The Pirates House Restaurant - Savannah, GA - In The Footsteps Of Captain Flint

The Pirates House

Legend has it that the fictional character of Captain Flint from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island", was based on an actual pirate that died in the building that currently houses The Pirates House Restaurant.  As the story goes, Stevenson sailed from Scotland to America in the Spring of 1879 when he heard of the failing health of a woman from San Francisco that he had met and fallen in love with at Fontainebleau in 1876.  Many believe that his trans-Atlantic journey took him to Savannah prior to his arduous venture across the country.  It is during this time period that Stevenson would have come into contact with the seafaring scoundrels who frequented the tavern near the river, which is now referred to as The Pirates House (click this link to learn more about the hauntings of The Pirate House).  It is here where he would have heard the stories about the men who were plied with alcohol, dragged through the tunnel that connected the basement of the inn to the river and shanghaied (or killed if they tried to resist) by unscrupulous sea captains who needed sailors to help them make raids on British and Spanish galleons in the Caribbean.  Also, he would have heard of the sea captain who died in the upstairs bedroom while screaming for more rum (now that is dedication). From these tales came the legendary character of Captain Flint and the story of Treasure Island, which references Savannah several times throughout the book. With such a storied past, it is no wonder that The Pirates House is believed to be haunted.  In fact, The Pirates House was even included in the book "The World's Most Haunted Places, Revised Edition: From the Secret Files of Ghostvillage.com" written by Jeff Belanger, writer/researcher/for Ghost Adventures & founder of ghostvillage.com.

Skull Crusher In A Souvenir Mug @ The Pirates House

The Pirates House is not only haunted but it actually has really good food and a fantastic atmosphere.  The cuisine is top notch even though it does play heavily to tourists and some might think it is a little kitchy.  I have eaten at the restaurant twice, been on three tours of the building and hung out at the bar a couple times, and I have never been disappointed.  As far as the hauntings go, we have never seen a pirate walk through a wall or a disembodied voice scream out for rum at The Pirates House, but we have taken many photos in the rum cellar with orbs.  The following images were taken during our first visit to Savannah in 2011.  Notice that most of the orbs are focused in the area around the center of the infilled wall (where the entrance to the tunnel leading to the river used to be), and at the top of the wall where the hole is located.

Two Orbs Near The Lady's Head & Multiple Orbs At The Hole At The Top Of The Wall

Single Orb On The Lady's Back

Two Orbs Over The Woman's Shoulder  At The Filled In Tunnel Entrance

Single Orb On My Hand Holding The Chain

Several Orbs Near The Wall Opening & Between The Floor Joists

We also recorded the following evps during our first visit to the rum cellar.  This evp is of a woman who evidently doesn't believe the tour guide's theory about  large bodies of water amplifying spiritual energy.  A evp, such as this, that responds to the statements or behaviors of the living, is usually characterized as an intelligent haunting.



The next evp was recorded in the restaurant near the entrance to the rum tunnel.  The voice that comes forward in the middle of the audio clip is very out of place and creepy.  Also, in contrast to the first evp, the statements made in the recording don't seem to relate to anything that was happening in the room at the time. This is pretty typical of what is referred to as a residual haunting (see stone tape theory).



On our second visit to Savannah, we once again booked the Ghostly Nights and Pirates House Tour & Dinner in Savannah through Savannah Tours.  We realized how great a deal it was during our first visit, so we decided to give it another shot.  It turned out to be a great value since the price (+/- $52.00) includes a dinner at The Pirates House, tour of the rum cellar and a paranormal tour (which included multiple stops, including a full tour of the Sorrel Weed House).  It is a particularly good deal since it is the only tour that I know of that allows you to go down into the rum cellar of The Pirates House.  During this visit, we once again encountered visual and auditory anomalies during the tour. In the following two photos, you can see an orb near a Halloween display that the staff set up in the rum cellar.

Single Orb Above The Skull On The Pirate Flag.

Single Orb In The Upper Right Hand Corner Of The Photo

The next photo was taken in another portion of the rum cellar with a Halloween display of a person hanging upside down.  Over my left shoulder you can see an orb near the ankle of the hanging figure.

Single Orb On The Right Side Of The Photo Near The Ankle Of The Hanging Figure

In the last photo you can see a bright orb towards the top of the stairs leading up to the second floor.

Single Orb Near Top Of Stair Leading To The Second Floor

Finally, the audio recordings that we took in the rum cellar and in the restaurant that evening yielded the following evps.  These seem to be totally random evps that don't connect in any way to one another.









Even without knowing the back story to the following evp, it still is really sad when you hear the tone in the little boy's voice.



Don't ask me what is going on in this next recording.  My best guess is that there are two guys fighting over a girl and she is loving every minute of it (in fact she is excited about it apparently).



I know that those of you who have recorded & listened many evps are used to hearing random, disturbing things during playback.  However, just in case you have not encountered this in the past, I would like to make you aware that the following evp may be offensive to some people.  If you do not wish to listen to material of this nature, please do not play the following audio clip.



Well that is a heck of a way to end it, but that's all I have from The Pirates House.  Please share your thoughts about the evidence as well as your experiences at The Pirates House if you have been there.

In the next few blogs, I will present the remaining evidence that my wife and I have collected at various locations throughout Savannah, before we move on to our next location; New Orleans!