Known simply as the “Packinghouse”, the Bulloch Packing Company facility that opened here in 1917 was only in business for three years before a fire took out the boiler room on an upper floor in 1920. It’s considered one of Statesboro’s most ‘haunted’ places, but all of the lore is based on complete fiction. Brooks Simmons, who inherited the Bank of Statesboro from his father, was the president and a chief investor in the business. He lost his investment with the fire but more importantly, during the Crash of 1929, the Bank of Statesboro failed and Simmons lost what remained of his fortune. He committed suicide in 1931, and over time that somehow morphed into the legend that he killed his employees and then himself. But the stories persisted and the structure became a favorite with ghost hunters, urbexers, and squatters alike. In 2015, former Georgia Southern student Scott Taylor bought the packinghouse with the intention of rehabilitating it for use as apartments.
One of the "stories" of the location:
The most notorious haunting in Statesboro, the former meatpacking plant was the sight of a gruesome mass murder during the Great Depression. The owner set fire to the building but not before putting chains on all the doors and blocking the exits, trapping 23 employees inside. The owner then shot himself in the head, committing suicide.
People have reported seeing shadows running towards exits and the image of a woman through a third floor window, stricken with fear. During a full moon, it is said you can hear the sounds of gunshots and screams.
Though we may never know the true story of what happened at the plant, it is a very cool place to explore. I did several photo shoots there. The first one, none of my camera lights would work. We had to resort to using our phone lights to give us some light for the photos. The next time I went, it was during the day and nothing weird happened. The upstairs was boarded up that time so I wasn't able to go upstairs.
Models: Paisley, Jordan, Hunter
Copyright photos by: Two Crafty Cats Photography
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