Haunted Jail at Night: A Spooky Last Class

Walking to the Old Charleston Jail I felt my body tensing up with every step I took. Upon arrival I looked around at the jail, which looked like it could be out of a old fashioned movie, and felt cold sensation overcome me and I knew this place was truly haunted. The jail operated from 1802 until 1939 and held many Charlestonians, as well as war prisoners during the civil war.

Outside of the Jail

We meet our tour guide from Bulldog Tours, Glenn McKenzie and entered. Touching the rusty railings and watching my step on the wet cold steps made on the way in made me feel as if I was right there back in time with the prisoners. In the first room we learned the history of what happened in there and the overwhelming amount of inmates it held, over 30 men, while having no toilet or bucket for the bathroom. We also learned and talked about the process of hanging. It began to stop because men were growing stronger and healthier every generation, Glenn also told us, " It took inmate Daniel Duncan 38 minutes to die".

Replica rope for hanging

In the next room we saw replicas of what the cells would have looked like and learned more stories and facts about the jail, it was hard for me to pay attention in this room because it was so much bigger but felt so much colder. It was a creepy kind of cold.

Glenn began to tell his story of who he thinks is the most haunted inmate in the jail and immediately my ears shot up, he said, "Livinia Fisher is most infamous. What people hear about her isn't true". She was a beautiful women who would act like a damsel in distress on the high way in North Charleston. Men driving caravans of goods would pull over to help her. Then before they knew it her gang would jump out and kill the man and rob them. Eventually after many murderers they got caught, and Livinia had to spend time in prison. Being good looking and the only female around dangerous men, the things that happened to her were not good.

One of the rooms inside. Replica jail cell

The next two rooms continued to get colder but I found them to be less interesting. We saw the place where Glenn McKenzie witnessed a real ghost and saw what used to be the medical room when the jail housed war criminals.

Leaving the jail and prison yard was a huge relief and I was happy to be able to go home. I may think sharing a dorm room is tight space, but it is nothing compared to the prisoners corridors.

Old Charlestonian

Caroline Howard Gilman was born on October 9 1794, and was raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Through out her whole life she always had an interest in writing but deemed it "unladylike" for her work to be read. When a poem of hers was published into a newspaper and she was according to the Library Company Caroline is quoted being, "as alarmed as if I had been detected in man's apparel!" After that initial upset she became more accepting and comfortable with her literature being read and published. 

According to the source, Find a Grave, In December of 1819 Caroline married Unitarian minister Samuel Gilman and relocated to Charleston, South Carolina. Upon her arrival she began writing, but her career in literature got off to a slow start due to her having many pregnancies and four long term surviving children. In 1932 she began writing the Rosebud, one of the nations earliest children magazines. 

When the tensions between the North and South began heating up Caroline was unable to pick sides. She was raised in one place but currently resided in another. This resulted in her two most famous books, The Recollection of a Housekeeper and The Recollection of a Southern Matron. They both told a story of what is was like in a Northern vs Southern household in hopes the readers from both parts of the country would see all the domestic similarities between the two and help lower the tensions. 

 During the Civil War Caroline and her family moved to Greenville, South Carolina for their safety, but promptly returned to Charleston in 1865. In that time she continued her writing, and most memorably wrote a book of poetry with her daughter. She moved to Washington DC with said daughter in the years prior to passing. Sadly, Caroline Howard Gilman outlived all of her children but one, and died at the age of 93 on September 15, 1888 and was transported and buried in Charleston's Unitarian Church Cemetery.

I am very happy with my decision in having chose Caroline Howard Gilman for my Old Charlestonian assignment because I was able to relate to some aspects of her life. We both are from Boston Massachusetts and came to Charleston for our adult lives. Although I came here for college and not marriage I can most definitely relate to some of the feelings and culture changes she wrote about and felt moving from the North to South. 

Caroline Howard Gilman: The 1800s Most Famous Female Author

Caroline Howard Gilman was a very progressive women who went against the social norms of a women's ability to write. In her childhood it was something she would secretly do and once she was married and her adult life progressed she wrote many novels, started a weekly journal for young adults, and wrote children's literature.

