Moon River Brewing company with a side of violence

Moon River Brewing Company in Savannah, Georgia: Moon River Brewing: A Historic Savannah Brewpub Tucked away on a cobblestone street in Savannah's historic district sits the aptly named Moon River Brewing Company. Moon River has become a beloved destination for visitors and locals alike since opening its doors in 1999, but the building itself has a much longer history in Savannah. The building was originally constructed in 1821 as the City Hotel, one of the first hotels established in Savannah. In the 1840s, the City Hotel was renovated and renamed the Marshall House after its new owner, Louis Marshall.

 

One incident to note is a calamitous event is an intriguing feud between two founders of Savannah also played out within the walls of the building that houses Moon River Brewing today. In the 1730s, James Oglethorpe and Philip Minis were instrumental figures in the founding of Georgia as a colony. Oglethorpe led the settlement of Savannah while Minis served as the colony’s first doctor. However, tensions rose between the two men over conflicting visions for the new settlement. Oglethorpe wished for Savannah to be an inclusive, planned town. Minis sought to accumulate land and wealth for himself.

Their bitter disagreements likely even played out within the tavern that occupied the first floor of the City Hotel centuries ago. This tavern served as a meeting place for officials like Oglethorpe and Minis to discuss affairs. Here, the two founders quarreled over political matters, the treatment of Native Americans, slavery, and more. Raised voices would have carried from the tavern into the hotel lobby above. By 1743, the discord between Minis and Oglethorpe had grown so heated that Minis outright attacked and challenged Oglethorpe to a duel. Their violent feud was now public knowledge throughout Savannah. Minis passed away in 1743, but his conflict with Oglethorpe left a mark on Savannah’s early history. Their rivalry highlights the diverse ambitions and personalities that shaped Georgia’s founding.

But rivalries aside, The Marshall House operated as a hotel for over 100 years, welcoming famous guests including General Robert E. Lee, Charles Dickens, and Buffalo Bill Cody over the years. During the early 1900s, the Marshall House was expanded with the addition of a four-story building adjacent to the original hotel structure. This annex building housed guest rooms, offices, and other hotel facilities. The Marshall House continued operating through difficult times like the Yellow Fever epidemics (which stole many lives), the Great Depression, and Prohibition. The hotel eventually closed in the 1950s and the property was purchased by Weyman Garrett, who converted the space into a working warehouse.

 

After decades as a warehouse, the historic hotel fell into disrepair, sitting vacant during the 1980s and 90s. That's when local entrepreneurs Kevin Reed and Richard Stone came along and saw the potential to turn the dilapidated building into something new - a brewpub restaurant. After extensive renovations, Moon River Brewing Company opened on the ground floor of the old Marshall House in 1999, becoming Savannah's first brewpub. Today, Moon River's in-house brewery produces a variety of craft beers along with a full pub menu.

But that’s just the surface. Scratch the surface a little bit and the darker side begins to get weird.

While the space that houses Moon River Brewing Company today is filled with warmth and hospitality, over the centuries it has seen its share of darker times. As the City Hotel in the early 19th century, the building would have been segregated, with Black guests forced to stay in cramped quarters in the attic space. The hotel was also the site of slave auctions held in the rear courtyard.

This shameful practice cast a shadow over the hotel's legacy from its earliest days. In the 1840s, the City Hotel transitioned into the Marshall House hotel, named after owner Lewis Marshall. This was a decade fraught with deadly disease epidemics in Savannah. Yellow fever outbreaks plagued the city in 1820 and 1854, likely claiming lives at the Marshall House as well. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the Marshall House became a strategic site, housing Union officers after General Sherman's capture of Savannah. In 1864, a massive fire engulfed the building, destroying the roof and upper floors. Once rebuilt after the war, the Marshall House also served as a makeshift hospital for wounded soldiers back from the front.

Its rooms saw the devastating human toll of battle firsthand. In the early 1900s, Prohibition ushered in an era of bootlegging and speakeasies in Savannah. As a hotel, it's quite possible the Marshall House housed underground drinking and parties during this time. By the 1950s and 60s, the Marshall House, now converted to a warehouse, was known as a gathering place for Savannah's nefarious criminal element.

Gambling, drugs, and prostitution plagued the area, giving the building an seedy, unsafe reputation. While Moon River Brewing Company today is associated with fun and leisure, its physical building carries the weight of Savannah’s dark past within its walls. From slavery to segregation, disease to prohibition, fire to crime, the structure has borne witness to the city’s struggles for centuries. Its storied history is embedded in both joyous celebrations and somber tragedies.

Absolutely, adding details about the paranormal legends and ghost stories surrounding the Moon River Brewing building would make for an intriguing continuation of the blog post: Not only does Moon River Brewing have a long and storied history, the building is also rumored to be haunted by spirits from its past. Given its history as both a hotel and makeshift hospital for wounded Civil War soldiers, many believe the ghosts of former guests and patients roam the building.

But it gets even weirder (and of course these are my favorite parts):

Staff and patrons have reported strange occurrences like unexplained footsteps, doors opening and closing on their own, and ghostly figures appearing then vanishing before their eyes. One famous paranormal tale centers around the ghost of a tall man in a top hat spotted wandering upstairs. Believed to be the spirit of a former hotel manager who died on the premises, the top hat ghost has become part of Moon River lore. Another well-known spirit said to haunt Moon River is "Toby" - a mischievous young boy who plays tricks on staff and guests. Glasses mysteriously falling from shelves, lights flickering on and off, and children's laughter echoing through empty rooms are all blamed on Toby's bored antics.

 

Given the buildings long history, psychics have detected many spiritual energies and remnants crossing over centuries. Figures from the Revolutionary War, Yellow Fever victims, even former prostitutes and speakeasy patrons are believed to haunt the building. Whether you believe the ghost stories or not, they add an extra layer of intrigue and history to the Moon River Brewing legacy. A dash of the paranormal only enhances the rich storytelling that seems to seep from the old walls of Savannah's first brewpub. Stop in for a pint and keep your eyes peeled for ghosts of the past! Let me know if you would like me to modify or expand on the paranormal aspects in any way!