Meet the friendly ghosts of Charleston's Historic Inn

20 South Battery is a restored and preserved piece of Charleston history that dates back to the 1800s.

It's main home was built in 1843 as a private residence.

By 1920, the Society for the Preservation of Old Dwellings- which is now known as the Preservation Society of Charleston- was started in the ballroom.

"But in 1950, it became the Pringle Court. So 20 South Battery has always been a private residence. The main house, the carriage house, or the servant's quarters, became the Pringle Inn. And they, the Pringle family, did that to raise money to help pay for the preservation of some of the old mansions," said Dr. Jack Schaeffer, owner of the property.

"And then in the seventies, they turned it into a historic inn. It became the Battery Carriag e House Inn and there were 11 rooms in the old servants quarters. And it was a unique because they always had a single family here. The guests were only allowed into the gardens and to a separate living room that is connected to the carriage house, but never in the main property," he continued.

Dr. Jack Schaeffer bought the inn in 2018.

"When I bought the property, it took three and a half years to have it redone. And I decided that I wanted people to experience what it's like to walk in a house like this, so we just called the whole property 20 South Battery," he said.

While it remains the primary residence to Dr. Schaeffer, he shares the home with two friendly ghosts.

White Point Garden across the street was used as fortification during the Civil War, so it's believed the carriage house could have been a makeshift hospital for wounded soldiers.

The ghost in room eight is believed to be a confederate soldier.

"He was probably a wounded soldier because people had felt his gray jacket. He has a torso. There's no head, no arms," said Dr. Schaeffer. "People have described this grey coarse jacket as you've seen all the pictures of Confederates, they all, you know, had these grey coarse jackets."

Dr. Schaeffer recalled his own unexplained experience while the property was being restored.

It was 6:30 p.m. and he was alone.

"And I hear boom and boom, two booms. And it was like a crack, like something fell out of the ceiling. It hit the floor hard. I say, 'oh my gosh, what fell?' I thought maybe the feeling ceiling fell in because I thought each floor was gutted out. I walk upstairs and on that floor, there's nothing, there's nothing on the floor, you know, the rafters and the floor and that's it," he said.

He called a woman he worked with and told her about the strange sound.

"And she said, ‘did it sound like boom, boom.’ I said, yeah, that's it. Yeah that’s it. She said, 'oh, that's the ghost in eight. That's what he does,'" he explained.

The ghost in room 10 is described as a child.

"And he came home and he disappeared for a week and then 'fell out of the third floor window,'" Dr. Schaeffer explained.

Some think it's not a child- instead they believe it's former owner Richard Lathers, who purchased the property back in 1870.

"He only really comes out mainly for women. He likes to lay in bed with you. He likes to touch your hair," said Dr. Schaeffer.

"Many people order an extra glass of wine and put flowers up for him. He really shows up a lot, but mainly, like I said, for women. He's very gentle and if you feel scared, he'll run. And he's truly outlined a man in a tuxedo or a nice suit and he's called the gentleman ghost," Dr. Schaeffer said.

Full Story https://abcnews4.com/news/local/charl...

Plus, State Senate candidates discuss tackling organ donation challenges at We Share Hope SC roundtable, and Lowcountry schools introduce EVERFI: A new mental health education resource for students

0:00 Charleston's historic inn offers more than just a stay: Meet the friendly ghosts of 20 South Battery
3:02 State Senate candidates discuss tackling organ donation challenges at We Share Hope SC roundtable
5:23 Lowcountry schools introduce EVERFI: A new mental health education resource for students

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