The Statesboro Packing House has been a ghoulish fixture of Statesboro for almost a century, but the urban legend may not be all that it claims. But don’t worry, there are plenty of spirit filled hot spots in Statesboro to go around.

According to Scott Taylor, owner of the Packing House and Assistant Vice President for Student Experience at Georgia Southern, the legend goes that the plant was built in 1917, and ran for years until Brook Simmons, the owner, lost his fortune around the time the Great Depression took hold in America. This enraged him, and he decided to take action. On the last day of operation for the plant, the owner locked his employees inside the building, setting it ablaze, and killing 23 in the massacre. He later that same day committed suicide in the ruins of his former business. It is said that the ghosts of the employees and the owner roam the graffiti covered halls to this day- or so the legend claims. 

The actual story is much less dramatic but all the more tragic. According to Taylor, the building was indeed built in 1917, but it had many shareholders instead of a single owner.  Brook Simmons was actually the president of the packing house and in charge of representing the shareholders. The plant was only operational for three years, and closed down a decade before The Great Depression. Simmons did however commit suicide after he lost his fortune in 1932, but it was in Atlanta and he didn’t go into a fiery blaze like in the story. 

“In the telling of the story, it seems like that story has evolved into something else,” Taylor said.

The spooky fire legend of the Packing Plant is most likely inspired by two things. The first, according to Taylor, is a fire that took place in Statesboro in the 1920s on Stockyard road, the other because of modern legends combining with local stories.

During the 1920s, an actual fire occurred on Stockyard Road in Statesboro creating a traumatic event for the Statesboro agricultural community.. 

“The reports at the time said the screams of the animals could be heard throughout the county,” Taylor said. 

Another event that may have bolstered the urban legend is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. This was one of the deadliest industrial disasters in American history, with 146 people killed in the blaze. Taylor brings up that all these events may have come together to form the story we know today.

“The building has this ominous look about it, which certainly lends to urban legend,” Taylor said in reference to the actual fire damage on the building itself. He attributes the damage to workers in the 1970s/1980s burning out insulation and the fire getting out of control and scarring half of the building. 

Taylor bought the property in 2015 as an investment and has plans to turn the old cement building into a venue space “It’ll be designed after what one might think of as a traditional English country home or manor,”he said. He plans to use the building for events, specifically weddings.

While the Packing Plant may not be all it’s cracked up to be when it comes to ghosts, there are still haunted places in Statesboro. The Historical Beaver House Restaurant is allegedly haunted by the ghosts of its former residents. The Harville House, which can only be described as an abandoned and terrifying looking Addams Family like abode is also said to be haunted. And finally there is “ghost road”, which is an old dirt country road named Robertson Rd. surrounded by marshes and where the dust kicked up by cars leaves a light fog hanging over the road. All in all, Statesboro is an especially spooky place once you start looking, and perfectly sets the mood for Halloween season.