The Haunted Battery Carriage Inn

Posted: 12.07.2024 | Updated: 12.07.2024

On 20 South Battery in the city of Charleston, South Carolina, stands The Battery Carriage Inn, one of the city’s oldest, and most breathtaking inns: spacious period-style rooms, opaque chandeliers, neoclassical exterior overlooking Charleston Harbor. They’re only a handful of what makes this historical inn a hospitality gem of the south. 

However, something else lingers in the rooms of this time-old inn. Could it be because it has witnessed several personal tragedies in its two centuries of existence? Perhaps it has something to do with its involvement in the Civil War. The answer remains elusive, but that doesn’t stop the ghosts from coming alive in the twilight hours of The Battery Carriage Inn. 

It’s not too late to have your own ghost experience! Book a ghost tour with Charleston Terrors today to take a walk through the afterlife of Charleston, South Carolina. 

Is The Battery Carriage Inn haunted?

The Battery Carriage Inn is renowned throughout Charleston, South Carolina for its preservation of history. It’s also believed to be the city’s most haunted inn filled with as much beauty as it is ghost stories. Even its current owner has had a fright of his own! Many of these revolve around three rooms that leave guests fearing what may be on the other side of their stay.

History of The Battery Carriage Inn

The Battery Carriage Inn, located at 20 South Battery, underwent a number of ownership changes and renovations since its inception on June 7, 1843. Though it looked quite different from its present structure today, it was a show of a common, yet perfectly elegant neoclassical motif at the time, with its distinct feature as a single-family home. It served as the private residence of Samuel N. Stevens, a wealthy commercial agent for plantation owners. 

It was then sold to John F. Blacklock, but it was short-lived when he had to abandon the house as the violence of the Civil War reached Charleston. The home underwent its most significant renovation when Yankee Colonel Richard Lathers bought it. A native of Georgetown, Lathers was dedicated to helping South Carolina rebuild in the aftermath of the war. He started at home, turning his modest residence into a grandiose mansion to host potential investors and distinguished names. 

The house’s place was cemented in Charleson in the early 20th century when it became home to the Society of Preservation for Old Dwellings. It soon became equivalent to a frat house when Charleston became a popular Navy town in the 40s. Its scene changed again when its rooms were converted into small apartments for college students in the 60s. 

The 80s brought a new era for the inn when Charlestonian Drayton Hastie and his wife purchased it. It was restored to its former elegant status as a Charleston Historic District Hotel under its current name, The Battery Carriage Inn. 

Today, The Battery Carriage Inn continues to flourish under the ownership of Dr. Jack Schaeffer, with over 1,400 awards given. Among them is the unofficial title of Charleston’s most haunted hotel. 

Hauntings Overview

Every inch of The Battery Carriage Inn exudes beauty and a piece of Charlestonian history. It also tells a darker story come nightfall when the inn’s ghostly residents are very much alive. Rumors of them started circulating around 1992 regarding three specific rooms at the inn. Some left guests dumbfounded, while others were left in a state of pure terror. 

The mildest, but most famous story comes from Room 3, where a married couple spent a couple of nights in the room some time ago. They were startled out of bed early in the morning by a continuous strange sound, along with a blinking from the man’s cell phone. It’s nothing unheard of except that the man’s phone was turned off, and there was no signal in the room. 

The couple also described seeing a “giant firefly glow,” first on the bathroom door and then in the room’s sitting area. There was also an orb seen floating around the room, but on the second night, there were even more. 

Another story comes from Room 10, which is believed to be haunted by someone the staff has dubbed “the gentleman ghost.” It’s supposed to be the spirit of a heartbroken 18-year-old boy who appears only to female guests in the room, dressed in his finest suit with a lingering fragrance that can best be compared to Old Spice.  

One recorded experience involves two twin sisters who checked into the room to celebrate their birthday. His tall, slender apparition came through the wall and laid down on the bed next to one of them. Nudged awake by her sister, the twin let out a gasping scream to which the apparition got off the bed, bowed, and exited through the same wall. 

Blown Away

Room 8 is one of those rooms that should come with its own disclaimer for believers and non-believers. In fact, it’s been responsible for converting a few skeptics over the years. That’s not to say they weren’t almost scared to death first. 

The Battery Carriage Inn supposedly once served as a temporary barracks during the Civil War. However, defeat was on the horizon as an evacuation order was issued to the city. It was up to the Confederates to destroy anything the Union could use to their advantage, including the hundreds of pounds of ammunition stored near the Battery Carriage Inn. Local lore states that one of the young soldiers who handled one of the highly explosive shells was blown to pieces. 

None of this would’ve phased the skeptical couple who stayed in the room in 1993. They even laughed off the concerns of their friends who already heard rumors surrounding it. That changed when the husband felt something later on that night. 

He sat up and saw a headless torso floating on the side of his bed. Curious, he scooted to the end of the bed and put his hand right through the apparition. It grew deathly cold, and when he pulled it out. The ghost moaned and disappeared. 

Haunted Charleston

Charleston, South Carolina leaves an everlasting impression with its southern charm and haunting beauty. However, something else whispers in the air through this cherished historical city. Filled with historic buildings and ancient cemeteries, it’s believed to be one of few places where the dead truly walk among the living.

The most tell-tale evidence can be found at The Battery Carriage Inn, located at 20 South Battery. Once built to be a show of elegance and sophistication, it holds as many dark secrets as it does beauty with its numerous tales of ghost sightings. It’s why many believe it’s the most haunted inn in Charleston, South Carolina. 

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