Haunted hotel guide · St. Marys, Georgia
Riverview Hotel, St. Marys: The Ghost of Room 8 and a 1916 Inn
A two-story 1916 hotel with a double veranda facing the St. Marys River, a century of family history and a ghost that staff say keeps to Room 8.
The Riverview Hotel stands on the corner of Osborne and St. Marys Streets in the small waterfront town of St. Marys, the last stop on the Georgia coast before Florida. It was built in 1916, has been run by the Brandon family since the 1920s, and its long double veranda looks straight across the river toward Cumberland Island. The Cumberland Island ferry leaves from just across the street.
It is a modest, friendly place, and its ghost story is told with a smile. The Camden County Chamber of Commerce says the hotel’s best-known spirit haunts Room 8, moving furniture and making the lights flicker, and a hotel representative has joked on the chamber’s podcast about a ghost stealing his breakfast toast. In 2026 the hotel even hosted its own ghost hunt evening.
Riverview Hotel at a glance
Haunted Rooms Score
- Address 105 Osborne Street, St. Marys, GA 31558
- Built 1916; run by the Brandon family since the 1920s
- Most haunted spots Room 8, plus the halls and older rooms upstairs
- Best-known ghosts A spirit in Room 8 who moves furniture and plays with the lights; local lore also speaks of the Three Sisters
- Booking the haunted room Book, then call the hotel on (912) 882-3242 and ask for Room 8.
- Good to know Seagle’s restaurant and saloon on site, free parking, Cumberland Island ferry across the street
The ghosts of Riverview Hotel
The ghost of Room 8
Room 8 is the hotel’s haunted room. According to the Camden County Chamber, the spirit there moves furniture and plays with the lights. Our original guide repeated a long-told local story that during a power cut, Room 8 was the one room where the lights stayed on. It is a good story; it is also the kind that grows with each telling, so ask the staff for their version.
The breakfast toast thief
On the chamber’s Get ‘N’ Your Business podcast, the hotel’s George Lee told a lighter tale about a ghost that keeps stealing his breakfast toast. It says a lot about how the Riverview treats its ghosts: as part of the family rather than something to fear.
The Three Sisters
When the hotel hosted a paranormal evening in April 2026, the event listing described the building as haunted by the Three Sisters, with unexplained footsteps, shadow figures and late-night encounters in the rooms and halls. The name nods to Sallie, Semora and Ethel Brandon, the sisters who took on the hotel in the 1920s. No account names them as ghosts directly, and the listing was promotional, so take this one lightly.
The most haunted rooms and places to look
- Room 8: The room with the ghost story. Request it by phone after you book.
- The Rockefeller Room: One of the hotel’s named rooms, a nod to John D. Rockefeller Sr., who the hotel lists among its past guests.
- The double veranda: Rocking chairs, a view over Osborne Street to the river and Cumberland Island, and the best place in town to sit after dark.
History of Riverview Hotel
The Riverview was built in 1916 on the waterfront, facing the river and the marshes that separate the mainland from Cumberland Island.
Sallie Brandon bought the hotel in the 1920s with help from her sisters, Semora and Ethel, and the Brandon family has owned and run it ever since. The Camden County Chamber credits the three sisters with building the hotel’s reputation for Southern hospitality, which is still the thing most guests talk about.
The hotel’s guest list over the years includes John D. Rockefeller Sr., Andrew Carnegie, author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Chester Nimitz, Senator Richard B. Russell, Governor Eugene Talmadge, cartoonist Roy Crane and weatherman Willard Scott. The chamber also says the hotel has appeared in films including Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and The Conjuring 2.
The hotel sits within the St. Marys Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Rooms are simple, with private baths, and downstairs is Seagle’s, the hotel’s restaurant and saloon, with live music several nights a week.
Tips for a haunted stay
- Call the hotel to ask for Room 8 after you book; the room cannot be chosen online.
- Book the Cumberland Island ferry well ahead. It leaves from across the street, and the hotel sells sack lunches for the trip.
- Sit on the upstairs veranda after dark; St. Marys is very quiet at night and the river view is lovely.
- Seagle’s saloon has live music on many nights, so light sleepers might ask for a room away from the bar.
- Ask whether the hotel is running another ghost hunt evening; it hosted one in April 2026.
- St. Marys is a short drive from Jekyll Island and Fernandina Beach, so it pairs well with a coastal road trip.
Want to investigate, not just sleep?
Sleeping in a haunted hotel is one thing. Investigating one after dark is another. On a Haunted Rooms ghost hunt our team takes you through the building with professional ghost hunting equipment, runs EVP sessions and lets you explore on your own during free roam.
- USS Battleship North Carolina Ghost Hunt & Tour, Wilmington NC: Investigate the WWII battleship on the Cape Fear River, about five hours up the coast.
- Roanoke Island Inn Ghost Hunt & Sleepover, Manteo NC: Investigate, then sleep over in a historic Outer Banks inn.
More haunted hotels nearby
- Jekyll Island Club Resort: a Gilded Age resort with famous ghosts, a short drive north
- Casa Monica Hotel, St. Augustine: a haunted Spanish Revival landmark about 90 minutes south
- The Marshall House, Savannah: Savannah’s oldest hotel, a Civil War and yellow fever hospital
- All haunted hotels in Georgia: every haunted place to stay in the state, from Savannah to the mountains
- Haunted hotels in Georgia
Stayed in one of these hotels? Tell us what happened
We collect first-hand accounts from guests and add the best ones to our guides, with your first name and the date of your stay. We read every story before it’s published.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Riverview Hotel in St. Marys haunted?
It has a local ghost reputation. The Camden County Chamber says the hotel’s best-known spirit lives in Room 8, moving furniture and flickering the lights, and the hotel hosted its own ghost hunt evening in 2026.
What is the haunted room at the Riverview Hotel?
Room 8. Call the hotel after booking to request it.
Who owns the Riverview Hotel in St. Marys?
The Brandon family, who have owned and run it since Sallie Brandon and her sisters Semora and Ethel took it on in the 1920s.
How far is the Riverview Hotel from the Cumberland Island ferry?
Just across the street. The ferry dock and Cumberland Island National Seashore visitor center are directly opposite the hotel.
Who has stayed at the Riverview Hotel?
The hotel lists guests including John D. Rockefeller Sr., Andrew Carnegie, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, Chester Nimitz and Senator Richard B. Russell.
Does the Riverview Hotel have a restaurant?
Yes. Seagle’s restaurant and saloon is inside the hotel, serving dinner nightly and lunch on some days, with live music.
Sources
Facts on this page are checked against the hotel’s own website, historic records and news coverage. Ghost stories are reported as guests, staff and local historians tell them. Read how we rate haunted hotels.
- Riverview Hotel: official website
- Camden County Chamber: Riverview Hotel podcast
- Explore Georgia: Riverview Hotel
- Vanishing Georgia: Riverview Hotel, 1916
- Visit Kingsland: Ghost Hunt at the Riverview Hotel
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About the authors
The Haunted Rooms Team runs public ghost hunts and overnight investigations at historic venues across the United States. We research every hotel in our guides using hotel histories, local archives, news coverage and the accounts of guests and staff, and we review each guide regularly so you are not booking a hotel that has closed or changed its name. Spotted something out of date? Let us know.
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