Charleston Haunted Hotels: Rooms with a Boo!
If you are vacationing in the beautiful Holy City, the spirits have plenty of accommodations that they are more than happy to share! So, if your must have amenities include five-star hauntings, then check out these Charleston Haunted Hotels.
The Meeting Street Inn is a beautiful renovated home that was once the home of German immigrant, Adolph Tiefenthal, who sold German beer and wine in the first-floor saloon and his family lived in the upper floors. It was quite fancy for its day, as it was one of the only homes around with piped and running water. Adolph died suddenly and left the property to his wife who grieved for her loving husband by getting remarried as soon as possible. So, as you would imagine, Adolph is a bit unsettled in his afterlife. He is suspected to be forever residing in room 303 of this now Haunted Hotel, and prefers to keep the room to himself. He will lock the door from the inside, even rendering the master key useless. Once someone manages to get the door unlocked, it still won’t open. It is as though there is an unseen force holding it closed. Adolph isn’t the only spirit with their preferred room. Room 107 belongs to a female spirit who she doesn’t seem to mind sharing her room with the living. We can probably guess that this is the ghost of Mrs. Tiefenthal. Guests often wake to find her standing at the foot of the bed. She looks like a perfectly living lady other than the fact that her form below the waist is completely see through!
The Embassy Suites isn’t a name that leads you to think Haunted Hotel. However, this modern hotel happens to be a Civil War Monument. The fortress structure at Marion Square was originally called The Citadel. It was an armory before it became part of the South Carolina Military College. The Huffington Post even named it “The Most Haunted Hotel in the South.”
The top floor used to be the officer’s quarters, so this is where most of the hauntings occur. There are a number of guests who have seen cadets or officers in their suites and in the hallways. There is one most commonly seen, and while he has proven to be harmless, just the slightest glimpse of him will send chills down your spine. He fancied materializing in the rooms of female guests, standing at the foot of their bed, his scalp pulled back from the eyebrows and the top of his head unaccounted for. The staff has affectionately dubbed him “Half Head,” and his favorite room to visit is on the mezzanine, room M113. He appears so often that the room is only open to guests if the rest of the hotel is full.
The Francis Marion Hotel was named for the Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, also known as the “Swamp Fox” because of his craftiness in eluding enemies in the Carolina swamps. Most people assume that he is the spirit that haunts his namesake, but that isn’t true. Old “Swamp Fox” would be a much more cheerful spectre.
This Charleston Haunted Hotel is a luxury accommodation, complete with incredible views of historic King Street, top notch amenities, and the broken-hearted spirit of a young shoe salesman. Ned Cohen met the love of his life, a sweet southern belle from Charleston, while she was vacationing in New York City. Though her stay was brief, Ned could not get her off of his mind. It would seem that fate had a plan, for not long after, the shoe company that Ned worked for sent him on a business trip down to Charleston, SC. The very city where his beloved resided with her affluent family.
After spending an amazing weekend at The Francis Marion with his lady love, Ned awoke to find a note in the place of the beautiful young woman who had been there a few hours before. It read “I’m sorry. My family will never understand us. Good-Bye.” Desolate, Ned threw open the window and leapt to his death far below on King Street.
Ned remains, forever roaming throughout the Francis Marion, still waiting for his love to return. Occasionally, his presence has been felt in the chilling form of a sudden wind that opens up the window of his old 10th floor room. The panes will rattle as the drapes rise, almost as if they were arms reaching out to gently touch the unsuspecting guests. Guests and staff alike have seen the spectral figure of a young man vacantly staring down the hallways. Others have simply felt his presence as they are swathed in an immense sadness that comes out of nowhere.
At the Rutledge Victorian Guesthouse is a three-story, Charleston Haunted Hotel that belonged to a wealthy tobacco merchant and was built in 1887. In tragic fire, Sarah, a young girl of 12 years old, who lived in the house with her parents, perished in the flames. Her parents boarded up the place and moved away but it was revived in the 1980’s and now Sarah has claimed this haunted hotel as her very own playhouse. She enjoys running up and down the corridors, turning the lights on and off and peeking in through the windows. She also likes to pull the pillows out from underneath guest’s heads during the night. Whenever guests have an encounter with young Sarah, it is always followed by the smell of smoke.
