Charleston's Preeminent Luxury Boutique Hotel--Ghostbusters Welcomed

Battery Carriage House Inn 2018

The house sits in one of the most visited areas of Charleston. Hundreds of picture-taking tourists stroll past its black wrought iron fences and broad porches on a daily basis. Caravans of horse-drawn carriages filled with visitors pause in front of it everyday while animated guides mesmerize them with stories explaining the mystique and grandeur that oozes from its windows and doors. Cataclysms of the destructive kind have befallen it. Owners have showered it with renovations. Its place of abidance is its name, 20 South Battery.

As you view the house today, while standing on the fringes of White Point Gardens, it would be difficult to imagine when first built, it had a front-row view of the Charleston Harbor. The year was 1843, the builder was broker Samuel N. Stevens. The main home and carriage house reflected the prosperity that was prevalent in South Carolina during this era.

In the Civil War beginning 1863, the house survived the longest bombardment of a civilian population in the history of warfare. Though severely battered, the structure remained intact. Colonel Lathers of the Union Army purchased the property in 1870. He hired John Henry Devereaux, a well-known Charleston architect, to renovate the house in the New York fashion of the time. A mansard roof was added, which housed a library. A new ballroom was also constructed.

The Simonds family purchased and lived in the house until 1912. In the 1920's, the rear outbuilding was converted into a "motor court" by the Pringle Family and the once-private residence became a more recognizable place of hospitality. Its newly rentable rooms for the most part catered to a patronage of rowdy and carousing sailors of the United States Navy and during the 1960's college students.

Famous Charlestonian Drayton Hastie and his wife purchased 20 South Battery in the 1980's and restored it to a Charleston Historic District hotel. The main house was the Hastie's private residence and they opened the rooms in the carriage house to guests. The well known Battery Carriage House Inn came to host a clientele of more than just paying guests. During the ensuing years, the inn would become known as the most haunted hotel in downtown Charleston.

Reportedly, it's home to several ghosts. While the owners have never seen the otherworldly inhabitants themselves, guests and employees have had some odd encounters. Curiosity seekers would bring all kinds of equipment and light meters and heat meters and set up cameras in the rooms hoping to catch a glimpse of anything out of the ordinary. Room 3 is known for a couple's cellphone waking them up making a loud and odd noise even though it was shut off. They witnessed glowing shapes floating about the room the nights they stayed at the inn. Room 8 is the most ominous of the rooms. One visitor was waken by a disturbance and confronted by a headless torso. He decided to reach out to touch the lumbering spirit, only to retract his hand upon hearing it let out an animalistic growl, which is odd in itself, seeing it had no head, thus no mouth. Room 10 is occupied by The Gentleman Ghost, known for graciously sharing his room with any and all comers. It is described as a grayish shadow, average height and build, and tends to glide about the room rather stylishly. It likes to recline in the bed with the patrons, minus any hanky-panky.

Hurricane Hugo struck on September 21, 1989 producing the highest storm tides ever recorded on the East Coast, causing catastrophic damage to homes along the water, 20 South Battery included. It continued to be a favorite haunting stop for walking tours and horse-drawn carriages. The stories persisted and its haunting fame continued to grow.

Dr. Jack Schaeffer purchased the inn in 2018 with passion and an intent for restoring and maintaining historical integrity. The property has undergone extensive preservation efforts in a labor of love revitalizing it to its former grandeur. On September 10th, 2020, Dr. Schaeffer and the staff unveiled 20 South Battery hotel to their first guests.

20 South Battery today with haint blue porch ceilings

The luxury boutique hotel is the home of unique and rare antiques from all over the world and various different time periods, some dating back to the 1500's. The Grand Ballroom has gold leaf trim surrounding a metal tile ceiling with a skylight and crystal chandeliers. The Grand Parlor showcases bright red antique furniture contrasting the white walls. A spiral staircase runs up all four stories of the home. One of the oldest pieces in the house is the decorative handrail. The original Italian Mosaic tile flooring was restored piece by piece. Crown molding and marble fireplaces are unique to each space. Metal tile ceilings, ornate chandeliers, and antique sconces are also a common element throughout the home.

The Concierge Level in the mansion features the Lathers, Pringles and Simonds Suites. The Stevens Suite is located on the ground floor and faces White Point Gardens. The Devereux Suite is the former cistern and wine cellar. Blacklock-Ravenel King Room is located on the first floor. The Battery Carriage House has suites on the first floor and rooms on the second floor. Originally built as a private residence for $4,500, Handsome Properties listed it on the market in 2017 for $4,250,000. It is worth far more than that now.

Dr. Jack Schaeffer apparently has embraced the stories that have become a part of his beautiful hotel. He seems to know them well as seen in the following video by CountOn2.

