Underrated Ghost Stories And Mythical Creatures All Over The World
Savannah is rich in history as it is one of the original 13 colonies of the United States and the oldest city in the state of Georgia. However, not all people go there for the historical background of the city. Some go there because of the haunted Forsyth Park Inn.
Forsyth Park Inn as seen from the outside. (Link: https://www.trover.com/d/UvC1-forsyth-park-inn-savannah-georgia)
Forsyth Park Inn is near the Forsyth Park, which is a large park that stretches up to 30 acres. Lots of people go there for the view while others visit it because of the Forsyth Park Inn, which is dubbed as one of the most haunted hotels in the area.
Forsyth Park. (Link: https://www.irishotel.org/things-to-do/forsyth-park.html)
The History of Forsyth Park Inn
The Forsyth Park Inn was built in 1893 and during that time, it was one of the best and most beautiful bed and breakfasts in Savannah. It had only nine guest rooms and the architecture was based on the 19th century but the comfort it provides was that of the 21st.
A backstory about where the Forsyth Park Inn now stands is actually what makes the inn haunted. According to reports, a man named Captain Aaron Flint “Rudder” Churchill, a distant relative of Winston Churchill, went to Savannah when he was 24 years old after he earned a lot of money through his own hardships and efforts. There, he opened his stevedoring business and later started his own steamship line.
Captain Aaron Flint “Rudder” Churchill. (Link: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Churchill-2159)
Years gone by and he started shipping his own cotton and became even wealthier and a famous merchant. Because of all the money he amassed, he built his Churchill Mansion, which is where the Forsyth Park Inn was also built years later.
The Churchill Mansion. (Link: http://yarmouthhistory.ca/yarmouthhistory/LocalHistory/Entries/2011/7/15_The_Churchills_of_Darlings_Lake.html)
Although successful in many aspects of his life, Churchill and his wife, Lois, were not successful in having a child. They then adopted his wife’s niece, fourteen-year-old Lottie. In 1899, the sister of Lois, Anna, came to live with them, too. Anna and Lois started to have a very strong bond as Lottie considered Anna as her sister.
Lottie Churchill. (Link: https://coldspot.org/2013/10/12/churchill-mansion-haunted-ghosts-yarmouth-darling-nova-scotia/4/)
Everything changed, however, when Lottie saw a couple embracing each other passionately. She tried to say hi to the couple because he believed it was Lois and Churchill but to her surprise, Anna was the woman being embraced by Churchill.
Lottie did not tell anyone what she saw but the more she thought about it, it drove her to be angrier. She believed Anna was going to ruin her supposedly perfect life with Churchill and Lois so she devised a plan. One afternoon, Lottie made tea for Lois and Anna but the teacup she handed to the latter was poisoned. Anna collapsed not long after drinking the tea and died in Lois’s arms.
Lottie was very happy with what she did because she believed she saved the marriage of Lois and Churchill and that they would all live happily ever after. However, Lois made a revelation during Anna’s funeral and said that Anna is actually Lottie’s real mom. Lottie then became insane and was placed in an asylum. Lottie never got out of the asylum and never became sane again.
The Ghost of Lottie
Lottie is allegedly seen around the house and the garden of Forsyth Park Inn. She allegedly disappears quickly whenever someone feels her presence or actually sees her roaming around the halls. She is also usually seen at the staircase.
The stairs inside the Forsyth Park Inn. (Link: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/352266002093953822/)
As for the sightings at the garden, she is believed to be visiting the area where her mother, Anna, died.
The garden at the Forsyth Park Inn. (Link: https://www.weddingwire.com/biz/forsyth-park-inn-savannah/943c9934a8b1ae24.html)
The owner of Forsyth Park Inn believes she was helped by Lottie when the keys to the Inn went missing. Accordingly, the owner searched everywhere but when she was about to give up, the kitchen door suddenly opened and the set of keys were tossed to her feet.
Lottie is said to be very helpful to the staff but she sometimes still cries, laughs, or calls out people’s names.
Other Personal Experiences At The Forsyth Park Inn
A couple who once stayed at the Forsyth Park Inn also believes Lottie made her presence known by turning the TV on. The couple claimed that the remote was not near them but the television was switched on by something or someone. It did not stop there because the channel was switched and it stayed at the channel wherein the trial of a man accused of killing his pregnant wife was being shown.
A former worker shared, “I was mopping the floor which was one of my chores. This night I had my headphones on listening to loud music. And out of the corner of my eye, I saw a lady float around the corner. I did not investigate…but I did high tail it outta there!”
Another person said he stayed at Cottage House last December 2016 and he believes that the spirits, which he assumed live there since he heard many voices whispering all at the same time the first night he stayed there, took his pain away. He revealed that he has Fibromyalgia, a sciatic nerve pain and back pain, but for the four nights they stayed at the Forsyth Park Inn, he never felt any pain. He added, “Whatever I heard or sensed at the Forsyth Park Inn is not evil, I felt very calm and relaxed during my stay here at the Inn.” He did note though that he felt other sad and heavy spirits while at the Inn.
