Ghosts and Graveyards: Colonial Park Cemetery and Memory Construction on Ghost Tours in Savannah, Georgia

Abstract

This thesis examines memory construction and landscape interaction on ghost tours at Colonial Park Cemetery in Savannah, Georgia. The research in this thesis centers on the ways in which ghost tours in the area interact with the cemetery’s landscape and how oral narratives compare with written sources through the lenses of authority and authenticity. Ghost tour narratives are included in a larger argument for their usefulness and importance to archaeologists, especially for introducing dialogues with local communities about site interpretation and preservation. This may also be useful for archaeologists researching intersections of landscape interactions and modern interpretations.