Savannah Georgia is my Disney World. If my spouse wants to surprise me….she gets me tickets to Savannah’s Ghost Tours. 🙂 The architecture, cobblestone streets and Spanish moss hanging from the trees is the ideal backdrop for my idea of a night on the town. Savannah Ghost tours are a great way to learn about the history of Savannah Georgia. The most eerie stories in Savannah are about the grave bells.
During the 1700’s and 1800’s Yellow Fever plagued Savannah claiming the lives of over half the population. One of the many symptoms of Yellow Fever is slipping into a coma therefore many were buried alive, not knowing they were not dead. When the people of Savannah became aware, they began tying a string on the finger of the deceased and attaching it to a bell located beside the gravestone, 6 feet above the deceased. This way, if they were not actually dead, they could be saved by the bell. A person working the “Graveyard Shift” would work night and day listening for the sound of a bell. And when they did, they had to spring into action…because they did not have much time before the person 6 feet under ran out of air.
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It was important for the person in the grave not to panic though, pulling the string too aggressively could result in breaking the string and then they are left with no way to signal that they are still alive.
Three saying attributed to the Grave Bells are:
- Dead Ringer
- Saved by the Bell
- Graveyard Shift
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Paranormal Coffee Mug
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