Haunted Places In Charleston
If you’re looking for a place to visit that’s filled with history and mystery, then this list is what you need. Charleston, South Carolina, offers many places of interest for its visitors. However, from Liberty Square to the Battery and from Spring Street to Broad Street, numerous areas in the City have a dark past.
These include some of America’s most haunted areas that even locals know about. So, if you want to explore Charleston but don’t want to miss out on some of its spooky histories, these are the most haunted places in Charleston you should head off to.
The Liberty Square
Every tourist visiting the City of Charleston will have their eyes opened to the sight of the Liberty Square as they head towards the King Street Basin and from there to the Battery.
But in the mid-18th century, this area was home to a particularly tragic incident. One fateful night, two British soldiers, Charles Barry and Charles Knebel were hanged in front of around 50 bystanders at the foot of the Monument of the Great Americans.
As many call it, the “Hanging Monument” stands at the heart of the park today. While it is impossible to verify that these two men did perform the deed, the place was haunted long before being hanged. Paranormal activity has been recorded in the area for over three centuries.
The Battery
The Battery in Charleston was named this way because of its strategic location at the very tip of the peninsula. The area was used as a military base for the US Navy from the 1700s until the ‘60s. It was often used to leave soldiers after an attack or as a shelter from bad weather.
Strange Sounds from the man’s mobile phone awakened a couple in Room 3. After the sounds ceased, he double-checked that the phone was off (it was). It’s also claimed that they saw an orb in the room twice. Their stay was restful after visiting a medium and requesting the ghosts to depart.
While Room 8 is the scariest of them all, several visitors reported hearing weird, groaning sounds. Most of them would wake up to find floating headless corpses. An unnamed visitor claimed to have encountered the headless torso, which gave out a deep growl when approached. It is said that the ghost in Room 10 is better than the other spirits in the building.
“The Gentleman Ghost” is well-titled in the place. Others have characterized him as an average-looking guy who glides about the room. He is also reported to seem calmly lying in bed with visitors.
Blind Tiger Pub
The most famous story of the Blind Tiger pub was about an ex-manager who reportedly had a late-night paranormal encounter. The pub had just closed, and customers had already left. The previous manager was cleaning up when he saw her, the ghost in the black outfit.
To his astonishment, he spotted a ghostly figure floating over the bar’s floor. According to him, a ghost sat there gazing at him for an age. The spirit then disappeared after a short time.
Another incident occurred many years ago with a different person—a woman. Her encounter was with a newcomer to Charleston. She wrote this encounter while she was on vacation with her husband. The pair had just visited a few allegedly haunted places in Charleston before ending at the Blind Tiger Pub.
According to her, she was walking over to look at some t-shirts on the first bar. While browsing, she felt like a person was tugging her hair. It was excruciating. She also stated that it still gives her nightmares, and she has no clue what happened.
Not everyone in the bar has seen or touched the ghost in the black dress, but several have heard footfalls behind them. But no matter where you look, no one is there.
The Old Charleston Jail
Rumor has claimed that the souls of the deceased inmates hunt the old Jail in Charleston. Everywhere you look, there are potential hiding places for Lost Souls. Death row inmates, pirates, POWs, and slaves are all represented in the afterlife.
Old Jail is home to a slew of paranormal activities, including frequent hauntings and other odd happenings. Paranormal activity includes moving on their own, disembodied voices and eerie whispers, and slamming doors. So it’s no secret that the Old Charleston Jail has seen some strange things in time.
One of the first modern sightings occurred during the restoration of the prison in the year 2000. After months of being shut down due to lead paint contamination, the workers returned to the prison they found human footprints in the dust. During the renovation process, workers have faced challenges similar to the ones mentioned above.
There are also stories where workers spotted a former correctional officer wandering the Jail’s third floor with a pistol. However, not long after he was spotted, the security guy vanished into thin air. When the guard spotted the inmates racing away, he may have thought they were jailbreakers.
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon
Stede Bonnet’s crew was imprisoned in the Old Exchange’s Provost Dungeon before dying at White Point Garden. However, the remainder of Stede Bonnet’s party was detained at the Provost Marshal’s residence. Visitors to the dungeon report hearing the screams and groans of the tormented souls that formerly resided there.
Additionally, chains have been swinging back and forth in response to apparent external forces. It becomes worse when guests report being pushed and feeling hands around their necks. The Old Exchange has fewer ghosts (the part located on the second floor). A revolutionary war-era spirit has been allegedly seen roaming the halls and dressed as a former staff member.
Visitors have also approached what they assume to be staff members dressed in Revolutionary War attire on many occasions. But as soon as they got too near, the employee would vanish in front of their eyes.
Compared to the evil spirits wandering the dungeons, vanishing employees may be startling. But it is a better experience than what may happen in the basement.
The Powder Magazine
Charleston’s oldest building, the Powder Magazine, was built in 1713 and is haunted by a host of phantoms. The City’s military forces were stationed in a large armory at 79 Cumberland St. Visiting the museum at least once is truly a wonderful experience, especially if you want to learn about Arsenal’s history. Take a night tour with Bulldog tours on one of their Haunted Arsenal Tours for a more exciting experience.
You may also learn a lot about the stories surrounding the building’s guardians, who were believed to patrol the gates at night. Consider Anne Bonny, an Irish immigrant to the Charleston area who became a fiery female pirate and political leader. Anne would hang out by the river even when she was 14 years old, looking for adventure.
To her father’s disgust, she became acquainted with a low-level pirate, James Bonny. After robbing her father, Anne, and James viciously assaulted and set his house on fire. Anne ultimately becomes bored of James and falls in love with Calico Jack, a recently retired pirate. They continued pirating until they were apprehended off the coast of Jamaica, and Jack was hanged due to Anne’s influence.
It’s a widely held notion that ghosts haunt violent places and events. Tragic occurrences, such as mass murder, prevent the dead from reincarnation.
Poogan’s Porch
Before America’s bicentennial celebration in 1976, the residents of 72 Queen Street had agreed to allow Poogan’s house to be converted into a restaurant. As a result, the place is believed to be haunted by more than just Poogan’s ghost. Another is the phantom of Zoe.
Several decades before Poogan’s porch, Zoe St. Amand and her sister Elizabeth lived there. Zoe was an elementary school teacher who had everything. However, after meeting her husband and her failed marriage, she eventually gave up on finding true love. Many people in the community saw Zoe as a spinster, and her clothing choices did little to dispel that stereotype.
She wore long black dresses and thin-framed glasses quite a lot too. With her sister, they could do anything. They preferred each other’s company compared to the cold, uncaring world. For many years, the sisters remained wholly isolated from the world. Due to the tragic death, her only friend, Zoe, became even more reclusive.
As Zoe became increasingly depressed, her mental health quickly worsened. Zoe had wandered away from home late one night, calling out her sister’s name as she went. After seeing how she was doing, one of Zoe’s neighbors took her to Bon Secour’s St. Francis Hospital. Zoe was confined to the hospital for the remainder of her days.
Her remains were interred in St. Lawrence Cemetery in Charleston, South Carolina, where she also died.
Final Thoughts
Every City has areas known for being haunted, and because of this, the opportunities to visit these locations are becoming increasingly popular. Traveling to Charleston or any of these other areas is a unique experience.
It offers something for every type of traveler. So whether you’re looking for a relaxing vacation or a thrilling one, you won’t want to miss out on visiting these haunted places.