She was Born October 9 1794, and was raised in Boston Massachusetts before moving to Charleston South Carolina for her adult life. I chose Caroline because I similarly left Boston for Charleston when I turned eighteen so I found her as some one with a similar background that would interest me.

Sadly she passed away on September 15 1888 at the age of 93 and is buried at the Unitarian Church of Charleston. I am looking forward to visiting her grave as well as researching her family and her accomplishments.

Magnificent Magnolia

Walking into Magnolia Cemetery I was immediately overwhelmed with the size of all the graves. I have never seen that many large graves in one singular cemetery. The size was only my initial impression. As I went deeper and deeper inside I was mesmerized by the size and the beauty of the cemetery. We had learned in class that it was a place people would go to enjoy there day, I always thought it was strange to want to spend time in a graveyard. But after experiencing it I realized that truly more than a typical cemetery. The pond with the bridge, the views, and the art that went into the graves made it unexpectedly, truly beautiful. 

Beautiful Layout

I really liked the lay out of Magnolia Cemetery. You didn’t need to walk all over peoples graves to explore and see others. That is some thing I strongly dislike doing in modern, common, squishy cemeteries today. The amount of space between them was nice and made the walking easy, along with the vast paths and roads. Additionally having a pond of that size is something unexpected but perfectly fitting for Magnolia cemetery. 

One of my favorite graves belonged to Osma Bailey, Born December 20, 1825 and passed away on January 11, 1897. I liked the font used on this grave, the clarity it still held, and the intricate designs. 

Bailey Family 

We learned that the Simonds Grave Monument was looked down upon because of how extravagant it was. I understand how it “outshone” many of the neighboring graves causing conflict amongst families. However I feel as though that was the point of Magnolia to show your wealth and have something large to be remembered by. 

Simmonds Grave

Robert E Lee was the commander of the confederate soldiers in the civil war and is extremely famous in US History. His grandsons grave was there which was the one person who stuck out to me. The grave was not special compared to the others but it was cool to see a name who popped out to me.

Robert E. Lee III

Me next to my favorite grave in Magnolia Cemetery. As well as my new favorite view in Charleston of the Beautiful Ravenel Bridge. 

The STEPS To Being A Hero

His Family Grave

Although I never meet him I have heard many stories about my Great Grandfather, John Cotter. He was born March 30, 1914 and passed away from Lung Cancer April 3, 1991 at the age of 77, due to smoking cigarettes and being a firefighter without modern health/ safety measures. He is buried in Holyhood Cemetery in Brookline, Massachusetts with his ancestors before him under a Die, Base, and Cap grave. In this cemetery it also lays rest to many members of the Kennedy Family.  

My Great Grandfather was born, raised and lived his whole life in Needham, Massachusetts. I am the fifth generation of my family to live in that same hometown and he was heavily involved in the community.  He had 1 son and 4 daughters, including my Grandma who told me all about him for this project.

The Inside of the Church He Saved

My favorite story I have learned about him involves my family church, St. Joseph Parish. My Great Grandfather was left on the church doorstep and raised by Nuns until he was adopted at 3 years old. The history of where he comes from was never known to my family and is still a mystery. That church is also meaningful because it is where I grew up going to and five generations before me have been married there, it’s very important to me and my family. One day however it caught on fire, and because my Great Grandfather was chief he made the decision to go inside the church to save pictures of Jesus and other pieces from the alter. Afterwards he was told by the priest to keep the works of art for his bravery. When he passed away my family decided to donate the things he saved to my hometowns historical society. 

My Great Grand Father and Mother

Another hobby of his included photography. Similarly to my story before, after the church was burned down he took pictures of the aftermath and the rebuilding of the new church. His pictures were printed in the town newspaper many times in the years of reconstruction. Nowadays many members of my family have an interest in photography, which I believe stems from him.

