesting on its own.

I highly recommend this one, but once again, keep in mind I am a little biased and you may not find the stories as interesting as I do.

[Endangered · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not big into the ESP stuff towards the end, and the beginning definitely was a bit slow. Some stories were short and lacking in detail where as some were lengthy and provided overwhelming historical detail. Not bad overall. I definitely noticed quite a few typos and errors, which was a bit unexpected..

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent collection of ghost stories with some interesting history. The beginning was a bit slow and the last few "chapters" were more about ESP, precognition, etc. which really wasn't my interest.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quit because she insisted upon referring to the Civil War as "the war between the states." Also the slave ghosts just couldn't stop haunting the homes they'd "loved" when she meant "forced to servitude in."

[Denise Ballentine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for historical context of the city Savannah Georgia, as we are planning a trip. Used to help locate historic sites. Skimmed over parts I didn't find pertinent. Bought a used copy at a local used book store for a song. Probably will see it in all the gift shops there.

[Vickie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book loved reading about places I know of!

[Elizabeth Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed all of the history in this book.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A ghostly history book that I really enjoyed reading.

[Joy Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting. Kinda of jumpy reading in some places.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was okay.

[BookishBane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great look at the mystifying specters that haunt Savannah and its surrounding areas. A great spooky read for the month of October.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little cheesy, especially if you don't believe in this stuff, but interesting history if you have been to & love the buildings & sites of Savannah.

[Russell Sanders · Rating 2 out of 5]

Margaret Wayt DeBolt’s Savannah Spectres and Other Strange Tales is typical of a certain kind of book sold at tourist destinations. A local writes a book specific to the area, it is published by a small, independent publisher, and then it is sold at gift shops and bookstores in the town, targeted at tourists. I’m a sucker for these things. I’ve bought them time and again, for they provide local insight into the history of the area or an event that happened there or a landmark. So Savannah Spectres is no different from most of these books. If they were written by fine writers for a wider audience appeal, they would find their way to bestseller lists. But, instead, they are relegated to a narrow audience, hoping that if enough tourists find them and buy them, they will become regionally successful. And DeBolt’s book is successful, apparently, for it was written in 1984 and is now in its seventeenth printing. I enjoyed its tidbits of history told to make the reader aware of the places where ghost sightings occurred. The rest, depending upon your personal beliefs, is hokum. Yes, I believe there is a supernatural force in the world and that people do get “messages” from the dead. But so much of this seemed like wishful thinking or outright stories made up by people eager to jump on DeBolt’s bandwagon. It was fun, but it was sometimes tedious. How many times does one need to hear of a woman who died in a house and now sits in the rocking chair regularly? Or a child who perished and comes back to tell us he/she is okay? These and other scenarios are repeated over and over again in this book. For those who want history, who want local color, who want to believe, the book is fun. But please! The cover blurb says that DeBolt is an award-winning newspaper writer. I assume she had an editor at the Savannah-News Press. That editor obviously didn’t follow her on this book. It has misspellings and wrong word choices, i.e. mischievious; collaborate instead of corroborate; preceded instead of proceeded. And—the thing that ran me up the wall—it is riddled with comma errors. One would think that somewhere along the way since 1984, before an additional printing, someone would have edited the thing.

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really looking forward to some good ghost stories and I'm so disappointed. I'm almost done with the book and the stories are just getting worse. So far there was only one story worth reading and it wasn't worth the price of the book. The typos are a distraction and also adds to the disappointment in the book. I wouldn't recommend it.

[no elle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Written like an extraordinarily long pamphlet with a bad/lame sense of humor. I'm pretty sure it's not a "real" book; rather, one of those useless books you find in gift shops. Blech.

I could be reading a little too much into it, but there's some subtle racism. Not too surprised, really.

Also: I'm not racist, I have a black ghost.

[Karen Zach]

Mixed emotions here - this book would be really interesting then go into a deep, boring part. Never really read much in this genre so don't have much to compare it to. Got the book free, so it was worth the read that way. Full of short tales of so-called ghosts in the Savannah area, if nothing else, it was indeed entertaining.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're planning a trip to Savannah, this is a good book to pick up. It details many of the local ghost encounters and at the same time shares a lot of history about many landmarks and homes you will see. Savannah is a beautiful city with a lot of history and architecture. The information in this book adds another layer of depth to that history. It is a good and easy read.

[R-M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I am partial to all things to Savannah, so I am hard pressed to write anything negative. Overall, it was an engaging read which provided an intriguing look at both the ghosts and history of Savannah.

[Jessie (saxgrl1) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I originally purchased this book on a Girl Scout trip to Savannah. At the time, I loved all things Ghosts and loved this book. Re-reading it now just doesn't have the excitement for me that it used to. Thanks to Ghost Hunters, I need some debunking before believing these stories now.

[Krista Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read this book so many times it's not even funny. I absolutely enjoy it every time I read it.

[Lori Kersey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Book! Very informative for you Ghost lovers!