Stepping Inside These Abandoned Places In Georgia Is Almost Haunting
By Amanda Northern|Updated on September 21, 2023(Originally published September 01, 2022)
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Amanda Northern
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Amanda Northern is a freelance writer, and creator/virtual assistant of The Proassists. Amanda is a Georgia native, GSU Panther, and blogger. More of her words can be found at amandanorthern.wordpress.com
No matter where you look in the Peach State, you’re bound to find a piece of history. Our culture-rich state is just teeming with historical artifacts, all of which have fascinating stories to tell. The best part about our history is that you don’t even have to travel to a museum to feel it – justsimply walk outside. There are so many interesting abandoned places in Georgia that are just waiting to be discovered. If you look around, you may even find one of these eerily beautiful places close to your home.
The ruins of the beautiful Dungeness mansion lie on Cumberland Island. The home was once owned by members of the Carnegie family and burned down in the 1950s. You can get a great glimpse of what remains of this abandoned mansion in Georgia on a wonderful loop trail.
This hauntingly gorgeous photo is from a church in the small town of Sterling. It was constructed in the 1800s for a small congregation of farmers, but by the 1970s, there weren't enough members to support the building. Now, the only music that can be heard here are the birds that call this place their home.
These abandoned shacks are tucked away in Hogansville. These buildings most likely once served as homes for a family of farmers or perhaps sharecroppers.
Central State Hospital (Milledgeville)
Central State Hospital, 311 Thomas Field Rd SE, Milledgeville, GA 31062, USA
Central State Hospital is one of the most famous abandoned buildings in Georgia. This place once served as a psychiatric hospital for people from all over the state, but now the buildings are decaying and being overtaken by nature. It's amazing to think that this was once the largest mental facility in the world.
This small, abandoned shack was photographed in Kingsland. You can imagine that it was at one point, a pretty popular BBQ joint back in the day, but despite the sign proclaiming otherwise, it's certainly been shut down for years.
Horton-du Bignon House, AKA Horton House (Jekyll Island)
Horton House, Riverview Dr, Jekyll Island, GA 31527, USA
This building was built way back in 1743 and is actually the oldest standing building in Georgia. The Horton House is made of tabby, a building material created by mixing burnt oyster shells with sand and lime. It was the first brewery in the state.
You can find all kinds of abandoned old cabins tucked away in the rustic land of the North Georgia mountains. The weeds are certainly overtaking this one!
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Harville House (Statesboro)
Harville House Barn, LLC, 1850 Harville Rd #3955, Statesboro, GA 30458, USA
The Harville House is one of the most famous buildings in Statesboro, though it's long been abandoned. Samuel Winkler Harville purchased the land back in 1862, and the home was constructed in 1894. Looking at it today, you can see what a gorgeous specimen this 14-room mansion once was. It's no surprise that rumors of ghosts surround the Harville House, and it's the subject of many urban legends amongst Georgia Southern students.
Scull Shoals Mill Ruins (Greensboro)
Scull Shoals Historic Site, Skull Shoals Rd, Watkinsville, GA 30677, USA
Scull Shoals is one of our favorite ghost towns in Georgia. It's tucked away deep in the Oconee National Forest. It may look like a bunch of dilapidated ruins now, but this was once Georgia's first paper mill. You can still find the remnants of a few buildings here. Most of the town was abandoned after floods in the early 20th century.
The Georgia Girl Drive-In was once a popular hangout spot for local teens back in the 1960s. After the construction of I-95, however, the small back roads that led through towns like Woodbine began to lose much of their traffic. With the diminishing number of visitors, local businesses began to suffer, and it wasn't uncommon for restaurants like the Georgia Girl Drive-In to go out of business. The sign still remains, along with a few crumbling walls, but not much else to mark this spot as a once-popular eatery.
Wormsloe Historic Site (Savannah)
Wormsloe State Historic Site, 7601 Skidaway Rd, Savannah, GA 31406, USA
It's no exaggeration at all to say that the beautiful tunnel of trees at the entrance to Wormsloe Plantation in Savannah is one of the most photographed places in Georgia. This was once the colonial estate of Noble Jones, who was an original settler of Georgia and who traveled with James Oglethorpe. There's a great museum on-site.
The Atlanta Prison Farm is a stunning site that's being overtaken by nature. This was once an operational correctional facility from 1945 to 1995 - it's now been abandoned for decades and is filled with graffiti and weeds. The prison farm is surrounded by urban legends of not only ghosts but also mysterious conspiracy theories. Most of the buildings' contents were destroyed by a fire in 2009. This is certainly one of the most colorful abandoned places in Georgia.
New Manchester Mill Ruins (Lithia Springs)
New Manchester Mill Ruins, Lithia Springs, GA 30122, USA
You can find the ruins of the five-story New Manchester Mill tucked away in Sweetwater Creek State Park. The mill went out of business when the town floundered during the Civil War, and all that remains is a shell of its former self.
There's something so appealing about an abandoned mansion, and few abandoned mansions in Georgia are as enticing as Briarcliff, also called Candler Mansion. This majestic building was once the home of Asa G. Candler, Jr., the son of the co-founder of Coca-Cola. The estate is now owned by Emory University and is occasionally used as a filming location for various movies and TV shows.
Of course, when exploring, you always want to make sure to follow local regulations and observe any signs indicating that trespassers are not allowed. While several of these abandoned homes in Georgia are historical sites that welcome visitors, others are private property and trespassing is strictly prohibited.
There are so many amazing stories tucked away in all these ruins. Each of these abandoned places in Georgia makes your imagination run wild with the history behind them. If you want to see more abandoned places in Georgia, check out our road trip. And make sure you read through our ultimate road trip packing guide to make sure you have everything you need.
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More to Explore
Creepy Places In Georgia
Lisa Sammons|September 06, 2022
What are some more abandoned places in Georgia?
Spook Bridge in Quitman is not only abandoned, but it's also a bridge to nowhere. The bridge was closed to traffic in the 1970s after five decades in use, and, if you believe the local urban legends, it's the site of several suicides and possibly even murders and cult meetings.
What haunted cities in Georgia are best for visiting?
When it comes to haunted cities in Georgia, it doesn't get much better than:
Savannah. The Hostess City is famously home to a number of supposedly haunted places, including the:
Have you ever heard the story of the Surrencys and of the town that shares their name?
This Georgia ghost story is quite haunting. It tells of a possessed home that began to attack the family that lived within it before finally burning down in 1925.
