Stories Told by Ghosts

The Old Charleston City Jail

On Monday, December 3rd, the sky was dark, the air was thick, and the ground was wet. But there we were walking under the moonlight to the Old Charleston City Jail. I had once been here before and honestly one time was enough for me. So the thought of going back was terrifying.

As we walked up we saw the dark, gloomy, Victorian styled, jail towering over us. I tried not to look in the windows for fear that if I looked up I would see a person staring back down at me. Outside our guide, Glenn Mckenzie, from Bulldog Tours met us outside. He was a character himself, he was extremely informative and a great storyteller.

Where the Guards Would
Flog the Prisoners

The jail opened in 1802 and remained open until 1939. The jail held everyone from notorious criminals around Charleston, just your average pickpocketer, and even prisoners of war during the Civil War. According to Glenn "in the late 1880s jails became more like they are now but not this one." this jail though, continued to not use beds, have any sort of plumbing, and no access to modern medicine.

 The jail had this straw type material on the floor that pretty much was a floor, a bed, and a bathroom all in one. But imagine having to share this cell with about 15 other people and that was about what it was like for the inmates in the Old Charleston City Jail. The jails excuse for not having these necessities is that they feared the prisoners would use them to rebel, which they had before but that is still no reason to deny people of simple necessities.

The Buck and Gag Technique
Used to Punish Prisoners of War.

During the Civil War, the jail reached its peak for overcrowding. According to Glenn "the jail was only meant to hold 150 prisoners but actually at its peak during the Civil War it held anywhere from 600 to 700."

 The local prisoners stayed crowded on the inside of the jail, and the prisoners of war simply lived in a tent-like camp outside. This time was the jails prime time for death, most of the death did not happen the way you would think, but actually, starvation and diseases killed many of the prisoners opposed to executions and things of that nature.

Walking up the stairs into the jail it's almost as if you just feel as if you are being watched the whole time. Sometimes you will see things out of the corner of your eyes like a sharp movement or even feel as if someone or something is grabbing you. It's something very strange to experience.

The Story of Lavinia Fisher
Lavana and her husband, Josh, were a part of a gang that would commit highway robbery around South Carolina. Lavinia was the eye candy of the operation, luring tired travelers into their hotel The Six Mile Hotel (named this because it is six miles outside of Charleston...wow how original), and when they fell asleep her and the gang would go in and rob them. 

Lavinia Fisher 

Some say Lavinia was the first female serial killer in the history of the United States, but Glenn said that that is all it just hearsay. When Lavinia was arrested she was arrested for Highway Robbery, which yes at the time was a crime punishable by death.

After being sentenced to death she and John attempted to escape. John made it down out of their cell but Lavinia did not, John could have escaped but did not because Lavinia did not...a true love story right there. 

The Size of One of the Cells
in Lavinia's Room.

Lavinia did not think that the state would actually execute a female. On her execution date, standing there realizing she was about to die. Lavinia made a fight for her life. The guards were not having this at a public execution when they finally restrained her, they did not even give her time for her last words. They just hung her right there for everyone to see.

Where she was kept was very eerie and just looked as if it would be overcrowded something out of a horror movie. It was dark and cold and damp. You could have only imagined the hell the people there went through especially Lavinia being one of the only females and being so stunning.

People say that when walking by they will sometimes see her ghost or they will have close encounters with her. In which she is not ruthless and heartless like someone people would expect. She is asking, in fact, begging for help. This only makes you wonder more, what kind of horrors did Lavinia endure in that jail.
The Story Denmark Vesey

Denmark Vesey

Denmark Vesey was a slave who came to America and was able to pay his way out of slavery. He could only afford for he himself to be free. Not his wife or his children.  He made it his personal vendetta to get rid of slavery and to get back at the white men.


He and a few of his friends planned a slave revolt, which would have been pretty violent, to say the least. The revolt was supposed to take place on July the 14th, he was arrested and hung even before July 14th arrived. He never got to partake in the revolt or anything like that because some of the slaves found out and then their masters found out. Which in turn lead to him and five of his friends to be arrested and taken to the Old Charleston City Jail on June 22nd.

 When he nor his friends gave up anyone the state decided to execute these men. On July 2nd Denmark and his friends were hung, publicly to make a statement. If you revolt or plan one this is what will happen to you.
The Story of George Todd

Doctor George Todd

George Todd was not a prisoner at this prison but in fact, he was the physician on staff. He was one of the best-known surgeons at this time. He was a confederate, who was also the brother-in-law to Abraham Lincoln. He was known to be extremely brutal but good at his job. One of the most well-known stories of Todd was with one of the Massachusetts 54th Regiment men.

Massachusettes 54th Regiment

After the Massachusetts 54th Regiment was captured when they attacked Fort Wagner, most of the all African American legion was imprisoned at the Old Charleston Prison. Here there is a story told about one of the members that doctor Todd treated. The man had been shot in the chest, he was coughing up blood. But doctor Todd took it as the man spitting at him. He then proceeded to bucked and gag the man. (a picture of this is shown in the intro).  Then the man was thrown outside in the cold mud, the man died pretty much drowning in his own blood. Todd saw no problem with it because the man was in the wrong.

Todd had his own way of doing things and was known to be cruel. Even his own Confederate people thought of him that way. He got what was needed to be done at the jail, but many people died in his infirmary. Making it one of the most haunted places in the jail, a lot of pain, a lot of sorrow took place in that infirmary you can feel it. It almost drains you right when you walk in.
The Story of William Marcus

The Cell of William Marcus

William Marcus was your average man, well kind of. He was very insecure and jealous of his wife. Always scared she was cheating on him with her boss, a wealthy man whom she served in downtown Charleston, one night after an argument he decided to get his revenge on her. He stabbed her 42 times. The coldest part was the lack of remorse he had, waiting there in his clothes for the police to get there and saying she got what she deserved. Though there has never been any proof found that she was cheating on him.

His room was on the top floor of the prison. As soon as you walk in you get an immediate sense that you are being watched. The third floor is where they kept the worst of the worst because it was harder for them to escape and well Willam Marcus was that. He was executed shortly after his imprisonment.

In his cell, a year ago, I had my first paranormal experience. As we were all sitting there just listening to our guide speak we saw this shadow of a head appear on the wall behind our guide. We just thought it was someone behind me, but I turned around and no one was there. So we started ducking down trying to pinpoint exactly whos head this was. Until eventually we were all ducked down. The head was still there and as we went to get tell our tour guide the head ducked. Then as soon as our guide turned his back the head came back.  It was as if it was toying with us. Ever since that room in the jail, I have believed in ghosts.

Class Picture Prior to the Jail

The jail is not just a creepy place, but it is a place with stories. The stories of people who have lived there and died there all of which are equally important. The stories of the guards who have worked there, the doctors, the prisoners of war, everyone who has been in there, in that jail has a story. The jail tells it perfectly.  Though this is not exactly a "shining point" in Charleston history it still tells a story and shows the transformation Charleston has gone through.