The Haunted Foley House Inn in Savannah
The Foley House Inn is a beloved landmark in Savannah, Georgia, with a history that has captivated both visitors and locals for decades. The mystery surrounding the Foley House only deepened in 1987 when construction workers uncovered a skeleton hidden within one of its walls.
Who haunts the Foley House Inn?
Many believe the skeleton found in the wall of the home belongs to a murder victim, concealed for nearly a century. Read on to uncover the identity, and for more twisted tales of Savannah, book a ghost tour with Savannah Terrors!
The Story of the Foley House Inn
The Foley House Inn, built in 1896, stands as a testament to Savannah’s rich and storied past. Honoria Foley, a widow and the owner of the property commissioned the inn as one of the city’s first bed and breakfasts. It was erected on the ashes of a previous home, destroyed in the great fire of 1899. The original home had served as a boarding house, and like much of Savannah, the land it was built on is believed to rest atop the graves of early settlers.
Honoria Foley was a shrewd businesswoman who ensured her family’s prosperity after the death of her husband, Owen Foley, a wealthy Irish immigrant. Thanks to her financial acumen and dedication to her business, her family, including her son-in-law and grandchildren, lived comfortably in the inn.
The Murder
The tranquility of the Foley House was shattered by a terrifying event that would leave its mark on the inn forever. A male guest began making unwanted advances toward Mrs. Foley, and one night, he took it too far. As he entered her bedroom uninvited, Honoria, in a desperate act of self-defense, struck him with a candlestick. The blows proved fatal, and the man died on her bedroom floor.
Faced with the prospect of losing her inn and possibly her freedom, Honoria made a fateful decision. With the help of a carpenter friend, she hid the man’s body within one of the inn’s walls, where it remained undisturbed for nearly a century. Honoria confessed to the crime on her deathbed in 1914, but her story was so unbelievable that many dismissed it as the ramblings of a dying woman.
It wasn’t until the late 1980s that the truth behind Honoria’s confession was unearthed—literally. During renovations, a skeleton was discovered inside the walls of the Foley House Inn. While the body was too decomposed to be positively identified, the discovery confirmed the gruesome tale of a hidden murder.
Hauntings at the Foley House Inn
Following the discovery, guests and staff began reporting strange and unexplainable phenomena. One of the most famous accounts comes from a guest named Jerri, who stayed at the inn during a business trip in 2008. Unaware of the inn’s haunted history, Jerri was startled one night when she was shoved aside by a man rushing past her. But it wasn’t the rudeness of the act that frightened her—it was the man’s appearance. His face was pale and lifeless, with dark, sunken eyes. He vanished through the door, leaving Jerri frozen in shock.
Later, as Jerri recounted the experience to the inn’s staff, she was informed that the spot where the man’s footsteps had disappeared was the exact location where the skeleton had been found years earlier. Was this the restless spirit of Honoria’s victim, trying to reveal his final resting place? Or was it a ghost still consumed by anger and unable to move on from the tragedy of his death?
Other guests have reported seeing a man in a top hat wandering the inn’s gardens. This spirit has become so familiar to the staff that they’ve named him “Wally.” Cold spots are frequently reported throughout the inn, and there is also the ghost of a small girl who is known to scream in the parlor during moments of silence.
The Foley House Inn Today
The Foley House Inn remains one of Georgia’s oldest and most charming bed and breakfasts. Guests are drawn to its historical beauty, but many stay for the thrill of encountering one of its resident spirits. Whether it’s a meeting with Wally in the garden, a glimpse of the screaming girl, or an unexpected push from a spectral hand, the Foley House Inn offers an experience that is as eerie as it is enchanting.
Check out our website for more haunted tales of Savannah, and to see some of these locations, book a ghost tour with Savannah Terrors!
Sources:
