Battery Carriage House Inn

Battery Carriage House Inn

FUN FACTS:

Guests can book the inn’s Ghost Adventure Package…if they dare!
This neoclassical landmark is located at the southern part of the peninsula at Battery Park, which was originally established as a fort.

It was converted into a park in 1837 but used as an artillery battery during the Civil War. That’s why you’ll see so many monuments, memorials, cannons, and other wartime artifacts throughout the park.
The inn has TWO ghosts and one is headless!

The History

Founded in 1670 and originally named Charles Town after King Charles II, the port city has seen a lot over the years. The first shot of the Civil War was fired from here. Many other “firsts” took place here, such as our nation’s first successful submarine attack, America’s first golf course, and first theatre, Dock Street Theatre. Since Charleston is one of the oldest and most haunted cities in America, it is hard to pinpoint the “most” haunted place. That said, I think one of the most haunted places in this historic port city is the Battery Carriage House.

During the summer of 1843, Samuel Stevens bought the neoclassical-style property for $4,500. It was designed so that the length of the house faced the sea rather than the road. This was typically done so as to maximize ocean breezes during the long, hot summer. This is also the reason why porches were built to run the length of a house. Large windows opened onto these covered porches, allowing for greater ventilation.

This was used as a summer home for the Stevens family for sixteen years until it was sold to John Blacklock. Blacklock had lived on prestigious Bull Street before moving to this house on the Battery. He was forced to vacate during the Civil War’s Siege of Charleston. Like much of Charleston, the house suffered damage during this assault. Most likely, Blacklock lacked the money to repair the house. Most southerners were hard hit by the war. This is when many Yankees came in and bought distressed properties at bargain basement prices.

Blacklock sold the house to Colonel Lathers in 1870. While Lathers hailed from Georgetown, he had been a colonel for the Union army. He married a wealthy New York woman, whose family was in the banking business. He was also a factor, which meant that he arranged the sale and transport of cotton for local planters to Northern cotton mills.

Lathers hired renowned Charleston architect John Henry Devereaux to complete the extensive renovations. A library and new ballroom were added. Although it was called a ballroom, it was meant to be a meeting room. Reportedly, Lathers used the room to bring southern businessmen and legislators together with Northern bankers and legislators in the hopes of reviving South Carolina’s economy.

Despite his best efforts, South Carolinians were not receptive to working with Yankees to rebuild the state. Eventually, Lathers left Charleston. He sold the house to Andrew Simonds in 1874. He is the great-great-grandfather of the current owner. Simonds was the founder of the First National Bank of South Carolina. He was also a businessman.

He started Imperial Fertilizer Company. Nearly bankrupt plantation owners could hold onto their homes by supplying phosphate, which is used to make fertilizer. Simonds expanded his empire to include a fleet of trading ships. Sadly, his oldest son and namesake, Andrew Simonds Jr. was a troubled young man. He became a drunk and a bum. He ended up in a Baltimore sanatorium.

Andrew and Daisy Simonds lived on Battery Park for more than forty- five years. They were quite happy and often threw grand parties. There is a great story about Daisy climbing up onto the roof of the ballroom one night. Presumably, this was during one of their wild parties. She fell through the glass skylight and would have been killed if she hadn’t miraculously fallen right into one of the large chandeliers.

In the early 1920s, it was owned by a couple who converted part of the property into a cheap motor lodge or court. Since their last name was Pringle, they called it “Pringle Court.” By the 1940s, Charleston had become a military town filled with Navy sailors. Nightclubs and bars sprang up all along the waterfront. Rooms at Pringle Court were rented out by the hour, as well as nightly. Tourists today probably cannot reconcile the gentile Charleston they see with the wild place it was in those days when drinking, gambling, and prostitution were prevalent.

Twenty years later, the property was made into units for students at the College of Charleston. By the 1980s, it became the Battery Carriage House.

The Hauntings

I gave my first national television interview at the Battery Carriage House.
It was July, which is the hottest month in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Thanks to the humidity, it usually feels like 110 degrees in the middle of the day, even in the shade. As I walked towards the inn, sweating under the mid-day sun, my mind was more on the unbearable heat than ghosts.

As soon as I entered the lobby, I was approached by the producer. We exchanged brief greetings and then proceeded to Room 10, where his crew had set up their equipment. Rooms 8 and 10 are the most haunted places in the hotel. As we started the interview, it was discovered that the lighting was all wrong. When the producer asked his crew, they assured him it had been set up properly and a final check done just before my arrival. They had no explanation as to what had happened since that time.

After some adjustments, we began.

Almost immediately after the interview began, we were stopped by the camera operator. He said that something was wrong and he did some fast tweaking. As soon as he finished, one of the lights that was almost directly over my head made a popping sound and went dark. The sudden and strange event was unnerving to all of us in the room. Finally, the interview was conducted. As we played back the interview, we discovered what was either audio distortion or noises in the background. We had to redo part of the interview as a result.

Afterwards, the producer assured me that this was most unusual. I think he was afraid that I would think they were unprofessional. To the contrary, I was thinking about ghosts! I was wondering if “something” didn’t want us in his room. I also wondered which ghost had been the prankster.

The inn has two resident ghosts. One is known as the “Gentleman Ghost” while the other is called the “Torso Ghost.” The Gentleman Ghost is well-dressed and only shows himself to female guests. He likes to lie down beside them while they are sleeping. If a guest discovers his presence and cries out, he quickly exits through the nearest wall. It is believed to be the spirit of a college student who killed himself by jumping off the roof of this building.

The Torso Ghost is a scary sight given that he has no head! He doesn’t reveal himself very often, but when he does he gives guests a real fright. He appears wearing a gray uniform and has been heard moaning, as if he is in pain. Some Confederate soldiers had to blow up an ammunitions cache before retreating so that Union soldiers couldn’t get their hands on it. One of the soldiers involved died during this mission and is believed to be the Torso Ghost. He is usually seen sort of hovering over the foot of the bed in Room 8. There have been so many reports over the years, including ones from people who did not even realize they were staying in a haunted room.

Credible witnesses have reported sightings of both ghosts. One man who swore he didn’t believe in ghosts (at least not before that night!) said he awoke to find “the torso of a man with no face in front of him. He said he was barrel-chested and wearing several layers of clothing.” Thinking he was dreaming, he reached out and touched the garment. He recalls that it felt coarse and that he heard raspy breathing that turned into a moan when he touched the man’s coat. The presence disappeared. Even though it did not harm him, he sensed it was not a benign entity.

Reports of the Gentleman Ghost are more common. He is of average build and has no distinguishable features. Sometimes he will put his arm around a female guest. Other times, he simply lies down a few inches away from the sleeping guest. This only happens in Room 10. Some guests have tried to record their stay only to have strange things occur, such as blurred images and malfunctioning equipment—just like what happened during my interview.

While many guests never see the ghosts, they do sometimes smell cologne and hear strange noises or experience weird things in their sleeping rooms, such as lights turning on or off by themselves or the room suddenly getting very cold. One couple had such a scary experience that they left in the middle of the night. They threw on coats over their pajamas and quickly checked out without explanation. The next morning a maid found the nightstand
Bible underneath one of the bed pillows.

Visitor Information

The historic property is located in the heart of the historic district. It has ten rooms and one suite. Rooms 8 and 10 are reportedly the most haunted. Additionally, several companies offer “haunted Charleston” tours.

20 South Battery
Charleston, SC 29401

From: A Ghost Hunter’s Guide to the Most Haunted Hotels & Inns in America written by Terrance Zepke