Some Haunted Places in Charleston South Carolina
My mother recently visited us and we took some interesting tours around one of the most interesting city’s I know of. Charleston, a seaside city has a lot of history that’s traced way back to pre-Columbus days. Charleston has always played a major role in the history of America and anytime I go to Charleston and stand at Battery Park, I’m reminded of just how small my role in this universe really is.
Is Charleston full of haunted history? Most of the locals seem to think that it is and there sure are a lot of stories. One of most haunted places in Charleston is known better as Dock Street Theatre. Originally constructed around 1809 as Planter’s Hotel by the Calder family of Charleston.
It’s said that there are two entities that continuously wander around the theatre. One of them was a famous actor by the name of Junius Brutus Booth, most famously known as the father of the man who killed President Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth. The other ghostly creature, a nameless prostitute locals call “Nettie” who is believed to have frequented the area also in the 1800’s. Nettie worked at the hotel and was struck by lightening standing on her porch, she was killed instantly.
Another popular place in Charleston that single women may want to visit is The Battery House Carriage Inn, many stories have emerged from this place. This historical place is home to two ghosts of conflicting personalities. Neither of them are known but both have been seen by countless guests.
Funny thing is that one of them appears mostly to men and the other, well he just likes to bed women, ooops I mean he just likes to crawl into the beds with women. Men have reported waking up to see a man near the bed, one guest even tried to touch the ghost until it let out a spine tingling growl. Many women have said a ghost snuggled up to them in the bed, putting his arm around them. Could the one ghost be looking for the one who romanced his woman away?
My favorite spooked place is Boone Hall Plantation, it’s rumored that there’s a soldier many people have witnessed and it appears that he’s trying to remove a bullet from an injured comrade. Boone Hall Plantation is an extremely historical sight that has remained a working plantation since the late 1600’s. The most beautiful thing about Boone Hall is in fact the history and touring the plantation is a breath taking experience.
The most heartbreaking story surrounds the house locals call The Thirteenth Step. In the 1700’s a young girl Ammie Jenkins grew up in the house and played along side her childhood friend Concha, who was an Indian boy. Supposedly on Ammie’s 18th birthday, Concha professed his love to Ammie and she denied him.
Ammie shortly found a suitor and the night before she planned to marry him an arrow entered her chest from the bedroom window. Aimmee was able to get down to the porch where her future husband waited for her where she died on “The Thirteenth Step”. Years passed before anyone would walk on the step because the blood stain never seemed to go away. No one seems to know what happened beyond Ammie’s death. I for one, would love to know what happened to Concha.
Besides all the haunted activity in Charleston, it really is a beautiful city full of culture, history and is a must see jewel on the east coast. Tourists can look at the historical buildings with incredible architecture, visit museums, take countless tours of the city, relax at one of the many parks, take carriage rides, go shopping, play around the waterfront and there’s just always something to do.
I visited all the places mentioned and there’s more I want to visit next time. I didn’t see any ghosts but I did feel mighty funny at The Battery House Carriage Inn, maybe someone was checking me out! I probably should’ve stayed all night. There are over 20 “haunted” place in Charleston and more than enough to do, why not take your better half to Charleston for the next family vacation, you could have a ghostly good time!
