Paranormal Activity Awakens the Night – Ghostly Hot Spots of Charleston, SC

Whether we believe or not, legends of ghosts and haunting activity in the Lowcountry is part of our folklore and our culture.  From the restless spirit of Annabel Lee whose remains lie in an unknown plot on the grounds of the Unitarian Church to the ghostly apparitions that linger inside the walls of the Old City Jail.

Charleston continues to remain the home of Confederate soldiers, early settlers and pirates.

As we look to our left and right and question that gust of wind, we want to pay ode a city where phantoms of the past share the same breath as residents of today.

Poogan’s Porch – The Most Haunted Restaurant in Charleston – This is the story of  the ghost of Zoe St Amand.  This ghost originates from the 1900s when Zoe St Amand and her sister Elizabeth lived in the house at 72 Queen Street.  Zoe, a school teacher, often wore long black Puritan-style dresses and round wire-rimmed glasses.  The two girls kept mostly to themselves and usually played around the house. When Elizabeth died in 1945, Zoe became incredibly lonely.  She was depressed and became a recluse Her mental state was incredibly effected and she was reportedly often seen calling out her sisters name.  Finally neighbors took her to St Francis Hospital to live out the remainder of her days.  Today Zoe’s body rests in St Lawrence Cemetery at 60 Huguenin Avenue just north of downtown Charleston. Zoe’s photo hangs in the dining room today.  There have been numerous sightings of Zoe St Amand at Poogans Porch. (Summary by Charleston.com)

Annabel Lee and Edgar Allan Poe – A Love Unfulfilled – We all know the poem, but there is a solemn story and in an unmarked grave the final resting place of Annabel Lee in the Unitarian Church Cemetery at 4 Archdale Street.  Learn more or walk through one day and see if you can feel her spirit.

The Spirits of Pirates Hanging at The Battery and White Point Gardens – In the course of five weeks in the 1720’s, forty-nine pirates had swung from the gallows at White Point. Death by hanging.  Within a couple months, pirate Richard Worley and nineteen of his men met the same fate. While the leaves of White Point Gardens’ oaks calmly sway in the ocean breeze, their roots are feeding on the blood of pirates.  There is a legend that the spirits of these pirates still stalk Battery Park and White Point Gardens.  Read the full account from the Southern Spirit Guide.

The Phantom in the Purple Dress at the Mills House – According to local lore, this grand hotel has a haunted past. Supposedly you can sight a woman from the 19th century in a purple dress between 11 PM and 1 AM in the rear lobby – a phantom from when the hotel helped burn victims in the 1800s after a major fire consumed much of the city. Whether the hotel has apparitions, it is the timeless essence of Charleston luxury and grace.

Photo by Minta Pavliscsak

The Battery Carriage House – The Most Haunted Place in Charleston – Many who come to the Battery Carriage House are there for the ambiance, the quiet warmth of The Battery, the historic decor, beautiful statuesque courtyard and warm hospitality.  Yet, many travel far and wide to stay in Room, 3, 8 or 10 because lingering between the walls of those rooms are spirits that keep you company and remind you that you are not alone.  Time and time again, guests have stayed and experienced things out of the ordinary and have even made believers out of non-believers.

The Haunting Spirits of the Old City Jail – Once consider the cruelest jail in the United States of America, the Old City Jail continues to bring curious followers of the paranormal for evening and overnight excursions in hopes of waking the spirits and communicating.  Built in 1802 and remaining operational until 1939, this jail was responsible for over 10,000 deaths in its 211 year reign.  Read the ghost of Lavinia Fisher and more paranormal theory from Mysterious Universe.

Philadelphia Alley and The Duel – Dr. Joseph Brown Ladd and Ralph Isaacs in a fateful duel bear witness to a young 22 year old’s death from injuries 11 days after being struck by a bullet at 59 Church Street.  On the evening before, Joseph turned to his lover Amanda with the words, “…friendly death may soon relieve my pain.”  This is a story of love, honor and a life unfulfilled that lingers in the depths of Philadelphia Alley.  Read more by Scares and Haunts of Charleston with the article entitled “The Whistling Doctor of Dueler’s Alley”.

Nettie Dickerson at the Dock Street Theater – The 1736 Dock Street Theater is said to be haunted by Nettie Dickerson, who came to town around 1840. She was 25, an old spinster by the day’s standards, and although she was intelligent and attractive, no men would take her for a wife. Heartbroken, she got a church clerk job and lived alone, until she decided to become a prostitute. She still went to church, although the people shunned her and eventually she couldn’t get any clients. She loved storms and would stand high on buildings to watch thunderstorms. One day she was struck by lightning and killed atop this building, then the church, and folks say here her spirit remains. Her apparition has been seen in a red gown, floating across the second floor hall.