The Ghosts of the Old Exchange & Provost Dungeon in Charleston, South Carolina

Ghosts in the cellar and horrific secrets buried deep within brick confines, every nightmare that you could ever envision comes true to life at the very moment that you step foot over the threshold to enter the darkest and grimmest piece of history that comes close to mimicking hell. The past and present appear to have no barrier, only the manner in which it arrives to meet you head on has any significance at all.

Merely a small neighborhood of structures in Charleston, South Carolina are still standing and basking with intrigue, and deep dark horrors that would make the truly fearless panic when reality sets in that the deceased have come back from the dead to be heard once again, and it is you that they are attempting to reach.

These tortured souls that walk through the halls of the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon will never reach a desired level of peace until they have told their stories of anguish that have persecuted them for hundreds of years, damning them to the brink of insanity, and eventually sending them to a brutal death that no human should ever have to endure, guilty of sin or not.

Nestled securely since 1771 on 122 East Bay Street at the corner of Broad sits a piece of Charleston's history that witnessed imprisonment of socialites, deserters, pirates, and ladies once considered of excellent character.

Hidden beneath the Old Exchange was quite possibly one of the worst prisons in U.S. history. Known to the good citizens of Charleston as the Provost Dungeon, the conditions were in the least unsavory, unforgiving, and not meant for human life.

Tales of sickness and suffering have been handed down through time as contagious diseases, lack of fresh air, contaminated food, and rat infested living conditions consumed the prisoners that were attached to heavy iron shackles and left to suffer while preparing to meet their maker.

No mercy was given to anyone that ever entered the brick foundation of the dungeon, only what the good citizens of Charleston felt that the condemned deserved, which was incarceration, and eventually death.

It is believed by many that these tortured souls still walk in a daze through the dungeon, only they are no longer in their human form, instead they are a mere shadow of their formal self, looking for the answers that led them to their grim ending on Earth.

Apparitions are a fairly normal occurrence at the Old Exchange, and while most of them appear to be harmless, unless you choose to ignore their haunting existence, at which time they may become obnoxious to the point that you may leave the building a bit shaken, but with a higher power of knowledge of paranormal activity.

The Old Exchange building is considered to be one of the three most historically significant Colonial buildings in the United States simply due to the hidden findings that lay deep beneath it. The Half-Moon Bastion was an original part of the original foundation of "Charles Town", and protruded out into the water as a "half-moon" shape. In 1781, the Old Exchange Building was constructed on the site of the Half-Moon Bastion. Restoration efforts in 1966 eventually unearthed the original wall of what was once known as Charles Town.

Charleston was a mix of wealthy socialites, poor immigrants, laborers, slaves, and pirates from Blackbeard to Stede Bonnet lurking about the town. The various mixtures of backgrounds did not always have pleasant consequences when it came to trading in the busy harbor or government dealings. Hangings were a popular form of death, and not everyone that was sentenced to death was guilty.

Unexplained events and ghosts are believed to be directly related to the brutal circumstances of the Civil and Revolutionary War and the patriots that fought for independence, up until their brutal demise within the walls of the dungeon. It is not uncommon to catch a glimpse of various lost souls roaming through the dark dungeon that once housed them.

Today costumed guides lead you through a piece of history that tells the story of what it once was like to be condemned and confined as a common criminal in what many would consider to be a torture chamber of sorts.

Along with these historians and historical figures, modern day citizens walk beside the ghosts who left this life with little to no dignity, but in some way are trying to communicate with us that they are still on their never ending journey to peace that never comes.

Endless research was performed and eventually constructed in realistic displays for the Provost Dungeon Museum. Local authority and historian Emmett Robinson designed each scene with accuracy and authenticity, and each life-size model represents a specific individual who was confined, as the records have indicated.

Visitors of the museum are quite often surprised to discover that women of society from street walkers to socialites shared the prison dungeon along with fellow patriots and common criminals. While on tour, many visitors have reported that they have heard crying and moaning throughout the dungeon, while other witnesses watched in horror as chains and lights swung back and forth by themselves for no apparent reason other than the obvious.

Rancid odors come and go at will, and visions of apparitions in period clothing with blank stares walk aimlessly through the halls. With the horrible conditions the prisoners were forced to live in, it would make sense that the place remains haunted by restless spirits to this day.

Tours of the Old Exchange are conducted Monday through Friday between the hours of 9:00 and 5:00 at 122 East Bay Street. Unique gifts representing 300 years of history are available in the gift shop, and printed masterpieces, many of them are limited editions, depict the struggles during the Revolutionary and Civil wars can be purchased by history buffs and art lovers. For more information on individual or group tours, call: (843) 727-2165 or 1-888-763-0448.