The figure of Anna in the window of the hotel and restaurant 17Hundred90 is a staple of ghost tours in Savannah, but she’s actually one of 3 Annes whose stories haunt us. There is Anna the legend, who is said to have jumped or been pushed out of the window of room 204. And then there is the real Anne, who was married to Steele White, the building’s owner. We like to redeem his good name on our tour – he did not kill or inspire the suicide of his wife, as you might hear. In fact, Steele white was killed when he was thrown from his horse in Augusta, and his wife outlived him by 40 years. She wasn’t a desperate, young mail-order bride, either. We can tell from certain wedding gifts that her family was QUITE wealthy.
But then there’s the Anne at Colonial Park Cemetery, prominently elevated at the entrance. She is the mother-in-law of the real Anne. Her epitaph is faded and lengthy; it’s Bible verse mostly worn away, but we can still read its haunting declaration:
Anne Guerard
Died in 1793, at the age of 41,
a few weeks after giving birth to her 15th child
Oh yes. Fifteen children. Her amazing contribution echoes through the years, carved in stone for those who pause to notice.
The comments we hear about her accomplishment range from wide-eyed fascination to surreptitious understanding. “Well, she tapped out, didn’t she?”
During Mrs. Guerard’s time, a lady couldn’t go out in public in such an unseemly condition as pregnancy. Imagine being confined to the house for over a decade, birthing, nursing, and caring for babies…the ladies in town would make their rounds visiting their imprisoned, I mean impregnated, of course, friends.
It’s not hard to imagine, then, that ‘hysteria” would be experienced. Time to go to the asylum? Yes, please.
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