The Missing Mother: Elizabeth Jackson

Every day in my past two months at College of Charleston I have walked through Cougar Mall. I have been oblivious to the fact there is a grave in plain sight! Today we went right outside our classroom to see Elizabeth Jacksons grave.

Elizabeth Jacksons Grave

"Here near this spot is buried

Elizabeth Jackson,

Mother of president Andrew Jackson

She gave her life cheerfully for

the independence of her country

on an unrecorded date in Nov. 1781

And to her son by this advice

'Andy, will never tell a lie, 

nor take what is not your own

Nor sue for slander

settle those cases yourself"

Elizabeth Jackson is the Mother of late president Andrew Jackson. She moved to Charleston South Carolina to help the Patriots. They were still prisoners of war on the British ships in the Charleston harbor. While helping these people she sadly passed away and her belongings were sent to Andrew. He never knew where his own mother was buried but it was believed to be somewhere in Charleston. The daughters of the American Revolution heard about this and donated their own monument to her. The president of the College of Charleston Ted Stern heard about her missing body and grave that was falling apart and asked for her resting place to be at the campus. 

Bennett's Tour of Bethel

Arriving at Bethel United Methodist Church we were greeted by rain. We quickly went out into the grave yard to take pictures of different graves before the storm became to much.

This is a image of a cradle grave or bedstead tomb. It is unclear because the dates are hard to read. Buried here is Charles H Muckenfuss. There is a cross with a crown. 

 This grave belongs to Elizabeth Burnham who passed away at age 30. The description says "My Lizzie" which is a very sweet gesture from her husband Robert. It is unclear if the image is a flower.

 This die on base belongs to Olin B. Davis.

It is unclear who this pedestal tomb with a vaulted top belongs to. But it is one of the largest graves in the Bethel Graveyard.

 Buried under this ledger lies a family. George Stephen Pelzer MD, Harriet Ann White, Rosa Ellen Pelzer, and Hallie Pelzer. They all passed on at different times but it is sweet that they are buried as a family.

A flower covered base on socket belonging to Eva Lee. She passed sadly at only 26 years.

A box tomb holding the remains of Elizabeth Ann

Sue Bennett Welcomed us into the beautiful Bethel United Methodist church. She gave us an enriching history lesson on the history of the church itself as well as the history of the Methodist religion in Charleston, all the way up to current day. In the top left image it shows drawing from confederate soldiers during the war on the walls of the church. In this bottom left image it is an old accounting book. However Bennett taught us how during the war the book was not used for about a year because of all of the shellings and what was taking place.

Sue was an amazing speaker who really had a deep knowledge in Charleston history. Additionally she took us on a tour of some of the new church house grounds which was nice to see and shows how passionate she is about her work.

It is unclear who the graves above belong too. However they are both important in remembering some ones life. The left is a headstone and the right is a pedestal tomb with a vaulted top.

The inside of Bethel from the balcony where the slaves sat in the 1800s. Very big and beautiful. 

Meeting Ruth Miller: One of Charlestons Finest Historians

Last class we had the privilege of having Ruth Miller come and speak to us. She has a large knowledge of the religious history in South Carolina and was able to relate it to the churches and graves we will be visiting.

According to her website she is extremely well educated and traveled. She specializes in religion and is a registered Charleston tour guide. In addition she has a book about Charleston history.

I was surprised to hear from Ms. Miller that, “Charleston had more money than new york city did”. But after hearing about the grave history I quickly believed her. There was "No stone just pure sand" the people from Charleston who wanted to get buried had to have stone imported for their graves, which was extremely costly. In addition, they had grave carvers come from London and New England come down to South Carolina in order to work on beautiful graves.

What also interested me about Ruth Millers presentation was the effect race had in religious communities. She says, "“By 1710 we had more Africans than Europeans here”. However even in a holy place there was discrimination. In the United Methodist Church, known in those days as the Methodist Episcopal Church; they had both black and white members. Black members were not allowed to be buried on church property, had to sit up stairs where heat rises, go in through the back door. I think it is sad that although they were the majority they still were treated the worst.

