For a town nicknamed the Holy City, Charleston has quite the crew of wicked specters crowding its winding lanes and narrow alleyways. While churches may line its streets, ghosts seem to occupy nearly every other building here, outnumbering the steeples and spires by far.
Chilling Charleston Facts
- During the Charleston Blockade, the notorious pirate Blackbeard held the port of Charleston ransom for a week until his request for a chest of medicine for himself and his crew was fulfilled.
- Charleston’s warm climate made it a breeding ground for diseases such as Yellow Fever, which killed 15% of the city’s population in 1699, only to be followed by numerous other outbreaks in the 1700s and 1800s.
- After suffering just over 150 deaths during the Siege of Charleston, an accidental explosion at a gunpowder magazine killed roughly twice as many, bringing the total to more than 300.
- You can visit Charleston’s most haunted spots and learn about its ghostly past by joining a local ghost tour – use promo code SWEETGRASS for 10% off!
Why Is Charleston So Haunted?
The Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
Established in 1670, Charleston is a community as rich with history as it is with palmetto trees and Spanish moss. Subject to siege by land and sea, this colonial city walled itself off in the late 1600s to prevent attacks from the Spanish, French, and Native people. But sieges have not been its only blight.
A city that has fallen victim to epidemics and acts of nature, the ghosts of Charleston are the result of disasters, disease, and ill intent. Its many buildings are haunted by all manner of spirits, from soldiers and pirates to prisoners and orphans, leaving the spire-filled streets of “The Holy City” awash with the dead.
The Old Charleston Jail
Built in 1802 and home to countless inmates until 1939, the Old Charleston Jail is a site that carries a good deal of ghostly baggage. It has housed hundreds of criminals, including some of the last high-seas pirates of the 19th century. Yet its most famed phantom is no buccaneer.
Some have sighted a female figure in a white dress walking the halls. Many believe this to be Lavinia Fisher, a murderess who requested to be hanged in her wedding dress on the grounds. Others have been touched or scratched while on the property.
Who these angry spirits might be is unclear. However, it appears those who visit this crumbling haunt best do so with caution, as not all of its spirits are welcoming.
White Point Gardens
Today, a sprawling expanse of stunning oak trees and grand monuments, the breathtaking green space known as White Point Gardens belies a chilling past. Upon these scenic grounds, more than forty pirates were executed in 1718, including the famed pirate Stede Bonnet and his crew.
Called “White Point” due to the oyster shoals that were visible at low tide in the adjacent harbor, this tract of land has seen many black days. While tourists flock here by the dozens to enjoy its picturesque space, those who dare pass through this waterfront park after sunset have seen strange sights. Some have observed shadowy figures hanging from tree boughs; others have witnessed faces gazing back from the darkness or curious orbs of light.
20 South Battery
The Battery Carriage – Copyright US Ghost Adventures
Designated the most haunted house in South Carolina by Forbes, the hotel formerly known as the Battery Carriage House Inn has an extensive history. Built in 1843, the property survived the Siege of Charleston to see numerous owners and many lives, acting as a rowdy spot for Navy men to rent rooms before serving as student apartments in the 1960s.
Now an 11-room inn, the hotel harbors an array of tenants, both living and dead. Its otherworldly occupants include a Confederate soldier in room 8, as well as the “Gentleman Ghost” of room 10. Known to appear dressed in a nice suit, this spiffy specter seems particularly drawn to female guests, touching their hair on occasion.
The Pink House
Found on Chalmers Street in Charleston’s downtown area, the Pink House is so-named due to its notable building material: a pinkish coral stone known as Bermuda stone. While it sits quietly these days, it was once a haven for rough pirates and sailors stopping in this bustling port town.
Those who’ve been inside have occasionally witnessed a ghostly woman pacing the halls. Others have spied windows opening and shutting quite forcefully, along with the sounds of a swishing dress.
Who might this specter be? Many declare it to be the spirit of Anne Bonny, a legendary pirate who built quite the reputation for herself in Charleston, and may have very well been a regular patron here in the building’s tavern days.
Magnolia Cemetery
Located in downtown Charleston, the sweeping Magnolia Cemetery has a haunting air of romance to it. As a quintessential Southern cemetery, it holds countless plots amongst its grassy expanse, kept well-shaded under the cover of colossal oaks.
Once home to a rice plantation, it was established as a cemetery in 1850 in response to the increasing need for burial plots as a result of Yellow Fever. Today, it houses many prominent Charlestonians among its 35,000 eternal residents, some of whom are not quite at rest.
Many report feeling watched upon nighttime tours of this bewitching resting place, as if eyes are lingering upon them. Perhaps this watchful gaze belongs to one of its famed tomb owners, such as William B. Smith, a 19th-century banker who had himself buried like an Egyptian pharaoh in a pyramid-shaped mausoleum.
Blind Tiger Pub
Situated where a 19th-century speakeasy once illegally operated, the ghosts of the Blind Tiger Pub are likely tied to these roaring times. A frequent spot for poltergeist activity as witnessed in breaking glasses and phantom footsteps, its most famed ghost is simply known as the “Lady in Black.”
A spirit few want to tangle with in this storied tavern, this spiteful specter is rumored to pull customers' hair every so often. Others have shadowy figures running out the back door or even heard faint cries of “help” coming from beneath the floor.
Berry Residence Hall
While the Joe E. Berry Residence Hall currently houses students of the College of Charleston, it once held much younger occupants — and according to many, it still does. Upon this spot once sat the Charleston Orphan House, a facility that would see thousands of children pass through its melancholy doors.
During the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918, a fire broke out while the orphanage infirmary was filled with sick children. More than 200 girls and boys rushed from the building that night, but not all made it out.
Today, students have heard these child spirits at play in the afterlife, singing nursery rhymes and playing ghostly games of marbles. Phantom fire alarms have gone off since the dormitory’s opening, along with the sounds of children’s laughter late at night.
Haunted Charleston: The Unholy City
While the Holy City of Charleston may hold hundreds of churches within its boundaries, its houses of worship are well outnumbered by its ghosts. From haunted inns and restaurants to public spaces heavy with history, this community is one anchored with ghosts. To explore even more of its haunted offerings, one must only book a Charleston ghost tour (use promo code SWEETGRASS for 10% off) to experience some of its most hair-raising locations firsthand.
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