The Mills House Wyndham Grand – aka “The Pink Hotel,” was built in 1853, and named for the builder and local grain merchant Otis Mills. In 1861, Gen. Robert E. Lee was in Charleston to take a look at the harbor defenses and he stayed at the Mills House. This was during the same time that a great fire devastated over a half a dozen blocks of the city. Lee and his troops were watching the blaze from the roof of the hotel when they realized the flames were drawing near. They raced to the parlor and found a group of ladies and their children preparing to leave. Some of the soldiers quickly grabbed up the children and led the ladies out through the cellar while others stayed behind with the staff to fight the fire with wet blankets. They managed to save the building and everyone in it. As Lee’s Confederate base during the Civil War it survived the cities wartime destruction as well. President Theodore Roosevelt even stayed there in 1902!
There are two different ghostly sightings in the Charleston Haunted Hotel. Guests have frequently caught sight of woman in a 19th century dress holding a baby. She is, no doubt, one of the women who was staying at the Mills House during the fire of 1861. She seems to be at peace and is not known to interact with the living. The confederate soldiers that were there that night also seem to have stuck around/ Both employees and former guests have seen them running up and down the halls screaming for water. It would seem that they are still fighting to put out that great fire. One of the apparitions is said to resemble the beloved general, Robert E. Lee, himself.
The Original Mills House Hotel was demolished and replicated in 1968. There is really only one notable difference, it now has seven stories instead of the original’s five. It’s no wonder these spectral soldiers can’t seem to find water as they frantically run through the corridors. If they were to find themselves on the sixth or seventh floor, they would have no idea where they are!
This eerie accommodation is another of Charleston’s Haunted Hotels filled spirits at no extra charge! Over by Charleston College is another beautifully restored home that serves as a Bed and Breakfast. 1837 Bed and Breakfast, to be exact, built in….1837! George and his parents were enslaved by the homes owners. When his parents were sold, little George stole a rowboat and headed out on the Charleston Harbor to find them and tragically drowned. It is believed that he returned to the home where he was last with his family and remains there today. But don’t worry, Casper has nothing on George the friendly ghost! He just wants to play with the guests that come and go. There are reports of doors slamming shut and tiny footprints on the bedspreads. A little boy has been seen playing around the halls and then vanishing in the ultimate game of hide-and-seek.
This last Charleston Haunted Hotel has quite the laundry list of spirits! In 1843, a rich guy had a grand mansion built near the harbor. It was abandoned during the Civil War and then renovated by another rich guy who sided with the Union and hoped to hold gatherings in the home to patch up the rocky relationship between the north and south. Too soon, rich guy. Too soon. The years were not kind to the home. It fell into disrepair and was abandoned after Hurricane Hugo took its toll. Luckily, it was rescued in the 90’s and renovated into a beautiful hotel. A beautiful Haunted Hotel!
Room 8 in the Carriage House hosts a large male entity. Well, we can assume he is large based on the part of him that manifests. His large floating torso appears, usually to male guests, followed by the sound of hefty chuckling. Those who have encountered him believe him to be quite a seedy character and not at all a gentleman.
There is a gentleman that stays in room 10. A ghostly gentleman caller, that is! Two sisters were vacationing in room 10. While one sister slept, the other laid awake, filled with anxiety about some private matters. Suddenly a “wispy gray apparition” of a thin young man with no facial features laid down next to her on the bed. Surprisingly, rather than completely freak out, the woman felt suddenly calm as the spirit gently put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. When she woke her sister, he vanished. Other single female travelers have reported the feeling of someone climbing into bed with them. Strangely enough, they all describe it as startling at first, then strangely soothing. Several orbs have been caught on camera in room 10, as well as recordings of breathing and tapping sounds when the room was supposedly empty.
The ground floor of the hotel is a raised basement where many different entities like to gather in the sitting area of room 3. The spirit of a young girl has been seen playing in the fountain just outside and then tracking her tiny wet footprints inside. Guests have also complained of the sound of dripping water. Cell Phones tend to do their own thing in room 3, almost as if someone were playing with them.
This is likely one of the more famous and active Charleston Haunted Hotels due to it’s location right across from the infamous White Point Gardens and Battery Park. In the early 1700’s, it was the location of the gallows and many men were hanged for their crimes. Notably, 49 men were hanged all at once for piracy. their There weren’t enough gallows so most of the men were hung from nearby tree branches. Their corpses were left dangling for days before being dumped in the marsh. The spirits of the pirates haunt the Park still today. A couple staying at the Battery Carriage Inn in claimed to see the ghost of a man hanging from a tree in the yard. Other guests have heard screaming as they cross the street to the park. Legend has it that you look out into the water when the moon is bright you can see the bloated faces of the long dead pirates floating in the waters.
Rest in Peace in Charleston!
These Charleston Haunted Hotels are over booked with otherworldly regulars, but there’s always room for the living who are adventurous enough to share their accommodations. This is a city known for preserving the past so now you know the best paranormal places to lay down to rest.
Add a comment