Old Candler Hospital

Established in 1804 as Georgia's first hospital, this building served both Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War and housed POWs around the old oak tree. Now a law school, but its dark history remains.

The Old Candler Hospital holds the distinction of being Georgia's first hospital, established in 1804 as the Savannah Poor House and Hospital. It operated continuously until the 1980s, witnessing nearly two centuries of suffering, death, and epidemics that have left an indelible spiritual mark on the property.

The hospital's darkest chapter came during Savannah's devastating yellow fever epidemics. The 1854 outbreak claimed 1,040 lives, and 1876 saw another 1,066 souls perish. To prevent public panic over the mounting death toll, the hospital concealed bodies in underground tunnels - the infamous "Morgue Tunnels" - transporting the deceased in carriages under cover of night to mass graves.

According to an 1884 Savannah Morning News article, the underground morgue was state-of-the-art, described as "probably no superior morgue in the United States" - cool, clean, and perfectly ventilated. But the bodies of the diseased accumulated faster than they could be buried. When the city banned burial of yellow fever victims due to fears of "deathly vapors," many remains may have been left in shallow graves around the hospital grounds.

The massive Candler Oak stands on the grounds - 16 feet in circumference and nearly 300 years old. Known as "The Hanging Tree," apparitions are seen dangling from its branches at night. Civil War soldiers from both Confederate and Union armies who received treatment here still patrol the abandoned buildings. Photographers have captured ghost soldiers near the old hospital and morgue.

The underground morgue still exists and has become a focal point for ghost tours, though access is restricted. Visitors report whispers, footsteps, and an overwhelming sense of dread in the tunnels where thousands of yellow fever victims awaited their final journey.