The Pink House

Posted: 12.16.2024 | Updated: 12.16.2024

Charleston, South Carolina, is celebrated by locals and visitors alike for its charming elegance, intertwined romance, and history. The jewel of Charleston, The Pink House, was on the front line of the Civil War and had a long history of hauntings and ghostly happenings.

However, there is a location, quaintly nestled on weathered cobbles, that dates back even further, beckoning the brave and curious. To know the Pink House is to peer into spooky tales and a bygone age of seafaring rogues, privateers, and buccaneers. Charleston’s Olde Pink House is as storied as it is unique. You can enjoy that story and more on a Charleston Ghost Tour. 

WHY IS THE PINK HOUSE HAUNTED?

As the name heavily suggests, the Olde Pink House is older than the United States itself. It dates back to a time when Charleston was a major port city, and one district in particular held its fair share of wretched scum and villainy. The building’s curious appearance, historic style, and bright color draw onlookers to an abode with a chilling past. Back alley villainy and the seedy underside of port life have led to the sighting of many shadowy figures within the Pink House. 

HISTORY OF THE PINK HOUSE

The age of the Pink House has been a hotly debated topic among South Carolina historians. The house was built so long ago, in fact, that the one-bedroom structure has proudly stood on Chalmers Street since between 1694 and 1712.

However, a previous Bermuda Stones resident obtained letters from Ireland that date the structure to at least 1684. If that were corroborated, it would make the Pink House one of the oldest homes on the peninsula. 

It is said that the iconic tile gambrel roof found its curious style in the curve of the stonemason’s thigh as he carved away. Building practices are not the only thing that has changed dramatically since the first days of the Olde Pink House. 

Ownership of the storied dwelling has naturally changed through the centuries as owners move on or shuffle off their mortal coil. The house has spent time as a tavern, brothel, law office, gallery, and finally, returning to its original purpose: a private residence. 

Chalmers Street in the 18th century thrived with ladies of the night, sailors, and a slew of pirates and criminality. The street was the Charleston Red Light District of the day, and the unassuming Pink House was the tavern and brothel at its heart from 1710. 

Pirates Welcome

The first owner to reign in infamy over the house of ill-repute was a renowned madame and distiller named Madame Mincey, a French Huguenot. Mincey was commonly a sponsor of piracy, which thrived in the waters off Charleston as trade routes were plundered. It is even reported that Madame Mincey was a friend of Edward Thatch, better known worldwide as the notorious pirate Blackbeard. 

These deep ties to Piracy meant the tavern and the surrounding area were not for the faint of heart. This now historic area of Charleston was a hive of buccaneers, privateers and wayward rogues. 

The venue’s ties to Piracy go even deeper, with the suggestion that Irish attorney and businessman William Cormac later owned the building. Notorious female Pirate Anne Bonny is believed to be the illegitimate daughter of Cormac and his housekeeper, Mary Brennan. 

Considering her parentage, Bonny would have likely been a frequent visitor to the nightlife of the Pink House. More so even, her chosen profession. Bonny is further tied to the old tavern centuries after her death in a far more shadowy sense. 

THE HAUNTINGS OF THE OLDE PINK HOUSE

As vivid and pleasing to the eye as the Pink House is today, the building bore witness to thievery, roaring sex trade, and villainous acts. The fact that owner Madame Mincey actively encouraged piracy means there were likely endless black deeds behind the red light of the Pink House. 

Such a litany of seedy sorts and lawbreakers appears to have left an indelible mark on the aged structure. Unsurprisingly, the old building has such a vibrant, long-standing reputation for chilling encounters and eerie phenomena. 

Staff and visitors to the house have experienced curious and frightening encounters ranging from the unexplained to the spine-chilling. Windows and doors have been known to open and shut of their own accord, with not a soul or breath of wind to be found. Strange lights have been recorded on camera in the corridors, while the sound of disembodied footsteps has been known to creak on empty stairs. 

Perhaps the most disturbing encounter of all can be found in a young man’s curiosity. During its former days as an art gallery, a boy and his mother visited. The mother asked politely if they could look around. Venturing to the rear of the building, the young boy snapped away on his instant camera to record the experience. 

Later that same day, the mother and boy returned with the images they had taken. Immediately, the mother inquired whether anyone else had been in the building. When the staff member answered, ‘No, I’m the only one here,’ her face dropped, and she held forth a picture that clearly showed the ghostly face of an old woman glaring down at them from the floor above. 

PIRATE GHOST OF THE PINK HOUSE

The neighborhood of the Pink House, often referred to as ‘Mullato Alley’ in its bordello heyday, was a constant draw for those shipping in and shipping out. The criminal underworld of Charleston was also drawn in. 

With piracy so rampant, the scene was set for the daughter of 18th-century Pink House proprietor William Cormac to make her name in life. Perhaps even, the afterlife too. The hazy past of Bonny has seen many retellings.

There have been romantic tales of Anne Bonny’s early years. Some suggest she was born in Ireland and emigrated soon after, but very little is known for sure.

 It is said Anne, rebellious and hardy, defied her father’s wishes and married pirate John Bonny. The marriage, unsurprisingly, was brief. Bonny left for the Bahamas and became acquainted with pirate John Rackham, who served on his crew.

After stealing the sloop ‘William’ in August 1720, Rackham struck fear into the hearts of merchants across the West Indies. Finally, overcome in naval battle, Rackham and the entire crew were captured. 

Rackham and the male crew were sentenced to hang for their crimes at sea. Bonny and a fellow female pirate by the name of Mary Read were spared when the pair claimed to be pregnant. Read died in jail in 1721, but mysteriously, Bonny vanished from the pages of history from there. 

Staff at the Pink House claim to have seen the figure of Bonny, in full ocean-faring regalia, walking the halls of the Pink House. Perhaps Bonny did indeed hold a deep affection for the Charleston tavern. Could her father’s connection have pulled her back to a life she had forsaken? Bonny’s story may not have ended in 1721, but perhaps the ghostly old lady in the window was quite familiar with the room she was in. 

HAUNTED CHARLESTON

Hidden in Charleston’s endearing southern charm is a window to a time that few could scarcely imagine—from the beauty and historical treasure trove that is today’s Pink House to the untamed, sordid debauchery and crime that it stood amongst. 

The Pink House drew dark and shadowy figures to its door like moths to a flame. For some, it seems death couldn’t even keep them away from that bright coral hue. Start your voyage towards Pink House pirates and poltergeists on a Charleston Ghost Tour. 

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Sources:

CharlestonPirate

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3L4j3aE8r8

Britannica 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Anne-Bonny

National Park Service

https://www.nps.gov/people/anne-bonny-pirate.htm

Scripture Project

The Pink House