The Most Haunted Locations in Charleston
Do you believe in ghosts?
Pictured is Poogan’s Porch, the restaurant home to the ghosts of Poogan and Zoe.
3. Poogan’s Porch
This Victorian style home turned restaurant is a great place to eat brunch and see ghosts at the same time. According to one version of the story, the name “Poogan’s Porch” originated from a dog named Poogan who was left behind at the house by his owners. The new owners kept Poogan as their own and later decided to name the restaurant after the adorable little dog. Legend says that many of the restaurant’s customers have seen Poogan’s ghost.
In addition, Poogan’s Porch is also home to the ghost of Zoe, a girl who lived in the house with her sister Elizabeth in the early 20th century. The two were also the best of friends, and after Elizabeth’s death, Zoe became lonely and depressed. She then began wandering the streets at night calling her sister’s name, and later ended up at a hospital where she died. Supposedly, Zoe’s ghost haunts Poogan’s Porch, and she is still looking for her sister after all these years.
2. The Old Jail
The Old Jail is home to the ghost of Lavinia Fisher. Stories say that she was the first convicted woman serial killer and was hanged. Supposedly, her husband John and her tried to kill guests who stayed at their inn by giving them drugged tea and then murdering them in their cellar. They were eventually caught and imprisoned at the jail until being hanged. At her hanging, she was quoted as stating, “If any of you has a message for the devil, say it now for I shall see him in a moment.” It’s said that now Lavinia is known to haunt the jail and even attack people sometimes.
Despite this story, however, other evidence claims that this story has slowly changed over the years from the actual events that occurred. According to the factual story, there were many people being attacked by highway robbers, and many began to hypothesize that the robbers were staying at inns. A mob formed and started trying to search the inns, and a man was left in charge to watch the inn. After being kicked out by some guests, he tried to go back inside, and the Fishers beat him up. Then, after being imprisoned for their actions and awaiting appeal, the Fishers were accused of highway robbery, convicted, and then hanged.
Whether or not Lavinia Fisher actually haunts the Old Jail, the Old Jail still has a creepy vibe where you can take ghost tours to see for yourself if there really is a ghost or not.
1. The Old Navy Base
This is perhaps the most haunted location of them all. As those who took creative writing with Mr. Wright will know, there are many haunting stories at this location from Tom Long Legs to the history of the Annex and the Infirmary to “The Event.” Eventually, it may become difficult to differentiate fact from fiction with his 3DSP project. Although Mr. Wright is no longer a teacher at AMHS, you may still be able to see some of the landmarks from the project at the Navy Base. It is said that there are patients still haunting the Infirmary, and Tom Long Legs still lives in the area. Perhaps you can even find a rock by the train tracks with “Tom” carved into it, or an old letter by the Mansion.