My favorite point Ruth Miller made towards the end of her lesson was, "Churches dominate the skyline in Charleston. They don't in Boston on the freedom trail because they are surrounded by skyscrapers". I am from Boston so hearing that comment was amusing yet true. I had never thought about the height of the buildings here and back home in regards to a church steeple. After thinking about that it explained the architectural difference between the "Holy City" and Boston.

Me, Ruth Miller, and my friend Alex

Night Time In The Grave Yard: Cathedral of St. Luke and St, Paul and St. Patricks Church

In my most recent class we took a trip to The Cathedral of St. Lukes and St. Paul and St. Patricks Catholic Church to identify different types of graves.

This is a Head Stone from St. Lukes and St. Pauls cathedral.
It is to old to see the person and history behind it.

A unique mix of a ledger and head stone! Unclear who was buried here in The cathedral of St. Lukes and St. Paul grave.

This is a Ledger Grave from St. Lukes and St. Pauls Cathedral, belonging to Benjamin S Graham and his infant daughter

Box Tombs from The cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul

This is a column. The top is sliced off diagonally,
 it signifies some one who's life was cut short.
To old to see the person and history.

Die On Socket from St. Lukes and St. Pauls Cathedral.
To old to see the person and history.

Mausoleum at The Cathedral of St. Luke and St. Paul. No writing visible in the darkness

A Recent Grass Bevel belonging to Dr. Norman Howard Bell

An additional mausoleum! Sadly unable to read the history

This is an Obelisk from The Cathedral of  St. Lukes and St. Pauls

Box Tom from St. Lukes and St. Pauls Cathedral

Another Head Stone from St. Patricks Cathedral!

Hurricane Florence

My hurricane Florence experience definitely started out differently than many of my peers, I was already home and didn't need to stress about evacuating. The week prior I had to have a last minute emergency surgery at MUSC and flew home to Massachusetts afterwards to recover. When the college shut down I was selfishly happy because it meant I would be missing a lot less class than I had anticipated! Im thankful everything worked out for me. Due to being on bed rest I did nothing too exciting. I tracked the storm, texted friends about there evacuation, did some school work, watched some movies, but mostly slept. In between my doing nothing a lot of my high school friends moms came by with food and flowers and get well soon cards which made my mood a lot better.
Towards the end of the week however I got a wonderful surprise; ending my boredom. My friend who attends Boston College  came home for a night to visit me. Additionally my best high school friend attends Merrimack College  wich was evacuated due to gas explosions through out the area that set over 70 homes on fire in a three hour span, she was home my last weekend so we spent a lot of time together.
On my last day at home my immediate family had our cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents over. We watched the patriots game, celebrated my sisters 14th birthday and cousins 5th birthday, and ate a lot of food. I was happy my last home cooked meal was my grandmas meatballs. Although I'm extremely sad to be leaving my family, I'm happy that Florence didn't hit us to hard and that I will be able to get back to school.

Plane Ride Home to Boston

Mini "Get Well Soon" Cupcakes 

Introduction Post!

Hi my name is Molly and welcome to my blog! I'm so excited for you to read a bit about me and my first year experience class, Beyond The Grave.

I just began my Freshman year here at The College of Charleston and am already loving it! I've been busy spending time with my new friends, trying new restaurants, going to class, and participating in events with my sorority!

The adjustment of leaving my home in Needham, Massachusetts has been quite difficult. I'm not used to "dorm living" quite yet, but hopefully I will get used to it soon. Back home I loved to cook, i'm really missing that here. Additionally I enjoy watching movies, going to the beach, running and being with family and friends.

Beyond The Grave really excites me because I will be learning the history of the city that will be my home for the next four years! I have grown up going to church weekly so seeing the graveyards and cemeteries in real life will give me a better understanding about the religion and culture here. Blogging all of it will be a really great experience and practice for any journalism in my future.

                      
Magnolia Cemetary                                        College of Charleston Campus