Haunting & Historic: Charleston’s Great Graveyards

“Personally I have no bone to pick with graveyards, I take the air there willingly, perhaps more willingly than elsewhere, when take the air I must.” – Samuel Beckett

I could see the graveyard at St. John the Baptist in Philadelphia from the window of my second grade classroom. Weathered gray headstones dating back to the early 1830s jutted out of the sloping hill. Who were all those dead people and what stories could they tell? It was infinitely more intriguing than math.

While I don’t deny my love of a good ghost story, there’s a lot to learn about life when you’re visiting the dead. With over 300 years of dramatic history, it’s not surprising that Charleston is home to some of the most interesting final resting places. The Preservation Society sells guidebooks for the area’s graveyards and cemeteries at their store on King and Queen Streets.

Have you ever wondered what differentiates a cemetery from a graveyard? Local historian and author Ed Macy explained that the latter is always on church grounds.

My top three favorite Charleston graveyards:

St. Philip’s Episcopal Church Graveyard, at 142 Church Street, has more than its fair share of revolutionaries, confederates and politicians. Dating back to 1680, its permanent occupants include: Colonel William Rhett (The Scourge of Pirates) who brought Blackbeard to justice; General William Moultrie, who defended Charleston against the British; Edward Rutledge, a signer of the Declaration of Independence; Charles Pinckney, a signer of the Constitution and John C. Calhoun, former vice president of the U.S.

Its most famous ghost is Sue Howard Hardy, who died in 1888 – six days after giving birth to a stillborn baby. In 1987, 99 years later, a local amateur photographer took film of photos he had taken in St. Philips graveyard to be developed. He made an unsettling discovery upon viewing his prints. A shawled figure appeared to be leaning over baby Hardy’s grave in one of the photos. According to the story, experts at Kodak examined the film and negatives and couldn’t explain the apparition. Read more about it here.

You’ll notice a sign in front of the churchyard that reads: “The Only Ghost at St. Philip’s Is the Holy Ghost, Join Us For Worship Sundays…”

In more ways than one, nature takes its course at The Unitarian Churchyard, at 8 Archdale Street. Wild vines, overgrown plantings and untrimmed trees dripping with Spanish moss create an ethereal and eerie atmosphere. It’s not neglected as the paths are cleared. So I assume it’s metaphoric. If you don’t get a “feeling” here, you might just be immune. Be sure to walk the alley way to King Street.

Maybe you’ll meet Anna Ravenel. In 1827, the 14-year-old and an 18-year-old soldier named Edgar Perry, who was stationed at nearby Fort Moultrie, fell in love. Anna’s wealthy parents had arranged a marriage for her and wouldn’t have approved. The two met secretly in the Unitarian churchyard until her father caught them one night. He took harsh preventative measures and locked Anna away in her room for several months. During this time, Edgar was transferred to Virginia. Heartbreak and far worse ensued. Anna succumbed to Yellow Fever and died. She was buried in the same churchyard of their clandestine meetings. Some say they see Anna’s ghost waiting for Edgar and others see Edgar’s ghost searching for Anna’s unmarked grave. Edgar Allen Poe, enlisted under the pseudonym Edgar Perry, served at Fort Moultrie from 1827 to 1828. Some believe his last poem “Annabel Lee” to be about his lost love. Local legend? You decide.

The Circular Church graveyard, at 150 Meeting Street, is thought to be the oldest existing English burial ground in Charleston. The church is now affiliated with the United Church of Christ and the Presbyterian Church. While many gravestones have disappeared due to vandalism and decay, there are over 500 remaining. The earliest unmarked grave dates back to 1695 and the earliest inscribed headstone dates to 1729. These slate stones were carved in New England and shipped to Charleston. Historians can chart the evolution of Colonial attitudes toward death through the artwork – beginning with the ominous skull and cross bones of the 1600s to the angelic faces and then portraiture of the mid to late 1700s.  Read more about gravestone art here.

Not all who died in Charleston made it to a graveyard. Check out this fascinating article from the Post and Courier: Buried Charleston: Mysteries Beneath Your Feet.

For more local graveyard and cemetery information, visit Charleston’s Historic Cemeteries Facebook page and check out my blog post about Charleston’s Magnolia Cemetery.

Stop by a Charleston graveyard this Halloween for a little history with your haunting. Want a guide? Read Trip Advisor reviews of Charleston’s ghost and graveyard tours.

Heed the headstone inscription: Memento mori!