St. Philip’s Graveyard

Posted: 05.07.2024 | Updated: 02.07.2025

The simple, yet elegant, layout of St. Philip’s graveyard has made it a top choice for those that love the macabre and magnificent. This graveyard one of many connected to churches in the aptly named Holy City, has plenty to admire. But you won’t be alone.

The landscape sews together the story of South Carolina; colonial leaders, a vice president, a playwright, and a president of the state all rest here. But there is a darker side. One filled with apparitions of mourning women and lost children.

Charleston, South Carolina has many historic graveyards and cemeteries Each one has its own stories and spirits, markers and monuments and unique designs that tell stories from centuries passed.

Join Charleston Terrors on a Charleston ghost walk to learn more about the Holy City’s haunted past!

Who Haunts St. Philip’s Graveyard?

Conjoined with St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, many members of St. Philip’s Graveyard are buried in the hallowed grounds on the banks of the Charleston Harbor. But the most famous souls within the old graveyard are not at rest. Sue Howard Hardy, Boney, and the rest are still roaming the wretched landscape searching for their peace.

History of St. Philip’s Graveyard

Originally established in 1681, St. Philip’s congregation originally formed at the intersection of Broad and Meeting Street. Today it is where the St. Michael’s Episcopal Church sits.

In 1710, a hurricane struck the city and destroyed the original wooden building. Built with black cypress, it stood no chance against the torrental winds of the Atlantic.

This sotrm greatly delayed the development of the area. But the city was eventually redesigned into the beautiful complex smattering of churches we see today.

St. Philip’s Church was yet again destroyed in 1835, when the larger brick building had been burned down in a disastrous fire.

Construction began almost immediately, and the fine Anglo-Palladian-style building we see today was reopened in 1838. In 1848 and then in 1850, the steeple was added, and the building has stood strong since.

Several early colonial leaders rest in the St. Philip’s graveyard, including Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Rawlins Lowndes, a former President of South Carolina, ratified the removal of the term “President” in favor of “Governor” in 1778.

He opposed the Constitution due to its restrictions on the slave trade and the stark shift of power it proposed from the state level to the federal government. Other famous residents of the graveyard include DuBose Heyward, who wrote the novel Porgy.

His work would go on to influence Porgy and Bess, the 1935 George Gershwin Opera. Heyward wrote the words of this smashing production, and it would go on to be dramatized in the 1959 film of the same name.

Heyward, born in Charleston, would pass away in 1940. His spirit, and those of the aforementioned, all appear to be at rest. That is not the case for the others who lay at St. Phillip’s Graveyard.

Sue Howard Hardy | The Grieving Woman

In 1987, a man named Harry Reynolds took a stroll over to St. Philip’s Graveyard. It was a nice sunny day, and he wanted to capture the beauty of the cemetery. Little did he know that one of the photos he took that day would captivate ghost enthusiasts for years to come.

Reynolds managed to capture the image of a transparent woman hunched over the grave of a small child. She is kneeling on the ground on both her hands and feet as if suffering a terrible loss. This is the supposed ghost of Sue Howard, a former member of the St. Philip’s Congregation.

Howard and her husband Gaston Hardy lost their stillborn child on June 10th, 1888. Six days later, Sue mysteriously fell ill and died. Many say she died of a broken heart.

When this picture was developed, it was picked up by publications and tabloids around the world. Charlestonians knew who she was right away.

Her story is a commonly told around Charleston and the photo is said to pregnant women feel sick and uneasy when they touch it.

But, Sue Howard is far from the only spirit wandering St. Philip’s Graveyard.

Ghosts of St. Philip’s Graveyard

There is also the spirit of a young girl. She is often seen holding a cane walking late at night through the tombs.

The story goes that she was dared by friends of hers to enter the cemetery at night and leave a cane at the tomb of a man named Boney.

Boney was an enslaved person who saved the church from a great fire in 1796 and was given back his freedom for doing so. Many say his spirit is still haunting the graveyard today.

This poor girl went look for Boney. Whlie on her hunt, she got so worked up over the tale that, after being frightened by a sound, accidentally pitched her cane into her foot. They say she silently died of fright, stuck in the ground like a tent.

Haunted Charlesotn

While folks do say they see her spirit late at night, there is no reference to this actually happening. Except for Boney, that is. He was a real-life person who truly saved the church from destruction.

His spirit, it said, still haunts the graveyard, protecting his congregation from whatever evil may try to approach them.

The girl, the grieving woman, they are all there. The founding fathers and inspired authors. They are waiting for adventurers brave enough to see the sights and sounds of St. Philip’s Graveyard for themselves.

If you feel brave enough, take a Charleston ghost tour with Charleston Terrors and see for yourself. Until then, however, you can keep reading our blog for more scary stories and cemetery tales.

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Sources:

• https://www.nga.org/governor/rawlins-lowndes/
• https://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_posts/6200558-a-classic-charleston-ghost-story-the-dare-at-st-philip-s-churchyard
• https://www.stphilipschurchsc.org/history
• https://travelerofcharleston.com/attractions/st-phillips-church-graveyard/
• https://www.southernspiritguide.org/a-holy-ghost-at-st-philips/
• https://scaresandhauntsofcharleston.wordpress.com/2012/03/13/the-photograph-of-sue-howard-hardy/
• https://www.walkingcharleston.com/blog/2017/10/5/historic-graveyards-and-cemeteries
• https://www.britannica.com/biography/DuBose-Heyward