The Old Candler Hospital Morgue Tunnel

The Old Candler Hospital was Georgia’s first hospital, located in Savannah. It was chartered in 1804 and is recognized as the second oldest continuously operating hospital in the United States. But the Old Candler Hospital now lies in ruin, the hospital itself joining forces with St. Joseph’s and moving locations.

While the Old Candler Hospital was known for its outstanding patient care, it is also known as one of the most haunted places in all of Georgia.

If you’re lucky enough to take a tour of the old property, you will find a massive Candler Oak, 16 feet in circumference on the grounds. The tree is nearly 300 years old, and is often referred to as The Hanging Tree. Sometimes at night, you can catch a glimpse of an apparition hanging from the tree.

Perhaps the most intriguing, and haunted part of the Old Candler Hospital is the morgue tunnel. This tunnel runs from the hospital, and under Forsyth Park. This tunnel was used as a staging area for the bodies of the recently deceased.

In 1876, when the largest yellow fever epidemic hit the city of Savannah, a large number of people died in the Old Candler Hospital. Yellow fever was an illness that completely ravaged the human body. You would come down with a fever, then your organs would start to fail. You would vomit a thick black fluid that looked like coffee grounds. There was no cure.

With such a large number of people dying from yellow fever, tunnels were dug and secret burials were made throughout Savannah. While no one knows where many of these burials are now (you could be standing on one anywhere you happen to walk throughout the city), many are located in a tunnel that ran underneath Forsyth Park. The tunnel, having no exit, was merely a place to put the bodies of the dead, without having to bring them to the surface.

Forsyth Park is one of the most visited squares in all of Savannah. Numerous people come here to get married, kids spend their afternoons playing, and having fun – all the while beneath their feet, lie the bodies of the dead.

You can visit the Old Candler Hospital Morgue Tunnel. The ghosts of the departed spend much of their time hanging around the tunnel, not sure where to go to next. Check out Blue Orb Tours or Ghost City Tours for more.

Next up: Waverly Hills Sanatorium