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| True South Carolina Ghost Stories
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Battery Carriage House Inn
Charleston, South Carolina
Located in Beautiful Charleston South Carolina is the Battery Carriage House Inn. The house was built in 1843 during an era of prosperity in South Carolina on land that was purchased by Samuel Stevens for $4500. In 1859, Stevens sold the house to John F. Blacklock. Blacklock moved into the house and stayed until 1870, when the Civil War broke, and then abandoned it. After the war, the battered house was sold to a Georgetown, South Carolina native and Yankee Colonel. Colonel Richard Lathers was a factor who ran numerous northern cotton mills. When the war ended he wanted to help revive the slumping economy in South Carolina. He hired architect John Henry Devereaux to renovate the house in New York fashion. A new ballroom, which was used as a conference room and a mansard roof, that housed a library, were added. The renovations lasted a couple of years and the house was sold once again. Andrew Simmonds, the current owner’s great grandfather bought the house in 1874. He founded the First National Bank of South Carolina and the Imperial Fertilizer Company. He also added a fleet of ships for trading from the Charleston wharfs. Simmonds and his family lived in the house until 1912. In the 1920 the house was owned by the Pringles who rightfully named it Pringles Court. In the 1940s the hotel, known as Battery Park Hotel, was filled with navy men and hookers. Rooms were charged by the hour as this brought in more money than nightly rentals. In the 1960s the rooms in the house were converted into apartments and rented to college students. By the 1980s the house returned to a hotel and remains that way. It was ravaged in 1992 by hurricane Hugo but has been fully restored. There is a lot of history surrounding the Battery Carriage House Inn, and also a lot of people who have passed through its doors. Some of these people are said to have never exited through those doors. The Inn is reportedly home to several ghosts. During the Civil War the Battery was an active artillery installation during the siege of Charleston. The first ghost is believed to be from that time period. He is known as the headless torso, a shadowy figure that floats around scaring guests sans limbs in a heavy coat and is known to haunt room 8. He has been known to get close (too close for some) and moan very heavily. Another ghost, named the gentleman ghost, has also been felt and seen in the house and is known to like the ladies. He is believed to have killed himself by jumping from the roof. Room 10 seems to be his room of choice. Guests who have stayed in room 10 have reported seeing the apparition moving around the room, entering and exiting through walls. Shadowy figures are seen passing by windows and around corners, loud footsteps are heard following you but when you turn to look no one is there, ghostly faces in mirrors and shutters that open and close on their own. Guests have also complained about loud crashing noises waking them up in the middle of the night only to find nothing when they investigate the room.
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