Ghost of the Springer Opera House - Columbus, Georgia

One of the most unique ghost stories in Georgia is the tale that surrounds the stunning Springer Opera House in Columbus.

Built during the turbulent years of the Reconstruction Era, the Springer has hosted some of the world's top actors and political leaders over the years. Will Rogers once entertained audiences from its stage and William Jennings Bryan and Franklin Delano Roosevelt discussed their dreams for the future of America in the Springer.

But if old Columbus legends are to be believed, one of the theater's most famous guests is still hanging around.

Actor Edwin Booth, the brother of John Wilkes Booth who killed President Abraham Lincoln, came to the Springer to revive his career during the 1870s. With other members of his family, he had gone into voluntary seclusion following the Lincoln assassination. As time passed, however, he decided to try for a "come back" and the Springer was a key stop on that road.

Booth, as the story goes, so loved the Springer and its cheering audiences that he came back after his death to haunt the beautiful old theater. Described as a playful ghost, he supposedly teases female visitors and is said to enjoy causing trouble in the wardrobe area.

To learn more about the Ghost of Springer Opera House, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/springerghost.

Fort Frederica National Monument - St. Simons Island, Georgia

Fort Frederica National Monument on St. Simons Island has been one of my favorite historic sites since my parents took me there when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. It is hard not to be fascinated with the massive old oaks and the picturesque ruins of Oglethorpe's colonial settlement.

The fort was established in 1736 by English General James Oglethorpe, the founder of the Georgia colony, who anticipated that it would serve as a barrier to Spanish attacks on his fledgling colony and its capital of Savannah. His plan proved very prophetic.

The War of Jenkins' Ear (named for the severed ear of a captured English sea captain) spread to America and Oglethorpe launched a campaign against St. Augustine, Florida, in an effort to capture the Spanish capital. He was unable to reduce the powerful fort of Castillo de San Marcos and withdrew back to Georgia. Two years later, in 1742, Spanish Governor Don Manuel de Montiano retaliated by leading a fleet of warships and an army of 5,000 men north to Georgia.

Fort Frederica by that time had evolved into a powerful citadel on the riverfront and a growing English village surrounded by a stout wall of earth and timber. Spanish ships briefly engaged the cannon of the fort and Montiano attempted to carry out land operations but was defeated by the English at the Battles of Gully Hole Creek and Bloody Marsh.

Frederica survived, as did Oglethorpe's colony of Georgia. Peace returned to the frontier and Georgia grew. The return of peace, however, ultimately spelled the end of Fort Frederica. There was no need for the garrison there and with the end of the garrison came the end of the English village on St. Simons Island. The town dwindled away, was largely destroyed by fire before the American Revolution and ultimately was reclaimed by the forest.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortfrederica.

Fort St. Simons - St. Simons Island, Georgia

Often overlooked because it stands in the shadow of the popular and historic St. Simons Lighthouse, a small monument marks the site of Fort St. Simons, one of Georgia's least known coastal forts.

Built in 1738 by the English under James Oglethorpe, the fort was an outpost of nearby Fort Frederica and stood on the southern tip of St. Simons Island. Its purpose was to prevent enemy warships - primarily those of Spain - from entering St. Simons Sound. A bastioned work of earth and wood, Fort St. Simons was armed with 18-pounders, relatively heavy guns for the day.

The fort was tested in 1742 during a key battle of the War of Jenkins' Ear, a conflict between England and Spain named after the severed ear of an English sea captain who had been captured by the Spanish. Despite the strength of its artillery, the fort was unable to hold back a a large Spanish fleet that stormed into the sound in July. Passing the fort, the Spanish landed an army of nearly 5,000 men.

Realizing that he could not hold Fort St. Simons against such an overwhelming force, Oglethorpe spiked its guns and withdrew to his main defenses at Fort Frederica. The Spanish then occupied the ruined fort, using it as a base for their operations on the island over the coming weeks. Troops marched out from the fort for the Battles of Gully Hole Creek and Bloody Marsh.

To learn more about Fort St. Simons, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortstsimons.