Old buildings, jails, pirates, wars and general debauchery is the perfect recipe for spooks and haunts. Even if you don’t believe in ghosts, you can’t deny it’s fun to tour some of Charleston’s creepiest corners.
Even John LaVerne of Bulldog Tours, which takes groups on haunted tours and ghost walks around the city, admits he’s never been sensitive to ghosts, but he says just the idea of Charleston’s intense history gets to him.
“You can get an interesting vibe if you get away from the hustle and bustle and get into the residential neighborhoods where it’s more quiet and serene,” he said. “You really feel the presence of 340 years of history. Sometimes it can be very overwhelming, like, ‘Wow, it’s still alive.’”
Here are some picks for the spookiest places in the city:
1. The Old City Jail
This spot is so creepy LaVerne said grown men have run out of it during tours. The Old City Jail housed thieves, murderers, pirates and other seriously scary folks in the 19th century. The jail operated from 1802 to 1939 and most of the original structure remains intact, including the very cells where the criminals stayed. The jail, located at 21 Magazine St., today houses the American College for the Building Arts.
2. The Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon
Here’s another place that will send tourists on a mad dash for the exits. In the daytime, it’s a very school group friendly kind of place, LaVerne said, but at night, it has a personality all its own. Located at 122 East Bay St., the building dates to 1771 and has a storied past. The Declaration of Independence was presented on its steps, the U.S. Constitution was ratified in the Great Hall and even President George Washington was in the building in 1791. That’s all great daytime history but what’s spooky about this building is the cellar – or dungeon – that the British used to hold prisoners during the revolution. Pirates also were held captive on the site of what is now the Exchange Building in 1718.
3. The Battery Carriage House Inn
Stay in this historic property dating back to 1843 and you just might catch a glimpse of a “gentleman ghost” or a headless torso trying to share your room. It is suspected that the gentleman ghost is that of a young college student whose family owned the house. The young man jumped off the roof and killed himself. The headless torso most likely hails from the Civil War. The inn is located at 20 S. Battery St., an area that was used actively by the military during the siege of Charleston.
4. Poogan’s Porch
Stories abound of sightings of 19th-century school teacher Zoe St. Amand, who lived in the house at 72 Queen St. with her sister, Elizabeth. Legend has it that when Elizabeth died, Zoe began depressed, lonely and her mental health declined. In 1976, the house was converted to a restaurant – and a little neighborhood dog, Poogan, became a fixture on the porch, greeting the restaurant guests. Poogan died in 1979 and is buried on the property. Guests and restaurant staff have reported seeing Zoe’s ghost as well as the ghost of Poogan. Even guests who stay on the Queen Street side of the Mills House across the street have reported nighttime Zoe sightings.
5. Charleston’s Alleys
Just about any of the downtown alleys – Philadelphia, Unity, Lodge, Longitude Lane – aren’t terribly well lit and create a creep ambiance, LaVerne said. “You can easily imagine what it was like 200 years ago,” he said.
With the drunken sailors and pirates, Charleston’s downtown was a rough and tumble place two centuries ago, LaVerne said.
But that simply adds to the spooky allure.
“You can smell the salt air, feel the humidity and know these are the streets the pirates walked,” he said.
