The 17Hundred90 Inn at 307 East President Street is widely described as Savannah’s oldest continuously operating inn. The present building incorporates three historic sections: portions dating to the early 1820s (after the Great Fire of 1820 destroyed earlier structures on the site) and an eastern addition completed in 1888 by the Powers family. It sits within the Savannah Historic District, a National Historic Landmark District, and operates as an inn, restaurant, and tavern. No contemporary death certificate or newspaper account independently confirms the specific suicide or fall associated with the building’s best-known legend; the documented history centers on its post-fire reconstruction and long commercial use.
Reported Hauntings and Folklore
The principal figure is Anna (also called Anne or Anne Powers), tied especially to Room 204. Local versions state that she was a young resident (sometimes described as promised in an arranged marriage) who fell in love with a sailor; after he sailed away she either jumped from a window or balcony onto the brick courtyard or was pushed. Guests and staff report her presence in Room 204 through moved or hidden personal items (especially jewelry), tugged bedcovers, the sense of someone sitting in a chair by the fireplace, and occasional soft sounds. A second reported presence is Thaddeus, described as a friendly figure associated with the restaurant and tavern who leaves pennies on tables and bars. A third, more territorial presence is linked to the kitchen and is said to have been a former cook involved with voodoo practices; staff have reported thrown jars, jingling sounds, and physical contacts directed particularly at women. The inn has been featured on television programs such as My Ghost Story and maintains a guest log in Room 204. These accounts circulate in Savannah ghost literature, tour materials, and guest reports; they are not corroborated by contemporary 19th-century records of residual phenomena.
Relevant links
Savannah Historic District / National Register