In the shadowed corners of Savannah’s past, there’s the tale of the Old Candler Hospital. This story, draped in mystery and whispers of the macabre, begins in the early 19th century.
The Old Candler Hospital was the first hospital in Georgia. But it’s not its long history of healthcare that chills the spine; it’s the legend of its underground tunnel. This tunnel, they say, was not just a passage, but a channel to the afterlife, a place where the line between life and death blurred.
The Old Candler Hospital
The Old Candler Hospital in Savannah, Georgia, steeped in history and shrouded in mystery, has a past as captivating as the city itself.
Established in 1804, it holds the distinction of being the first hospital in Georgia and one of the oldest continuously operating hospitals in the Southeastern United States until its closure in the early 1980s.
It was originally known as Savannah Poor House and Hospital. During this time, a visit to the hospital was the last resort because medical knowledge in the early to mid-1800s was limited. It then served both Confederate and Union soldiers in the Civil War. This period left an unforgettable mark on the building, contributing to its haunted legacy.
Perhaps the most chilling time in the hospital was during the Yellow Fever epidemic. During the 19th century, waves of Yellow Fever hit Savannah. The hospital played a vital role for Savannahians who struggled with the fever. It was during these times that the underground tunnels, often discussed in local lore, were supposedly used to transport the bodies of those who succumbed to the fever in an effort to prevent panic in the community. You see, according to lore, the hospital didn’t want the community to see just how many people were dying daily there from the fever, so they’d hide the bodies in the underground tunnel and have them carried away in carriages under the guise of night to mass graves.
After all of that, the hospital underwent various expansions and modernization. In the 1930s, it was rebranded as Candler Hospital. The Chandlers were a prominent local family who contributed to its development. The hospital was closed in the early 1980s when a new facility was built in another Savannah location. The historic building fell into disrepair for a while but has since been preserved with all the glory of its architecture and charm.
Throughout its long history, the Old Candler Hospital has been a witness to the evolution of medical practices, the upheavals of war, and the tragedies of disease. Its legacy is a tapestry of care and healing but also of the challenges and limitations of medicine in earlier times. With its stately architecture, the building itself has become a symbol of Savannah’s rich and complex history, encompassing moments of triumph and tragedy.
The Tunnels of the Old Candler Hospital
One of the most haunting aspects of the hospital was its use of underground tunnels. During the devastating yellow fever epidemics, these tunnels played a grim role. The bodies of those who succumbed to the illness were secretly transported through this underground passage to avoid public panic. It was a morgue, a home for the dead, as they awaited where their bodies may finally be laid to rest. Imagine the hushed footsteps of the hospital staff, carrying away the departed under the cloak of night through this shadowy corridor.
But the tales grow darker still. Whispered rumors suggest that some patients, in the throes of fever, were mistakenly believed dead and carried away to this tunnel, their faint cries echoing unheard in its depths. The tunnel, it’s said, is haunted by these lost souls, forever wandering its confines, trapped in an eternal limbo.
My husband and I have been in the tunnels. In 2009, long before we moved to Savannah, we took a late-night tour that included a stop at the infamous tunnel. It was so dark that night you couldn’t see anything that wasn’t lit by a streetlight. The building was in disrepair until 2012, when the Savannah Law School began restoration. After it closed in 2018, the Savannah College of Art and Design, or SCAD, purchased the building. So in 2009, when we visited, it looked spooky—and that’s putting it mildly.
There were only a few of us on the tour. I can’t explain how creepy it was to walk down the dank, dark, low-ceilinged passages, knowing that all along the walls, there were once probably thousands of people who had moved from this life to the next in that very space. It was heartbreaking. There was a feeling of being hidden, almost like a secret—like something that wanted to be forgotten. I believe that was the building’s impression—these tunnels weren’t meant for the public to see. Everything done within them was to be kept hushed. These people weren’t honored; they were forgotten.
Our guide told us that one of the tunnels is rumored to end abruptly under Forsyth Park. There’s no exit from that tunnel, and it’s been long rumored that one of the mass, hidden graves of the Yellow Fever epidemic is under Forsyth Park—the picturesque park that holds Savannah’s iconic fountain. This has not been confirmed, though. Historically, we don’t know where the mass graves for these souls are. They were never marked. So, just like everywhere in Savannah, if you live on what would then be the outskirts of downtown, your home may be sitting on one of them. Who knows? I want to plant a garden this year, but I don’t feel comfortable digging in my yard because of my proximity to downtown. Some things we are better off not knowing, you know? Some things need to stay buried.
I couldn’t find anywhere that offers a tour of the tunnels anymore. I’ve heard they’re closed to the public, but I’m not certain. Yet, those who pass by the old structure, perhaps on a stroll through Forsyth Park, can’t help but feel the weight of its history, a reminder of the thin veil between life and death, and the stories that linger in the shadows of Savannah’s past.
Music Credits: Ghostpocalypse – 6 Crossing the Threshold by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
