10/09/2026
Would you spend the night in Room 204 at Savannah's famously haunted 1790 Inn?
For generations, guests have connected this room with a ghost named Anna—a heartbroken young woman whose tragic story has become one of Savannah's best-known paranormal legends.
But did Anna actually exist?
In this episode of Tales from the Tour, Carter explores the unusual history, ghost stories, and folklore surrounding the 1790 Inn, one of Savannah's most famous haunted hotels.
Even the building itself isn't quite what it appears to be.
Despite the name, the 1790 Inn wasn't simply constructed in 1790. The property we see today developed through different periods, with multiple structures eventually joined together.
The western portion was built as a duplex between 1821 and 1823, while the eastern section wasn't constructed until 1888. Some ground-level features—including slate flooring and unusually soft brick—may be older and could potentially relate to a structure that existed before Savannah's devastating 1820 fire.
So why 1790?
The name commemorates an important moment in Savannah history: the city's first free municipal elections following the American Revolution.
Then there are the ghosts.
The most famous is Anna.
According to legend, Anna was trapped in an arranged marriage but fell in love with another man. After watching her lover sail away, her story supposedly ended tragically.
Room 204 is considered the center of her activity.
Guests have reported jewelry and clothing being moved, belongings disturbed, and the unsettling sensation of someone tugging or shifting their bedcovers during the night.
It's one of Savannah's classic ghost stories.
There's just one problem:
We haven't found reliable historical evidence establishing Anna's story as fact.
For now, she belongs to Savannah folklore rather than documented history.
But Anna isn't the inn's only alleged resident.
There's also Thaddius, described as a much friendlier spirit who supposedly spends his afterlife around the restaurant and tavern.
His calling card?
Pennies.
Guests and employees tell stories of shiny pennies appearing unexpectedly, supposedly left behind by Thaddius.
Then there's whatever people believe occupies the kitchen.
Workers have reported strange metallic clinking sounds followed by kitchen items being moved or disturbed. Over time, different stories have attempted to identify the presence as a former cook or connect it with spiritual practices.
Again, the legends become much easier to find than historical evidence identifying a particular ghost.
Maybe the most interesting explanation for the 1790 Inn's paranormal reputation is the building itself.
This isn't one house with one history.
It's a collection of spaces created during different eras, occupied by generations of people, and eventually connected into the property guests experience today.
If places really can hold onto something from the people who lived and worked inside them, perhaps a building assembled from layers of Savannah history would be exactly the kind of place where the ghosts don't all tell the same story.
Anna supposedly moves belongings upstairs.
Thaddius leaves pennies downstairs.
And something still seems to be working in the kitchen.
Whether they're ghosts, folklore, or generations of stories layered onto an equally layered building is something you'll have to decide for yourself.
