Charleston County holds five of South Carolina's ten most haunted places

With Halloween approaching, five Charleston County places rank among South Carolina's ten most haunted in HauntBound's 2026 index, including USS Yorktown at #2. The index ranks 104 South Carolina sites by separate published accounts and how far back they go, not by fame or search popularity.

USS Yorktown ranks #2. Edward Steichen directed The Fighting Lady, a 1944 documentary on the carrier's World War II service. Seven separate published accounts describe activity there, the earliest dated to 1987, when Boy Scouts reported apparitions in 1940s sailor uniforms. Staff and visitors describe disembodied voices below decks and shadowy figures on the hangar deck.

Poogan's Porch ranks #3. Zoe St. Amand, one of two schoolteacher sisters in the 1888 Victorian house, died in 1954; Bobbie Ball and Caroline Perkins opened the restaurant in 1976. Five separate published accounts describe activity there. Staff and diners describe an elderly woman in period dress in the restroom and dining rooms, identified as Zoe, and footsteps on the empty upper floor.

Also in the top ten: 20 South Battery (#8), St. Philip's Church Graveyard (#9) and Magnolia Cemetery (#10).

Statewide, Abbeville Opera House ranks #1.

"We rank by evidence, not legend: independent published accounts, documented history, and how far back the reports go. We don't claim ghosts are real, or that they aren't. We document where the reports concentrate, and we show our work," said Ben Fineman, editor of HauntBound. The ranking shows each site's documented record.

Visiting:USS Yorktown, 40 Patriots Point Rd., Mount Pleasant, is open daily at Patriots Point.Poogan's Porch, 72 Queen St., Charleston, is an operating restaurant open daily.20 South Battery, 20 S Battery, Charleston, is a boutique inn; rooms are for overnight guests.St. Philip's Church Graveyard, 142 Church St., Charleston, is open during posted hours for self-guided visits.Magnolia Cemetery, 70 Cunnington Ave., Charleston, is open daily during daylight hours.

For media:The full ranking: https://hauntbound.com/most-haunted/south-carolina/The fact sheet, with Charleston numbers and cleared images: https://hauntbound.com/press/fact-sheets/south-carolina/Photos: USS Yorktown, St. Philip's Church Graveyard and Magnolia Cemetery, on the fact sheet.Venue contact: patriotspoint.org and 20southbattery.com and stpchurch.org and magnoliacemetery.netA short version follows.

HauntBound (hauntbound.com) is a family-friendly field guide to more than 6,000 documented haunted and historic places across the United States, ranked by published evidence rather than legend. No venue pays to be listed or ranked.

Media contact: Ben Fineman, Editor, HauntBound, editor@hauntbound.com

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