Haunted hotel guide · Rabun Gap, Georgia

The York House Inn, Rabun Gap: Ghosts of Georgia's Oldest B&B

A log cabin turned Victorian inn in the north Georgia mountains, taking in travelers since 1896, with a quiet set of ghost stories to match.

By The Haunted Rooms Team · Updated November 2026 · How we rate hotels

2.2/5Haunted Rooms Score
1896Took its first guests
1982National Register listing

Visit hotel websiteMeet the ghosts

The York House sits off US 23/441 just north of Mountain City in Rabun County, in the far northeast corner of Georgia. It began as a log cabin on a mountain farm, grew into a long white inn with double-decker porches, and has taken in guests since 1896, when surveyors for the Tallulah Falls Railroad started lodging there. The New Georgia Encyclopedia calls it the oldest continuously operating bed and breakfast in the state, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

More than a century of travelers, family births and deaths has left the York House with a set of gentle ghost stories. Employees over the years have spoken of a Civil War soldier who smokes cigars in one of the rooms, several children at play, a young girl called Sarah and an older woman. They are quieter and less publicized than the haunts of Savannah, which suits the setting.

York House Inn at a glance

2.2/5
Haunted Rooms Score
Haunted reputation2
History4
Ghost hunter access1
$ · Under $150
  • Address 416 York House Road, Rabun Gap, GA 30568 (Mountain City area)
  • Built Log cabin from the 1880s or earlier; an inn since 1896, enlarged 1907
  • Most haunted spots Guest rooms off the long porches
  • Best-known ghosts A Civil War soldier with cigar smoke, children at play, a girl called Sarah, an older woman
  • Booking the haunted room No room is named in the stories. Call ahead and ask which rooms staff associate with them.
  • Good to know Old website offline and no Booking.com listing; the property was under new ownership and being renovated in 2021, so confirm it is taking guests before you travel

Visit hotel website

The ghosts of The York House Inn

The soldier and his cigar

The best-known York House story is of a soldier from the Civil War era who smokes a cigar in one of the guest rooms, according to accounts from employees collected by HauntedPlaces.org. The smell of cigar smoke arrives in a smoke-free room and fades without a source. William Terrell York, who ran the inn with his wife Mollie, was himself a former Confederate soldier, which is the link storytellers like to draw, though nothing ties the ghost to him.

Children at play and a girl called Sarah

Staff have also described several children who seem to play around the inn. Ghost hunters who visited said they encountered a girl named Sarah, along with other presences that seemed happy with the owners. Photos submitted to HauntedPlaces.org are said to show an older woman crouching and a girl looking out of a window. The site is clear that these are user-submitted and unverified, and so are we.

An older woman

The older woman is the least described of the York House spirits. Given that the inn passed from Mollie York to her daughter Fannie York Weatherly, it is tempting to imagine one of the women who ran the place for decades. No account names her, so that is speculation.

The most haunted rooms and places to look

  • Rooms off the double porches: The guest rooms open onto the long porches, the heart of the house and where most stories are set.
  • The porches: Rocking chairs, mountain views and very dark skies. Sit out after dark and listen.

History of The York House Inn

The land was part of a 1,000-acre farm owned by Hiram Gibson, a South Carolina planter who bought it in 1851 and was one of the few slaveholders in Rabun County. In 1873 he deeded 40 acres to his 14-year-old granddaughter Mollie. In the 1880s she married William Terrell York, a former Confederate soldier and one-time sheriff in Clayton. They lived in a log cabin on the property, running a 400-acre farm, and enlarged the cabin and covered it with pine plank siding.

In 1896 surveyors for the Tallulah Falls Railroad began lodging with the Yorks, and the house became an inn. The railroad reached Mountain City in 1906, with a stop called York Siding near the house, and in 1907 an L-shaped addition added guest rooms. Advertising of the time promised tennis courts, mountain spring water, large verandas, and hot and cold water on every floor.

Mollie and Bill York, known to guests as Little Mamma and Papa Bill, ran the inn in the summers until 1916, when their daughter Fannie York Weatherly and her husband George took over. A third generation of the family kept it open, followed by other owners. The York House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

In 2021 the Georgia Mountain Laurel magazine reported that the Old Edwards Hospitality Group, which runs Old Edwards Inn in Highlands, North Carolina, owned the York House and was renovating it. We could not confirm the inn’s current status online, so check before you plan a stay around it.

Tips for a haunted stay

  • Confirm the inn is open and taking guests before you travel; its old website is offline and it is not on Booking.com.
  • Visit in October for fall color in the Blue Ridge, and book well ahead.
  • Bring a flashlight: the grounds are dark and rural at night.
  • Combine your trip with Tallulah Gorge State Park, a short drive south, where the old railroad once ran.
  • Highlands and the Smokies are within easy reach if you want to add North Carolina’s haunted inns to a mountain 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.

See all Haunted Rooms ghost hunts

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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 York House Inn haunted?

Staff and visitors have reported a Civil War soldier with cigar smoke, children playing, a girl called Sarah and an older woman. The stories are local and unverified, but they have followed the inn for years.

How old is the York House Inn?

It has taken guests since 1896, and the log cabin at its core dates to the 1880s or earlier. It is described as Georgia’s oldest continuously operating bed and breakfast.

Is the York House on the National Register of Historic Places?

Yes. The York House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982.

Where is the York House Inn?

Off US 23/441 just north of Mountain City in Rabun County, in the north Georgia mountains, with a Rabun Gap mailing address.

Is the York House Inn open?

The inn’s old website is offline and it was being renovated under new owners in 2021. Call or check a major travel site before you plan a stay.

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.

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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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