Just how the apparitions feel about their upgraded surroundings, you will have to reserve one of the rooms and ask them. The headless torso may be speechless for obvious reasons.

Battery Carriage House Room

Enjoy the Ghostbuster Package-Prepare for a Ghostly Adventure at 20 South Battery and Charleston! Built in 1843, 20 South Battery has seen its share of reported friendly ghost encounters. This experience is for you if "You ain't afraid of no ghost!"

PACKAGE INCLUDES: "Ghostbusters of Charleston" souvenir book. Stay in the reported haunted room 8 or 10 (based on availability)2 tickets to a walking ghost tour with our friends at Bulldog Tours

A Piece of Charleston History Pulled From The Ocean Dating Back To The Civil War

The Hunley preserved in the tank

Many years ago in my mischievous youth, we would impale these onto our bicycle spokes with a clothes pin. The idea behind this peculiar behavior was to make our bikes sound like they were motorized. The louder, the better, so more than one was often employed to achieve the desired effect. The bubble gum that accompanied these, shaped into sugar coated thin squares, was the first thing pulled from the wrapping and while chewing it to a consistency necessary to blow into balloon shapes, we would quickly shuffle through the rest of the contents with hopes of acquiring the one cherished piece that would make you the envy of your peers. Doubles were inevitable and often became the fodder for the aforementioned practice.

It appears the practice has become extinct. I haven't observed any kids riding around the neighborhood these days with this item flapping on their spokes. Children today are too technically sophisticated for such simple minded inventions and collecting apps is the more desired preoccupation of the young. Come to think of it, clothes pins are a rather rare commodity themselves. As for the item, I don't even know if they sell them anymore. Enthusiasts of this forgotten custom of a bygone era who have them in their possession today, whether by accident or design, benefit greatly. Quite simply put, I speak of baseball cards.

Baseball card collecting was popular in those early years, but something else became available in the form of collectible cards during the 1960's. Collectible cards portraying the American Civil War were printed and sold. Each card depicted a notable battle or person that was involved in this conflict that split the United States in two. Some of the more significant events I remember from those cards was the shelling of Fort Sumter, the Battle of Bull Run, the encounter between the Monitor and the Merrimack, Stonewall Jackson being shot by his own troops, the Battle of Gettysburg, and Robert E. Lee surrendering at Appomattox, to name a few. Since I also liked to draw, I often carefully recopied battle scenes on paper with pencil and crayon. Those cards were the spark that lit the fire of my interest in wanting to learn more about that part of history. 

I am from Northeastern Ohio, and in that part of the U.S. you are far removed from the many notable places and events of the Civil War, but here in the South, in Charleston, you are in the heart of it all. It is tightly weaved into the very fabric of Charleston's identity and for visitors it is inescapable, both by land and water. The Spiritline Cruises in Charleston Harbor shuttles people back and forth on a daily basis to the place where it all started, Fort Sumter. The guides on one of the numerous historic carriage rides seen crisscrossing the historic district are dressed in Confederate uniforms. You can get up close and personal by physically touching the iron mortars and cannon at Fort Moultrie or White Point Gardens that were used to bombard Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861.

A replica of the interior

One notable event I do not recall seeing on those cards was the infamous sinking of the USS Housatonic just outside of Charleston Harbor by the Hunley in 1864. In fact, my first exposure to the story of the Hunley was by way of a movie and then in more detail, when I moved to Charleston. Most likely, there are quite a few people in this country who don't know the Hunley exists or its story. For those who don't, the Hunley was the first successful combat submarine. Successful, meaning the Confederate submarine accomplished its one and only mission. It didn't successfully return to port. The Hunley disappeared under the waters off of Sullivan's Island and for 136 years its fate remained a mystery.


The Hunley crew crossed a foot bridge connecting Mt. Pleasant to Sullivan's
Island at this location in 1864. It became the Pitt Street Bridge, now known as Pickett Bridge.

Its final resting place was discovered and in 2000 the Hunley was carefully and meticulously raised, still in tack, from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean. There are theories as to what happened to the Hunley, but no one really knows for sure what caused its demise. Scientists have been puzzling over the remains of the Hunley since its recovery, searching for clues that will assist them with providing a feasible hypothesis.

You can view the Hunley and the artifacts uncovered with it at its own museum where it is displayed in a 90,000 gallon conservation tank. Museum location is the Warren Lasch Conservation Center, 1250 Supply Street (on the old Charleston Navy Base), North Charleston, South Carolina. A startling discovery was made in 2002 while researching the interior of the sub that confirmed a long held legend. For the complete story of this find and tour information go to Friends of the Hunley.